Pannon Philharmonic

Zoltán Kocsis, as an alleyway was guiding our music for ten years; in the Hungarian music scene, his person became a landmark. In addition to his brilliant instrumental skills, his knowledge about art epochs, composers, creative intentions, his expertise in different artistic areas, and the concise insights –in their complexities– made him an unparalleled creator, thinker, and authentic referent of professional issues to all of us.

After the Budapest Festival Orchestra, co-founded by him, and the National Symphony Orchestra, renewed under his leadership, also the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra became an adopted child of this excellent musician, opening the orchestral world of Hungarian provinces for a great mentor. The first time, in a way of a fairly strict and exemplary model of a father, he was watching our jolting road from afar, but he always knew exactly where we were and what would help our development. Then he came closer. In every season, we worked together on several projects; he spent weeks in Pecs, with unforgettable conversations, with dinners among friends, and with playing music. In the MÜPA, all of our concerts over the past decade, he listened from the backstage, and he expressed his views, and appointed new horizons. If it was needed: gently; if it was needed: being indignant for us with his unique humour, but always with respect and selflessness. In his life and work, he revealed for our musician what it means to truly serve what you were born for.

Zoltán Kocsis’s death left behind an unfillable gap in the everyday life of Hungarian and international music scene. We might not even see yet the magnitude of the deficit resulted by the loss of his personality. There will be no one to call, no one to write e-mails, knowing that he would be the only one whose response we would fully accept. Because he knew the answers. He was the medium between the late composer's intentions, the special world of music and the musicians. He was bigger than us, a genius whose thinking and interpreting music could be compared to the world of the greatest composers. With his death, not only those have lost who knew him, loved him and learned from him, but also the future generations who have got no opportunity to get acquainted with his knowledge and cannot hear the compositions remained in his suitcases. The music has got irreplaceable loss.

The pain does not describe the feelings of the Pannon Philharmonic’s artists and staff. We feel deprived, but agreeing with the words of our excellent musician colleague, Miklós Perényi: "we respect Him best when we keep doing our work conscientiously."