Biography
David Farquhar, born in 1928, stands among New Zealand’s most widely respected composers. His studies took place at Victoria University, Cambridge University, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where Benjamin Frankel served as his teacher. Symphonic works, opera, and theatre music number among his output, most notably the score for a production of Christopher Fry’s Ring Around the Moon, itself a translation of Jean Anouilh’s play; he also produced an award-winning piano concerto and a body of chamber music.
The Symphony of 1959 remains perhaps his best-known piece. This compact score presents lean yet powerful lines of gradually unfolding material cast in the traditional three-movement design. Lucid orchestration and unalloyed tonal construction mark the elegant, intelligent manner that distinguishes all his writing.
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra led by Eric Lawson recorded the Symphony for a Peerless/Oryz LP issued in the mid-’60s (Oryx 1900).
The Symphony of 1959 remains perhaps his best-known piece. This compact score presents lean yet powerful lines of gradually unfolding material cast in the traditional three-movement design. Lucid orchestration and unalloyed tonal construction mark the elegant, intelligent manner that distinguishes all his writing.
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra led by Eric Lawson recorded the Symphony for a Peerless/Oryz LP issued in the mid-’60s (Oryx 1900).
Albums
