A Musician's Musician: Steven Staryk
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, op. 77 (99)[a]; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, op. 19[b]; Fritz Kreisler[c]: Caprice Viennois; Liebeslied; Schön Rosmarin; La Précieuse; Praeludium & Allegro.
Andrew Davis, Toronto Symphony Orchestra[a]/Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra[b]/Jane Corwin (piano)[c], Steven Staryk (violin).
CBC Records PSCD 2023. ADD (as listed). TT 75:03.
Recorded Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, 1986[a]/Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, 1973[b]/Eaton Auditorium, Toronto, 1976[c].

This release is a fitting testimonial to the album's namesake, whom the booklet notes do not hesitate to proclaim "the finest violinist ever to come out of Canada." Never entirely comfortable in the soloist's spotlight, Staryk instead channelled his prodigious talent into the role of concertmaster to the Royal Philharmonic (at the ripe old age of 24!), Concertgebouw, Chicago Symphony and Toronto Symphony Orchestras.

The Prokofiev concerto that opens the disc demonstrates Staryk's outstanding fluency even at breakneck speeds and his knack for finding the right rhythmic groove. This is a bravura performance, perhaps a bit self-consciously so. Certainly, it is all about the virtuoso, with the Vancouver orchestra relegated to the background in all senses of the word.

Unfortunately, the Shostakovich work is also reduced to not much more than a violin showpiece. This is less Staryk's fault than that of the reticent Toronto Symphony, whose strings sound far too light. Most disappointing is their toothless bite in the opening of the third movement.

Staryk's wide vibrato is less well suited to Shostakovich than to Prokofiev, and soon grows tiresome. I also found his tone in the passacaglia to be rather adenoidal, resulting in the concerto's emotional core being not nearly as imploring as it might be.

Indeed, the concerto suffers throughout from a missing sense of direction, not remotely matching the symphonic development on Neeme Järvi's recording with Lydia Mordkovitch and The Scottish National Orchestra (with Violin Concerto No. 2; Chandos CHAN 8820).

The Fritz Kreisler miniatures are much more successful, and with over 17 minutes of them, they greatly increase the value of the release. Here Staryk and Jane Corwin conjure up a heady atmosphere of Old World charm and gentility.

Digital remastering has banished analogue hiss (I suspect that the Shostakovich was originally a digital recording), but cannot make the recording balance more democratic in the concerti. Tight sonic focus on Staryk captures his loud inhalations in the Shostakovich work, breaking the listener's concentration in the cadenza.

A disc for fans of the soloist, then, but not for most Shostakovich enthusiasts.

W. Mark Roberts
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DSCH No. 16.
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