What are you listening to? February 2022

Graham Parker and the Rumour - Squeezing Out Sparks (1979)


Graham Parker - Squeezing Out Sparks - album cover
 
Janos Starker & Gyorgy Sebok - Starker Plays Chopin, Mendelssohn, Martinu, Debussy, Bartok, Weiner (rec. 1962-3, comp. 1995)

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I really enjoy a collection like this one that explores a wide variety of material on a single instrument. Here we have repertoire from the early 19th century (Chopin) through the mid-20th century (Bartok) with a couple of less frequently heard composers (Martinu, Weiner) thrown in. The unifying factor is the genius of cellist Janos Starker. Pianist Gyorgy Sebok joined Starker in his effortless glide through the centuries, just as both men migrated smoothly from Hungary to Indiana University. Starker combined a three pack a day smoking habit with a serious taste for scotch, yet managed to reach age 88, surely an inspiration to us all.
 
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