Zoltán Kocsis, famous conductor and pianist

Hungarian virtuosi playing in Zagreb

Pianist, conductor, chamber musician, composer and arranger Zoltán Kocsis is one of the most prominent persons of the musical world: he is mysterious, brilliant, and extremely versatile. As a conductor, he is known for his imaginative repertoire that frequently includes his own transcriptions and the works of contemporary authors. In 1983 he founded the Budapest Festival Orchestra together with Ivan Fischer. He had been the Music Director of the Orchestra until 1997. This took him to the world's most prestigious halls (Concertgebouw, Barbican, Musikverein, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Carnegie Hall) both as conductor and soloist.

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Béla Bartók's death he performed in a very successful series of concerts in Brussels, Frankfurt, Cologne, Paris, and New York. In 1998 Kocsis became the Music Director of the Hungarian State Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also been the guest conductor of numerous European orchestras. Since 1970, he has been recording exclusively for Philips Classics, but his recordings have also been released by Denon, Hungaroton, Nippon Columbia, and Quintana. Kocsis has received numerous awards and honors, including the Edison Award and the German Gramophone Award. In 2005 he completed the project of recording Béla Bartók's entire piano oeuvre (solo and with orchestra accompaniment).

Hungarian violinist Barnabás Kelemen was a Franz Liszt Music Academy student in Budapest whose perfect technical skills and musical talent quickly drew the attention of the world's musical public. He has won numerous international competitions for violinists. His rich repertoire includes works ranging from the classics to contemporary authors. Kelemen has worked with many Hungarian and European orchestras, conducted by names such as Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Marek Janowski, Peter Eötvoös, Zoltán Kocsis and Ivan Fischer.

As a chamber musician, he has performed with Zoltán Kocsis, Miklós Perény, Shai Wosner, and other artists, playing in some of the most prestigious concert halls (Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmor Hall, Carnegie Hall). His discography releases have received excellent reviews and honors. Barnabás Kelemen plays a 1742 Guarneri de Gesú. He is a professor at the Franz Liszt Music Academy and visiting professor at Bloomingron Indiana University.

Concert:

 19:30 p.m. March 8, 2011
Forte Fortissimo cycle
Concert Hall Vatroslav Lisinski, Zagreb

ZOLTÁN KOCSIS, piano
BARNABÁS KELEMEN, violin

Programme:

B. Bartók: Rapsody no. 1 for violin and piano
C. Debussy: Sonata for violin and piano
L. van Beethoven: Sonata for violin and piano Op. 30/3

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B. Bartók: Sonata no. 1 for violin and piano