Divertimento

Ferenc Farkas was 25 years old when he composed his ‘‘Divertimento’’. This work represents the fruit of his two years of study in Rome and it is thanks to it that he won the Franz Liszt Prize in 1933. It was premiered in Budapest the same year under the direction of Ernö von Dohnanyi.

The transparent clarity of the instrumentation and the logic of the forms certainly owes much to the Roman experience of its author. But with hindsight and comparing the “Divertimento” to the entire work of Ferenc Farkas, we can already find in it all the characteristics and originality specific to the artistic personality of the composer.

The first two movements of the piece have a Mediterranean resonance thanks to their cheerful lightness. The 3rd movement has many effects, as well as the “Intermezzo” preparing the final “Rondo”.