(…) At the head of the National Philharmonic Orchestra, Zoltán Kocsis, as he did a few weeks ago, again conducted a ballet: following the earlier Wooden Prince by Bartók, this time he conducted the rarely performed full version of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé. Again, the audience could follow the events of the ballet with projected subtitles, which revealed the twists of the plot, the meaning of the smallest units of the music and its illustrative content. Under Zoltán Kocsis's baton, every shade of possibility for sonority from the mammoth orchestra was displayed: from the harp to the brass, from the wind machine and percussion to the bass strings. The conductor's interpretation authentically placed before us Ravel's characteristically French ideal of Antiquity, with its childlike innocence, lightness and playful humour. The orchestra followed precisely Kocsis's instructions with a full sound that was rich in colour. As for the full sound, hearing some of the fortissimos in Daphnis, we sensed that Budapest really does need a new, larger capacity concert hall. The volume of sound which parts of Ravel's score demands, exceeds the acoustic possibilities of the grand hall at the Music Academy. (National Philharmonic Orchestra, Zoltán Kocsis, Jonathan Gilad – Music Academy, 2 June 2002)

Kristóf Csengery
(Hungarian Radio, New Music Magazine,  8 June 2002)