Almost without exception, all pianists of the Liszt Academy of Music Budapest trace their artistic-intellectual genealogy back to Franz Liszt. Gábor Farkas is one these direct descendants. The recording is more than a simple introduction to the artsist; it is a document of an authentic encounter with the music of Liszt. In spite of the diversity, the programme of the recording is very coherent: tonal similarity, proximity etc.
If we only listed the names of the conductors Gábor Farkas, PhD student of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest has worked with, that would be more than enough: Ádám Fischer, Zoltán Kocsis and Tamás Vásáry. Gábor started his music studies at the age of five, and already holds an MA degree in Piano Performance and Teaching. His special talent is appreciated internationally: in 1998, he was awarded with the first prize of the "National Piano Competition", Békés-Tarhos, Hungary; in 2000 he was the winner of the "Bartók Béla Piano Competition", Baden bei Wien; and in 2003 he received the first prize of the "Hungarian National Radio's Piano Competition". His uplifting performance enchanted the audience throughout Europe and the world: along the past years he performed in the concert halls of Budapest, Vienna, Baden bei Wien, Berlin, Stuttgart, Strassbourg, Florence, Paris, Calgary, Sakata, Yuza and Tokyo. He was invited to prestigious international festivals, such as the "Budapest Spring Festival", the "International Piano Forum", Berlin and the "Franz Liszt Festival" organized in the Castle of Gödöllo, Hungary. He extended his knowledge at the master courses of many of the most respected piano professors: György Nádor, Ferenc Rados, Péter Frankl, Rolf Dieter Arens, Jan Wijn, Brigitte Engerer and William Grant Nabore. In the past years, he received the scholarships "Pro Europe" and "Franz Liszt", in Budapest, and in 2001 he won the scholarship of the "European Cultural Foundation", Strassbourg.
