Originally released to celebrate theJános Starker centenary, Urlicht AudioVisual’s all-Zoltán-Kodály, all-Starker release – plus the incomparable violinist Elmira Darvarova (in Kodály’s formidable Duo) – received five reviews in Fanfare magazine, from Henry Fogel, Keith R. Fisher, Jerry Dubins, Michael Vaillancourt, and Colin Clarke, Henry Fogel also interviews Elmira (following his review) – it’s a fascinating read.
It is so enormously gratifying to read this sort of coverage. Even though I was able to track down two excellent LP copies of the Sonata, they both required plenty of restoration TLC at Urlicht AudioVisual’s studio. The recording of the Duo was transferred from a DAT provided by Elmira, and a teeny smattering of digital clicks and a little lighting hum were quickly corrected.
The recording is available for download and streaming on Qobuz and Presto – two services to which I subscribe and that take technical quality seriously.
A side note: Presto’s streaming service is relatively new, and I’ve been mightily impressed by the rollout. I’ve been listening through my studio’s monitors via an Avid D-to-A using the Presto app on my Mac Studio. So far, no lags, no stuttering, no problems, and excellent sound! Sadly, my Samsung smart TV uses a proprietary OS that is incompatible with Android or Linux (I know, should’ve gotten the LG OLED 4k TV), so it’s no surprise that there is no app for it yet – but Presto does have a streaming dongle that I very well may pick up.
It is also streaming on Apple Music Classical, Spotify, and Tidal.
The CD is available from ArkivMusic, ImportCDs, and Amazon,