Liszt's Festive March is a striking choice to start with, as the energetic piece also works as an overture, while also being conceived as a commemoration - for Goethe's centenary in 1849. Rachmaninoff was one of the points of orientation of Kocsis's career: his interpretation of the composer/pianist's piano concertos were memorable ones. The third of these, composed in 1909, is often referred to as one of the most instrumentally demanding in the piano literature. The Three Nocturnes, rich in pastel tones and refined colors, evoke yet another key attraction: Debussy's music, thanks to the female choir in the third - "Sirènes" - movement, provides an opportunity for the Hungarian National Choir to join the Hungarian National Philharmonic in paying tribute to Kocsis's memory at this concert. Scherzo, the work by Bartók that will close the concert, is the final movement of his youthful Four Piano Pieces. In this version, Kocsis arranged it into an orchestral composition. Now in his 50s, Boris Berezovsky is a globe-trotting Russian piano virtuoso famed in part for his extraordinary stamina. János Kovács is one of the finest Hungarian conductors: a musician of tremendous knowledge and impeccable professionalism, he was highly esteemed by Kocsis.

Presented by: Hungarian National Philharmonic