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4.0 out of 5 stars
Unnamed but Awesome, March 9, 2010
This review is from: Musician's Musician (Audio CD)
It's clear why the Amazon crew left the artist's name out of the title of this listing. The producers of this CBC CD were so certain everyone knew and loved Steven Staryk that they failed to highlight his name on the booklet cover. For the younger listeners: Staryk was chosen by Sir Thomas Beecham as concertmaster of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra while still in his twenties (and can still be heard on their recordings of "Ein Heldenleben" and "Sheherazade," among others). He went on to fill that position with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony under Jean Martinon and, returning to his native Canada, with the Toronto Symphony. He recorded some LPs early on, including a disc of Wieniawski showpieces and the Etude-Caprices for two violins (playing both parts in a multi-track production), and one called "Every Violinist's Guide," on which he played an assortment of traditional student exercises at blinding speed with perfect technique. Those and some other recital discs, only fitfully available, are all that we have had of his unique artistry, so this pair of concerti is particularly welcome - both for those of us who fondly recall this "musician's musician" and for listeners who have yet to encounter him.
The program includes:
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 (with Kazuyoshi Akiyama and the Vancouver Symphony in 1973)
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 (with Andrew Davis and the Toronto Symphony in 1986)
Kreisler: assorted bon-bons including "Caprice viennois," "Liebesleid," etc. (with pianist Jane Corwin from 1976)
To call these performances spectacular would be an understatement. Staryk plays with a suave tone, a fast, intense vibrato, and a sensational technique. Passionate communication and an almost vocal expressiveness are the hallmarks of his artistry, reminding one of Kreisler, Heifetz, and others of the "old shool" (Christian Ferras was probably his closest peer). You don't just listen to all this; you experience it.
The recording quality is variable but never less than listenable. The balance in the Prokofiev concerto is uncomfortably close, but playing of this stature can certainly stand the scrutiny. The rest would easily get all five rating stars. Urgently recommended.
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