Ken McGuire wrote:

>Janos Starker has been an impressive player for at least the last 40 years.
>He should also be considered, but his appeal is more to cellists than the
>general public.

and Lindsey Orcutt asked:

>Why so?

IMHO, it's because, as technically spectacular a cellist as he is (which
appeals to other cellists), he's as cold as ice in performance.  A friend
of mine who used to attend Chicago Symphony concerts years back when
Starker was first chair cellist refers to him as "The Friendly Undertaker".
I heard him live in recital about 15 years ago in Atlanta and was turned
off (all I can remember of the programming was a very flashy Boccherini
sonata).  There was almost an arrogance and disdain to his playing, as if
he were lording over the audience the fact that he could effortlessly play
this technically demanding music.  On the other hand, I also heard him a
few years later with the Y Chamber Orchestra (now the New York Chamber
Symphony) under Gerard Schwartz playing the world premiere of a cello
concerto written for him by Robert Starer, and I remember being favorably
impressed by the performance as well as the piece.  Maybe that whole
experience of performing a commissioned, dedicated work had a humbling,
humanizing effect on him that the average recital didn't....

Rich Putter
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