The ceremony was attended by President János Áder and First Lady Anita Herczegh, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, House Speaker László Kövér, and other senior officials including leaders of the Hungarian Art Academy and the State Opera.

In his address to the mourners, Áder said that Kocsis, a “devoted envoy” of Béla Bartók in the world, had died as early as Bartók, but he would “leave a lasting mark, eternal music and an internal present tense”.

Veteran composer György Kurtág said farewell to his one-time student and friend in personal tones.

He said it was Kocsis’s merit that “Bartok’s works have now become a public asset… pieces we had not even noticed earlier became diamonds in your hand”. Géza Kovács, head of the National Philharmonic, referred to Kocsis as “a lighthouse, a point of reference, and source of the highest artistic experience for many”.

“His radiant talent and his reputation, comparable only to the greatest, made all earthly powers stand back,” he added.

After the ceremony, Kocsis was laid to rest in Budapest’s Farkasréti Cemetery. The burial was attended only by members of his closest family.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

MTI photo: Balogh Zoltán