In this continuing series on classic horn recordings, I had to include this album with Philip Farkas on horn and Marion Hall on piano.  Produced by the Coronet Recording Company, this LP was recorded probably in the early 1960s, shortly after Farkas left his position with the Chicago Symphony to become a professor at Indiana University. [Anyone know an exact date on this one?] The album contains the following, all standards in the solo repertoire:

Bozza, En Foret; Mozart, Concerto No. 2 (piano reduction); Gliere, Intermezzo; Francaix, Canon in Octave; Schumann, Adagio and Allegro; Glazunov, Reveries; Gallay, Unmeasured Preludes; Piantoni, Air de Chasse.

Although the entire album has not yet been re-released on CD, the Francaix Canon in Octave and the Gallay Unmeasured Preludes were included on Shared Reflections: The Legacy of Philip Farkas, a wonderful collection released a few years after Farkas’ passing as a musical tribute. The CD includes several new recordings by former students, orchestral and solo recordings of Farkas, and interviews with Farkas conducted by Joe Neisler.

Getting back to the original LP, although Farkas was primarily known as an orchestral and chamber musician, this recording shows his capabilities as a soloist. His sound contains in my opinion the perfect blend of high and low overtones, resulting in a sound which is mellow but also projects extremely well. Included below is a brief clip, the opening measures of Alexander Glazunov’s “Reveries.”  In this clip one can easily hear the sensitivity, style, and of course sound quality for which Farkas was known.