The Metropolitan Orchestra, the predecessor of the Hungarian National Philharmonic, gave its debut concert on April 5, 1923 at the Pest Vigadó under the baton of Dezső Bor. Bor led the orchestra for 15 years, during which time the ensemble became a centre of Budapest's music scene. The changes to the orchestra's name clearly show its national importance: State Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra.
 |
| János Ferencsik (Photo: zeneszalon.hu) |
After WWII, the orchestra was conducted by Ferenc Fricsay and László Somogyi. During this time, the great Otto Klemperer was a guest conductor more than 40 times, and Antal Doráti also regularly took the baton.
It took some time after Ferencsik's death to fill the gap he left. It was not until 1987 that the Japanese conductor Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi was named conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra. He held the baton for ten years, bringing the orchestra fame not only Europe but around the world.
 |
| Zoltán Kocsis (Photo: Eszter Gordon) |
In 1997, Zoltán Kocsis, who had already made a name for himself as an outstanding pianist, became the next conductor of the orchestra, shortly before it became the Hungarian National Philharmonic. In an interview published in 1997, Kocsis said he did not plan to conduct for long "partly because I don't want anybody complaining that I'm taking somebody else's bread in this profession and also because participating in the work of the orchestra is of far more interest than directing concerts."
