The conductor Harold Farberman has died. From what I gather, he didn’t suffer fools lightly, but he was revered for his thorough understanding of his craft.
When Farberman joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra as a percussionist in his early 20s, in 1951, he was the youngest player ever to become a full-time member of the organization. Later, he served as music director of the Colorado Springs Orchestra (1967-1970) and the Oakland Symphony Orchestra (1971-1979). He taught conducting at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School and at Bard Collage. He was a great champion of the music of Charles Ives and recorded the complete symphonies of Gustav Mahler and Michael Haydn.
Obituaries will be trickling in from official news outlets, I’m sure, but for now you can search his name on Facebook and find dozens of tributes from those who studied under him and benefited from his austere tutelage.
Among his fine recordings, none are quirkier than those of his own arrangements of the classics for percussion ensemble. The All-Star Percussion Ensemble was assembled from 10 percussionists drawn from major American orchestras, many of whom were Farberman students.
Farberman was 89 years-old.
