Leaving home

Péter Laki writes on the Cantata Profana

I had always interpreted this story [the story of the Cantata profana] as an allegory of Bartók's life, but as I conducted the Cantata that day I realized that I, too, was the stag. I was born and trained to communicate music, just as the sons were born and trained to hunt, and I was lucky to have grown up in Hungary, a country that lives and breathes music - that has a passionate belief in the power of music as a celebration of life. But one day, when I was still young, I was parted from my family and left my native country. I hunted and searched for music, and destiny turned me into the object of my hunt. The circumstances of life became my "antlers" and prevented me from returning home.

applies also to other losses but Bartók conveys the anguish of leaving and losing - particularly with respect to his own country most movingly.
Program notes on Cantata Profana are here

And notes on the history of Hungary are available on Wikipedia which gives some insight into where Bartók was coming from (especially for those who heard me this morning!)