Características
János Starker and György Sebők were born in Hungary at the beginning of the last century. They were accepted at the famous Franz Liszt School of Music in Budapest, but later emigrated to the United States, where they became professors emeriti at the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington. Both inveterate smokers, they sometimes had an unjust reputation for strictness and harshness, were and are insensitive to musical fashions, but are attracted to the diversity of music, fascinated by its colors and have only one lofty goal: to serve the respective work – as they prove on “The Unreleased Berlin Studio Recordings 1963”, which was recorded on October 24, 1963 in the legendary broadcasting booth 3 of the Berlin Radio.
Starker and Sebők have internalized the aesthetics that Prokofiev espoused: “I cultivate melody and also strive to instill feeling and emotion into my works, despite those who call me a cubist and add that I systematically avoid all emotional or romantic factors in order to seek only objectivity.” At the other end of the spectrum is Spanish passion – and melancholy, too, which is expressed in the two pieces by Granados and De Falla, which Starker and Sebők tackle with enthusiasm and fervor. The final piece is the first sonata for viola da gamba and harpsichord – part of a cycle of three sonatas written by Bach. These sonatas do not refer to the stylistic features of the viola da gamba. They were probably originally written for other instruments and are therefore naturally suited for transcription for cello and piano. In the Sonata in G major BWV 1027, which the two performers present to us, the beauty of the counterpoint is sublimated.
The meticulously restored recording comes as a strictly limited LP (2000 copies) – with 180 grams of heavy vinyl, cut at 33 RPM at Simon Garcia, Marciac . The famous Kevin Gray is responsible for the lacquer cuts. “The Lost Recordings” is celebrated worldwide for preserving invaluable musical heritage and for the unsurpassed quality of its Phoenix-Mastering™ restorations. “János Starker & György Sebők – The Unreleased Berlin Studio Recordings 1963” is nothing less than an audiophile revelation, showing just how fantastic stereophonic mono recordings can sound.
Side A
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 – 1953)
1. Cello Sonata In C Major, Op. 119
I. Andante grave
II. Moderato
III. Allegro, Ma Non Troppo
Side B
Enrique Granados (1867 – 1916)
2. Intermezzo In E-flat Major From "Goyescas"
Manuel De Falla (1876 – 1946)
3. Danza Ritual Delfuego From "El Amor Brujo"
J. S. Bach
4. Sonata For Viola Da Gamba And Keyboard No. 1 In G Major, BWV 1027
I. Adagio
II. Allegro, Ma Non Tanto
III. Andante
IV. Allegro Moderato