Starker at 100: Maria Martinez remembers cellist János Starker

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I first met cellist János Starker in 2008. He did not have to hear me play more than a few minutes to know how to help. He spoke softly and made a couple of comments. The longer I thought about them, the more sense they made and today I remember all of them when I practise. He not only knew how to guide me but just by listening to my cello playing he could sense the kind of person I was.

When opening the door of his studio, the first thing that was noticeable was the particular smell of tobacco with aftershave. When he saw me, he would give a discreet one-sided smile. I would sit on one of the chairs and observe the old pictures on the wall. A big painting of David Popper looked over us.

I will always remember one particular afternoon, when a student played the second movement of the Schumann Concerto. When he finished, Starker made a few comments. Then he slowly put his cigarette in the ashtray and picked up his cello. He made a sign to the pianist and started to play the second movement. This time he didn’t stop after the first phrase and it didn’t feel like he was teaching any more. He didn’t stop at all and to our surprise, he played through the whole movement. When he finished, a collective silence passed over the room. He didn’t speak or look at anyone as he put his cello back slowly. It was the most heartfelt playing I have heard and I was deeply moved. I looked around to realise that everybody had been as touched as I was. We all knew how special that moment had been. At the end of the day, like any other, he put his coat on, grabbed his cane and said his usual, ‘Goodbye kids.’

Being Starker’s student felt like having unconditional support and a place I could always return to. There are no better words to express this than his own: ‘Once from the family, always from the family.’

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American collector David L. Fulton amassed one of the 20th century’s finest collections of stringed instruments. This year’s calendar pays tribute to some of these priceless treasures, including Yehudi Menuhin’s celebrated ‘Lord Wilton’ Guarneri, the Carlo Bergonzi once played by Fritz Kreisler, and four instruments by Antonio Stradivari.