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Hungarian pianist and conductor Zoltan Kocsis dies at age 64
By Associated Press
Published: 14:31 EST, 6 November 2016 | Updated: 14:31 EST, 6 November 2016
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra says its musical director, Zoltan Kocsis, has died at age 64.
The Philharmonic said Kocsis died Sunday afternoon. No cause of death was given, but Kocsis underwent major heart surgery in 2012. Last month, the orchestra announced that he was suffering from poor health and, following doctors' orders, cancelling most of his concerts to rest and recuperate.
A world-renowned pianist and conductor, Kocsis founded the Budapest Festival Orchestra in 1983 with Ivan Fischer and became musical director of the Philharmonic in 1997.
Born in Budapest on May 30, 1952, Kocsis was considered the foremost piano interpreter of Hungarian composers Bela Bartok and Gyorgy Kurtag.
Information about survivors or funeral arrangements was not immediately available.
Read about this shortly before the topic posted here.
A terrible loss. Back at uni I was at a party and someone played Kocsis's recording -on the piano of course- of The Art of the Fugue. We were going nuts- just who is this guy? He's fantastic!
I subsequently tracked down other recordings of his, and was able to hear him in London several times, both in concerto and recital. To this day I still have all of his Bartok recordings, they have always been my 'go to'.
Kocsis seems to have been awesome at anything he played, and unlike his countryman András Sniff (sorry, Schiff), he wasn't a musical snob.
Before turning in this evening I shall treat myself to some Bartok.
I too associate Kocsis with The Art of the Fugue. I had his recording, and listened to it over and over. Also his Bartok concerti.
Apparently he was a man of many musical talents, because he also wrote a completion of Schoenberg's unfinished opera *Moses und Aron*, and had it performed.
