I couldn't care less, and that's why my new book will be called The World of Music According to Starker. One would think that these kinds of statements would be detrimental to one's career.
For example, you said that the first time you soloed with the New York Philharmonic was not a particularly significant event in your life, given that you had already played with most of the world's greatest orchestras. You are known for making some pretty controversial statements. The camp was located on an island in the Danube just outside of Budapest. I was in an internment camp for three months, not a labor camp. Laszlo Varga, also originally from Hungary, was sent to a labor camp during World War II. I was called "Johann," "Hans," "Johannes," "Jean," or "Jon." When I played in Romania, they meant to change my name to "Jan" because Romanians didn't like Hungarians at the time and Jan didn't sound Hungarian, but the programs ended up saying "Jano," which led some wags to say that I was Irish - Jan O'Starker. Early in my career it was changed to fit whichever country I was playing in, which created some confusion. People have had trouble with my first name too. Eugene Ormandy's last name was originally "Blau," which means "blue" in German. I refused to do it, but others did succumb to political pressure. My teacher suggested that I change mine to the Hungarian equivalent, "Eros," and there was one concert in which I was called "Eros Starker Janos," but I vowed to never do that again and I retained my name as-is. There was a time in Hungary when the government encouraged those with German names to change them to Hungarian names. My original name was "Starker Janos," actually, because the last name comes first in Hungary. My name means "strong" in German, so those who speak German usually pronounce it "Shtarker." In the United States, it's pronounced "Starker," which is how I prefer it.
How do you pronounce your last name? It is "Shtarker" or "Starker." I've heard it both ways. TJ: Let's start with a very basic question. Starker has limited his activities to teaching, master classes and occasional performances with his long time partner, the pianist Shigeo Neriki, and his son-in-law, daughter and granddaughter, violinists William, Gwen, and Alexandra Preucil. His editions of the major part of the cello literature have been published by Peer International, Schirmer and now by Masters Music Publications. Additional releases can be found on Angel, CRI Deutsche Gramophone, EMI London, Mercury Philips, Erato, Seraphim and other labels world-wide. His last releases on BMB RCA Victor red seal label include the cello version of Bartok�s Viola Concerto, Dvorak, Hindemith, Schumann, Elgar, and Walton Concertos, Strauss� Don Quixote, sonatas by Brahms, Martinu, Rachmaninoff, etc., also his fifth version of the Bach Suites which earned him a Grammy Award for best instrumental solo performance in 1998. Starker has amassed a discography of more than 170 works. It was in 1999 that a special gala honored him in Bloomington on the occasion of his 75th birthday an occasion when he first appeared on stage with Mstislav Rostropovich, who conducted the Brahms Double Concerto with Starker and his son-in-law, William Preucil, concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra. In 1958 he joined Indiana University, School of Music, where he holds the title Distinguished Professor, and the first recipient of the Tracy Sonneborn Award for a faculty member who has achieved distinction as a teacher, as well as performer and scholar. In 1956 he started his world-wide touring with all the major orchestras as soloist, recording artist, recitalist, and chamber music player.
In 1948 he emigrated to the United States where he subsequently held the posts of principal cellist with the Dallas Symphony, Metropolitan Opera of New York, and the Chicago Symphony under Fritz Reiner. His early career took him through Budapest's Franz Liszt Academy, and on to positions of first cellist with the Budapest Opera and Philharmonic at the end of World War Two. By the age of eight he was coaching his first pupil, and by eleven he was performing in public. Janos Starker was born in Budapest in 1924 and began studying the cello at the age of six. "With his peerless technical mastery and intensely expressive playing, Janos Starker is universally recognized as one of the world�s supreme musicians." (New York Times) Conversation with Janos Starker ICS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW!!!
0 kommentar(er)
