JAN BARTOŠ

The international press has described Jan Bartoš as “one of the finest European pianists” and “an emotional and sophisticated interpreter.” He has appeared in solo recitals, with major orchestras and in chamber music concerts worldwide and enjoys a prolific recording career as an exclusive artist on the Supraphon label. His recordings of the music of Janáček, Mozart, Beethoven and Novák have earned international critical praise from critics at Gramophone, Diapason, BBC Music Magazine, The Times, American Record Guide and The Guardian among other outlets.

In February 2023 his most recent CD was released worldwide introducing to the world unknown gems of Czech piano music of Miloslav Kabeláč and Bedřich Smetana. The BBC Music Magazine critically acclaimed the recording with a 5-star review, noting: ‘‘Beautifully recorded, this is one of the best and certainly most stimulating recordings of Czech piano music of recent years.’’ Further adding, ‘‘Bartos is an ideal interpreter here, providing abundant brilliance without sacrificing poetry.’’ France’s leading music magazine Classica reviewing the CD noted ‘‘literally bewitching’’ and ‘‘a great disc!’’. The album was nominated to the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics’ Award). Jan Bartoš also recently recorded Viktor Ullmann’s Piano Concerto in Germany with the Bamberger Symphoniker and Jakub Hrůša, for Supraphon and the Bayerische Rundfunk.

In 2024/25 season he will perform Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in D minor with Staatskapelle Berlin under Christian Thielemann, Martinů’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with Bamberger Symphoniker and Jakub Hrůša, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with Wiener Symphoniker under Petr Popelka. Upcoming highlights also included a tour in the US with recitals and master classes in New York, Cleveland, and Madison, Artist Residency at Brown University, and recital at the Shanghai International Arts Festival.

In the current season, Jan Bartoš returned to tour the US with performances and masterclasses at the San Francisco International Piano Festival and in New York City at a sold-out Bohemian National Hall concert. His solo recital at the Piano Aux Jacobins in Toulouse, France was critically acclaimed by the French press. Diapason Magazine, writing, ‘‘warmly applauded, Jan Bartos played Janacek's The Frydek Madonna as an encore, a marvel that closes this extraordinary recital on a note of mystery.’’ France’s Classique News wrote "Jan Bartos delivered a powerful and nuanced interpretation with magnificent energy. The colours were vibrant, and the nuances ranged from ethereal pianissimos to earth-shaking fortissimos…Such a high level of artistry and commitment are qualities as rare as they are precious.’’

In the previous seasons, Bartoš gave a recital at the virtual edition of the Hong Kong Arts Festival and returned to the Prague Spring Festival performing the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra under Ilan Volkov. He performed the same concerto with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Kristjan Järvi at the Leoš Janáček International Music Festival in Ostrava. He gave a sold-out solo recital at the Rudolf Firkušný Piano Festival in Prague, performed the complete Janáček piano works at the International Festival Janáček Brno, and joined the Prague Philharmonia in Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Martinů’s Double Concerto. He has appeared regularly with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, notably under the late Jiří Bělohlávek.

Jan Bartoš’s critically acclaimed CD release of Vítězslav Novák’s Piano Concerto with Jakub Hrůša and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra on Supraphon was the first studio recording of Novák’s piano concerto. The Guardian voted it Classical Album of the Week and The Sunday Times highlighted the release as ‘‘worth knowing in Hrůša and Bartoš’s idiomatic performances.’’ In May 2021, the album won the Anděl Award,Czech Republic’s highest recording prize in the Best Classical Album category.

In 2019, Bartoš recorded solo piano works of Leoš Janáček for Supraphon to great critical acclaim. Gramophone selected it as Editor's Choice, noting that it “easily stands alongside reference Janáček offerings,” adding that “Like his erstwhile teacher Ivan Moravec, Bartoš accepts and internalises Janáček’s intimate, conversational sound world for what it is, while imbuing the composer’s often stark textures with a fullness of tonal body and shimmering translucence” (Gramophone). The NPR (National Public Radio) included the recording in “10 Classical Albums To Usher In The Next Decade.”

Bartoš’s other notable CDs on Supraphon include a double album of Beethoven's solo piano works and Mozart Concertos with the Czech Philharmonic and Jiří Bělohlávek. The Beethoven album received a 5-star review from the BBC Music Magazine: “everything in this recording is outstanding [...] The Arietta of Op. 111 is here gorgeous beyond words." The Mozart Concertos were also met with praise from major critics: “Bartoš’s crisp articulation and singing legato are never far from the spirit of the composer's sunnier comedies” (The Sunday Times).

On Alfred Brendel's invitation, Jan Bartoš appears as a solo performer on the 2021 Supraphon DVD My Musical Life that celebrates the piano legend on the occasion of his 90th birthday. Mr. Brendel endorsed Jan Bartoš's playing with the following: “Jan Bartoš is one of my most impressive and exciting young colleagues. In him, virtuosity is coupled with deeply serious musicianship.''

Jan Bartoš has been the recipient of several awards and scholarships, among them the 1st prize at Zaslavsky-Koch Competition (New York), the Peter S. Reed Foundation Award (New York), the International Mieczyslaw Munz Award (New York), the Rotary Musikförderpreis (Germany), Concertino Praga (Czech Republic), the Rucorva Trust Award (the Netherlands), and the Schimmel Prize (Germany).

Jan Bartoš holds a Professional Studies Diploma from the Manhattan School of Music in New York, and a doctorate from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He was the last pupil of the legendary pianist Ivan Moravec. Following his studies in the Czech Republic with Martin Ballý and Miroslav Langer, he continued to hone his artistry abroad under the guidance of Alfred Brendel, Leon Fleisher, James Tocco, and Zenon Fishbein. He undertook masterclasses in chamber music with Juilliard String Quartet's Robert Mann and Emerson String Quartet's Lawrence Dutton.

He is the Founder and Director of Prague Music Performance, an innovative festival and institute presenting concerts across musical genres, master classes, lectures and residencies. He is also the Artistic Director of the international festival Music is and the Ivan Moravec Academy. Jan Bartoš teaches piano and chamber music at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.

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"Everything in this recording is outstanding." (Beethoven: Piano Sonatas. Supraphon)
BBC Music Magazine

"Jan Bartoš draws you closely into Janáček’s compelling sound world, music both exposed and somehow personal, lines and details delivered from the very beginning with imagination and deep thought." Read complete review
Gramophone

"Splendidly idiomatic and emotionally draining performances of Janáček’s solo piano music... Bartoš really penetrates to the heart of this music." Read complete review
Europadisc

“Jan Bartoš’s playing of the preludes is magnificent, both in projecting the mesmerizing impetus of the opening and closing numbers and in realizing the delicately reimagined Impressionism of the third and fifth… While these pieces offer plenty of the bracing, nationalist Smetana, nearly all tend toward wistful reflection. Bartoš is an ideal interpreter here, providing abundant brilliance without sacrificing poetry… Beautifully recorded, this is one of the best and certainly most stimulating recordings of Czech piano music of recent years.”
BBC Music Magazine

"I admit that I have never heard such an evocative and impressive performance of Smetana's Dreams. Jan Bartoš has clearly matured into a world-class pianist."
Harmonie

“Kabeláč’s Eight Preludes for Piano were premiered in 1957 and have an otherworldly feel… They’re terrific little pieces, wonderfully played here by Jan Bartoš… A remarkable disc, all three performances captured live in exemplary sound.”
The Arts Desk