Zoltán Kocsis died ten years ago on 6 November 2016, at the age of 64. As general music director of the Hungarian National Philharmonic, he placed the long-established orchestra and choir on entirely new foundations, enabling the musicians working under him to deliver world-class performances. He took up the leadership of the orchestra in 1997, and during the nearly two decades he spent with us, he not only stamped his uncompromising attitude on every joint endeavour as a conductor, but also enriched the ensemble’s history indelibly as a pianist, arranger and composer. Two works by Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) will be performed at the memorial concert in tribute to his artistry and personality. The rarely heard Begräbnisgesang (Burial Song) was composed in 1858, two years after Schumann’s death. Its distinctive feature is that the chorale text, set with puritanical discipline in keeping with Protestant tradition, is sung by the choir accompanied by a wind ensemble. Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), one of the greatest and at the same time most unconventional works in its genre, was completed in 1868, with Brahms selecting its text from the German translation of the Luther Bible. The soloists will be Polina Pasztircsák, a member of the Hungarian singing community who has achieved international success, and the excellent German baritone Julian Orlishausen, at home in every genre and representing the middle generation. The Kossuth Prize-winning György Vashegyi, founder and leader of the Purcell Choir and Orfeo Orchestra, has been the general music director of the Hungarian National Philharmonic as a successor to Zoltán Kocsis since the autumn of 2022.

Presented by: Hungarian National Philharmonic