Death of Boldizsár Keönch announced

Boldizsár Keönch (1938–2016) studied at the Liszt Academy under József Réti, who played an important role in the shaping of his career: he once said of his student that “a new star has appeared in the oratorio firmament” and indeed he become renowned as a tenor oratorio and song recitalist. He sang the entire repertoire and there were very few countries important from the point of view of music that he did not perform in. He was the first to sing the Psalmus Hungaricus in Australia, but this was not his only first: he is associated with the premieres of numerous contemporary works and composers such as György Ránki, Ferenc Farkas and György Kósa wrote works specifically for his voice.

He started lecturing at the Liszt Academy in 1973, in other words, several singer generations can say they were brought up by Boldizsár Keönch, and everyone speaks of their years of study spent under him with the greatest respect, love and gratitude. He was a master in the classical sense of the word; he was teacher, mentor, friend, psychologist, task master to his students, depending on what was needed at the time. He not only observed them during their Liszt Academy years but he kept a close eye on the development of their later careers and – when needed – he helped in his own modest yet indispensible way. He was not interested in the glitter, he cared nothing for rapid, meaningless success as expressed in prizes. He continued to carry out his work just as unassumingly when, two years ago, he was awarded the Knight’s Order of Hungary, as he had before this tribute. His interests lay in his work, the beauty of sound, the truth of expression and, naturally, the music itself. And teaching, which was his life, of course together with his much loved family, children and grandchildren. On the day following his death his daughter released a message according to which some of his last words were the following: “My dear Pannika, I’d like to teach until my final breath.” And so it was: he received private students as long as his illness permitted. It is a great loss to the Liszt Academy and Hungarian music as a whole that he is no longer with us.

Dear Professor, Rest in Peace.

The Liszt Academy will manage the funeral arrangements for Boldizsár Keönch.