Hungarian virtuoso Gábor Farkas performs a stunning recital of opera and song by Verdi, Wagner, Gounod, Chopin and Schumann in formidable arrangements by Franz Liszt for solo piano.

“One of those dead solid perfect records, it’s a wealth of riches for the classical fan here as Farkas has the smarts to give you an excursion into the familiar pointing out places you’ve never fully heard before. Quite the dazzling interpretation.”

Midwest Record
 

“The more I listened to Farkas’s Totentanz the more remarkable it seemed. This isn’t a wunderkind out to impress; no, there’s a certainty of shape and a depth of imagination to this man’s playing that speaks of a talent far beyond his years.”

MusicWeb International
 

“From the word go you know you are in a safe pair of hands- not that Farkas is inclined to play it safe when it comes to tempi and the music’s more perilous passages- with a warm, velvety sound throughout his wide dynamic range, and an innate grasp of Liszt’s idiom.”

Gramophone
 

“This collection of works asks a lot from a pianist and Gábor Farkas emerges as one of those rare players who seemingly has it all. Even more impressive, he has the judgment to deploy it with tact....an outstanding (and lustrously engineered) recital.” 

Fanfare
 

“The subtle treatments of the song renderings here are delightful: they make it possible to imagine Liszt himself thinking his way through these pieces.”

AllMusic Guide
 

 “In the paraphrase on the Waltz from Gounod’s Faust, Farkas makes salient points through finely honed details such as the shading of chords and delicate, supple staccato runs... Liszt’s solo version of Totentanz manages to fuse the original’s orchestral and solo parts with little effort or clutter, and Farkas’ effortless and clear textural delineation makes a compelling and plausible case for a transcription that usually sends pianists ducking for cover.”

ClassicsToday.com
 

“Song transcriptions of Chopin and Clara Schumann bring sweet and unforced listening pleasure, and Isolde’s Liebestod from Wagner’s Tristan is played with melting lyricism... Totentanz, the longest piece here, is everything we have been waiting for. Farkas holds nothing back as he explodes wildly in an effort to impart as much color as he can to this solo piano version of what was originally written with orchestra.”

American Record Guide

ALBUM CREDITS

Liszt: Opera And Song For Solo Piano / Gabor Farkas  • STNS 30065

Release Date: 01/20/2017

Recorded March 7-9, 2016 at Steinway Hall, New York City.
Producer: Jon Feidner
Engineer: Lauren Sturm
Editing: Kazumi Umeda
Mixing and Mastering: Daniel Shores

Executive Producers: Eric Feidner, Jon Feidner
Art Direction: Jackie Fugere
Design: Cover to Cover Design, Anilda Carrasquillo
Piano Technician: Lauren Sturm
Piano: Steinway Model D #5199601 (Hamburg)

About the Artist

Steinway artist Gábor Farkas holds an MA and DLA degree in piano performance and teaching from Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Budapest. After the Liszt Academy he continued his studies with William Grant Naboré at the International Piano Academy Lake Como, in Italy.

His special talent is appreciated internationally: In 2009, he won the International Liszt Piano Competition in Weimar and the Audience's Prize and an award for best performance of a Haydn Sonata. In 2003 he received the first prize of the "Hungarian National Radio's Piano Competition", in 2001 he received 3rd prize in the International Liszt Piano Competition in Budapest, and in 2000 he was the winner of the "Bartók Béla Piano prize" in Baden bei Wien. In 2009 he received the "Gundel Art Prize", in 2008 he was given the "Junior Prima" prize and he was awarded a special state prize "The best young artist of the year". In 2012 he got the Franz Liszt Award (the highest Hungarian State Award for artists).

Farkas's uplifting performances have enchanted audiences throughout Europe and the world. During recent years he has performed in the most famous concert halls around the world: BOZAR in Brussels, Auditorio National de Musica in Madrid, Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Chatelet in Paris, NCPA Concert Hall in Beijing, Oriental Arts Center in Shanghai, Seoul Art Center in Seoul, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo and the Palace of Arts in Budapest. He was invited to prestigious international festivals, such as the "Budapest Spring Festival", the "International Piano Forum", Berlin, Schumann Festival, Zwickau, Pélerinages Festival in Weimar, Thüringen Bach Festival and the "Ferenc Liszt Festival" in the Castle of Gödöllo, Hungary.

In January 2011, Farkas was the soloist in the Official Opening Concert of the Liszt Year 2011, Zoltán Kocsis conducted the National Philharmonic Orchestra at the Palace of Arts, Budapest and he was also the soloist of the Closing Concert of the Chopin Year, in 2010 with the Sinfonia Varsovia. He has worked with such internationally known conductors as Ádám Fischer , Tamás Vásáry, Olli Mustonen, Philippe Bender and George Tchitchinadze.

Farkas's debut CD recording entitled An evening with Liszt was released on Warner Classics in 2008, which won the prestigious "Grand Prix" as the best Liszt recording of the year 2009 given by the Franz Liszt International Society. His second album was a live recording of the Official Opening Concert of the Liszt Year, 2011, with Zoltán Kocsis and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, also on Warner Classics. This is his first album on the Steinway & Sons label.

About Steinway & Sons label

The STEINWAY & SONS music label produces exceptional albums of solo piano music across all genres. The label — a division of STEINWAY & SONS, maker of the world’s finest pianos — is a perfect vessel for producing the finest quality recordings by some of the most talented pianists in the world.