Search - Robert Farnon, John Wilson, BBC Concert Orchestra :: Farnon: Symphony No. 2; Scherzo from Symphony No. 1

Robert Farnon Extrodinaire

Wayne Choma | Winnipeg, Canada | 03/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It was wonderful to finally hear the symphonic music of Robert Farnon. His passing on April 23, 2005 robbed the world of one of the great giants of modern light music. Not only remembered for his fine light classics but his numerous arrangements sought after by the most notable singers of our era such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan, and Vera Lynn as well as many others. This is an excellent collection of his music with the world premiere recordings of his fine second symphony and scherzo from his first symphony(too bad the complete symphony was not released here). Perhaps, his finest film score is the music from the Warner Brothers film, "Captain Hornblower RN". The excellent movie suite is a welcomed aural pleasure. The remaining pieces are a rewarding collection of fine examples of light music in the Farnon vein. If you haven't heard the music of this light music giant, you might want to follow up this album with three good compact discs, "A Portrait of Farnon" on ASV Living Era, "Journey into Melody" on Jasmine, and "Robert Farnon" on Naxos. These are a good intro into his broad musical landscape. The world lost a musical treasure with his passing."