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Published: Monday, 28 October 2024 at 09:00 AM
What’s it like to study with a living legend? Cellist János Starker was ‘like a doctor with X-ray eyes’
2024 marks the 100th anniversary of János Starker‘s birth, a legendary cellist who redefined the future of classical music. Fellow Hungarian cellist Ildikó Szabó – who Starker dubbed ‘an exceptionally gifted young cellist’ when she was just 14 – spoke about her memories of the great musician...
I first met János Starker in Bloomington, in the corridor of Indiana University’s round building. I was 14, attending the summer string academy on a scholarship. I didn’t speak English (my first foreign language was German), so encountering a living legend was both astonishing and oddly comforting because of our shared ‘secret’ language. Having been brought up in the David Popper tradition at the Liszt Academy, I likely practised on the same chairs as Starker.
János Starker… ‘acerbic humour’, but ‘never demeaning’
I soon became a frequent guest in Studio 155, the only room without smoke detectors. I attended as many classes as possible and, thanks to Starker’s generosity, received numerous lessons. He loved teaching in front of an audience, reminiscent of the methods of the old Liszt Academy and that generation of artists, like Leo Weiner, later György Kurtág, Ferenc Rados, etc. His acerbic humour and rigour were well-known, yet he ensured criticism was constructive, never demeaning. He was like a doctor with X-ray eyes, diagnosing and curing problems efficiently. I remember him as an elegant, generous gentleman who took his profession seriously, but not himself.
‘Criticism was in English… for everyone to understand’
I spent four summers in Bloomington, which always felt like an escape from high school. It’s amusing now – while I studied in Budapest’s beautiful art nouveau academy, Bloomington’s practice rooms resembled prison cells. Since I took Starker’s classes from 2007 to 2011, I never heard him perform live, but in the last year, he taught at home, where I saw his whisky collection and the ‘Kodály Swimming Pool’. Praise for my playing was always in Hungarian; criticism was in English for everyone else to understand.
Although my time with Starker was brief, during summer masterclasses, it left a significant impression. Perhaps it was because I was 14 and absorbed information like a sponge, or because of his personality and precision. He conveyed decades of wisdom in a clear and concise way. György Sebők once said that even when they played pool, Starker taught him. I never played billiards with Starker, but I can imagine him noticing every little flaw in the same way.
János Starker… elegant playing without the sweat
Starker’s playing style set him apart from other cellists. One phrase that stuck with me is: ‘Don’t get excited! Create excitement!’ His elaborate method and ambition for sustainable playing are rare today. I miss the elegant, ‘sweatless’ solutions he embodied, and I hope some of that is reflected in my playing.
Starker’s legacy has shaped the world of classical music. The 20th-century music world often celebrates Rostropovich‘s premieres, but Starker’s recorded repertoire is equally remarkable. Premiering Miklós Rózsa’s Cello Concerto in Budapest, written for Starker, was particularly meaningful for me. His playing showed that pieces like the Kodály Solo Sonata are achievable.
János Starker… an outstanding teacher
As a child, I listened to his recordings endlessly. To this day, I share his interpretations with students as shining examples. He once said that recording etudes and caprices taught him the greatest humility. I often listen to Brahms, a favourite of his, and appreciate the trios with Josef Suk and Julius Katchen, and recordings with Sebők. He said concerts are for the audience; recordings are for ourselves. I understand that sentiment more with time.
I think his greatest contribution was teaching, passing on values and preserving treasures. I hope he would agree, as he once noted that after a standing ovation, the audience eventually sits down.
Ildikó Szabó makes her debut at Wigmore Hall on Sun 24 Nov 2024.