Janos Starker (1924-2013)

Janos Starker, the Hungarian-born cellist known for his crystalline technique and unindulgent interpretations, has died at the age 88. Starker, onetime principal cellist of the Dallas and Chicago symphonies and Metropolitan Opera, had taught at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University since 1958.

Starker was one of the few recording artists whose career spanned the eras of 78-rpm and vinyl discs and digital recordings.

He also was known for his blunt observations on music and musicians, famously describing artists who displayed high temperament onstage as “making love to themselves.”

An obituary by Margalit Fox in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/arts/music/janos-starker-master-cellist-dies-at-88.html?ref=obituaries&_r=0