Bartók World Competition and Festival Gala Concert A Zeneakadémia saját szervezésű programja

The most memorable moments of music competitions are often associated with the gala concerts. After months of preparation, after all the stresses of the various rounds and final, young artists can finally play without constraint. And this is clearly apparent: the performance of a given work is frequently far more successful at the gala concert than in the earlier rounds or even at the final. Just as in the final, here, too, medal-winners are accompanied by the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Kossuth Prize laureate János Kovács. For many years, János Kovács did not even dare touch Bartók because as he put it in an interview once: “… my teacher, Albert Simon, approached the works of Bartók from a height that I was unable to emulate for a long time.” Today, Kovács ranks as one of the finest Bartók conductors, about whom Zoltán Kocsis always spoke with the greatest respect.