Remembering Janos Starker
Janos Starker, one of the 20th century’s well-known cellists died on Sunday at his home in Bloomington, Ind. He was 88.
Starker began playing cello in the early 1930s. Both of his brothers played the violin, so the family thinking was that he should study a different instrument. His career began in his native Hungary, where he entered the Budapest Academy at age 7 and made his solo debut four years later. Starker dedicated his life to music, and left a legacy of teaching and performing.
Starker was born to Jewish parents; he and they survived a Nazi labor camp during WWII, but his two older brothers did not. In 1948, Starker came to the U.S., where he played with the Dallas Symphony and later the Metropolitan Opera and the Chicago Symphony.
Mr. Starker played several magnificent cellos during his career — including the “Lord Aylesford” Stradivarius of 1696, a 1707 Guarnerius and a 1705 instrument by the great Venetian maker Matteo Goffriller.
Here is Mr. Starker, performing the music of Bach:
And next, here is Mr. Starker in the Dvořák Cello Concerto:
Finally here is Janos Starker in Recital, performing “The Swan” by Saint-Saens:
Tags: Janos Starker, Cellist, dead at 88