Music and Performance Art Reviews : Starobin in Recital

Saturday night in the Recital Hall at Cal State Northridge, New York guitarist David Starobin gave an informal solo recital of 12 varied works.

Although flamboyant gestures with his arms and hands sometimes restrict his ability to play accurately, Starobin is an energetic performer of contemporary guitar music and equally intelligent with the traditional Spanish and Classical repertory.

Four pieces from the Soviet Union--which, Starobin explained from the stage, were only recently published in America--were performed with special insight and finesse.

Two of these, Etude in D by Marek Sokolovski and Etude in A by Aleksandr Nemerovsky, proved exciting, virtuosic discoveries from the 19th Century. Two other pieces by Ivanov-Kramskoi (1912-1973) followed in the footsteps of Soviet composer Dmitri Kabalevsky’s more pedagogic items and were less challenging.

On the contemporary side, Lukas Foss’ neo-Baroque “Chaconne” (1987) and Michael Starobin’s Wendy Carlos-inspired “Chase” (1987), for guitar and tape, broke no new ground; Starobin demonstrated a deep understanding of each.

The evening began with a showy performance of Per Norgaard’s Minimalist study “Returns,” and ended with a mesmerizing performance of Joaquin Turina’s ambitious Sonata, Opus 61.