Warm hearted – humorous, full of fun, sad, hot-tempered and loving

Father the conductor at the desk and at home! Father was domineering, led the “Family Orchestra,” but without rehearsals. He was commanding and fair, praised what deserved praise but he demanded discipline, like at his conductor’s desk.

He was warm-hearted – humorous and he had a real Hungarian temperament; full of fun, sad, happy, witty, hot-tempered and loving.

Even today, forty years after his death, people ask me:” What was your youth like as a child of a famous conductor?"

Among the most beautiful memories are the meals we enjoyed, sitting together around a festively laid table. We had an unforgettable, wonderful childhood when we were united as a family during our holidays: in Ermatingen when we went boating or to an ice hockey match in Arosa.

He loved Switzerland and in Ermatingen he felt safe and protected. Yet, father remained in his own particular way a “Hungarian”: his colloquial language didn’t leave a doubt, not only due to the unmistakable accent but also because articles and grammar remained a sealed book. I can still hear it, as if it were yesterday how he brooded over the question why, in German, garden had a masculine gender. His logic told him that it should be feminine, because of the beauty of the blooming flowers in the garden. A flower is feminine!

He loved everything beautiful, he was delighted to see a beautifully grown tree, he loved the colours of nature, enjoyed old masters and historical buildings, as well as the pleasant taste of drinking water. He rejoiced daily over the gifts of God.