Hungarian born cellist Janos Starker made his first public performances at ages six and seven. He entered the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest to study with Adolf Schiffer and made his debut there at age 11. Starker began teaching other children at age eight, and by the time he was 12, he had five pupils. So no wonder that in later years - apart from his worldwide professional career Starker became a life long most sought after professor at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. From 1950 to 1965, Starker played and recorded on the Lord Aylesford Stradivarius, the largest instrument made by Antonio Stradivarius, which can also be heard on this album. Starker's credo as an artist was: "Create excitement. Don't get excited." - and that's exactly what we hear on the tracks of this album which span a wide musical range from the early 19th century to the early 20th century. Janos Starker, one of the grandmasters of cello of the 20th century. Enjoy his art and keep the memory alive!