This week on From the Vault we hear an exceptional live recording of Hungarian-American cello virtuoso János Starker made on December 8th, 1971 at WBAI’s ‘church’ studio in New York City. Starker, one of the most recorded, technically-proficient, and innovative cellists for the much of the 20th Century and beyond leads a Master Class, complete with a discussion about the cello (including literature, technique, and style), studio audience participation in the warm-up exercises, and performances of Bach, Handel, and Kodály by Starker and pianist and close friend György Sebök. Originally recorded by David Rapkin and produced by the WBAI Music Department as part of the 1970’s series Free Music Store, this recording took full advantage of the old church’s stone and wood architecture and incredible acoustics to capture the beautiful, timeless magic in Starker and Sebök’s performance.

From the Vault is presented through the Pacifica Radio Archives Preservation and Access Project, funded in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, past grants from the Grammy Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the American Archive funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, along with the generous support of Pacifica Radio listeners.

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