About
Jan Bartoš is one of the most distinct pianistic voices that have emerged from the Czech Republic in recent years. The press has described him as “one of the finest European pianists” and “an emotional and sophisticated interpreter.” He has appeared in solo recitals and in concerts with major orchestras and his recordings from Mozart and Beethoven to Janáček to neglected composers of the last century have earned him consistently high critical praise.
The highlights of the 2024/2025 season include appearances with the Staatskapelle Berlin under Christian Thielemann performing Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Bamberger Symphoniker with Jakub Hrůša and the rarely heard Martinů’s 5th Piano Concerto, Wiener Symphoniker with Petr Popelka and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, as well as recital tours in the UK and the US. In the previous seasons, Jan Bartoš performed at major festivals such as the Prague Spring Festival, the Rudolf Firkušný Piano Festival, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the San Francisco International Piano Festival, the Piano Aux Jacobins in Toulouse and many others. In the Czech Republic, he has worked with most of the major orchestras including the Czech Philharmonic.
Jan Bartoš's most recent CD release features little known gems of the piano repertoire by Miloslav Kabeláč and Bedřich Smetana. The BBC Music Magazine gave the album a 5-star review and it was shortlisted for the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. Jan Bartoš's discography also includes unfairly neglected concertos such as Viktor Ullmann’s Piano Concerto which he recorded with the Bamberger Symphoniker under Jakub Hrůša on the Supraphon label and the Bayerische Rundfunk. His CD recording of Vítězslav Novák’s Piano Concerto, also with Jakub Hrůša and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra was awarded the Best Classical Album by the Czech Academy of Music.
In 2019, Bartoš released a recording of solo piano works of Leoš Janáček for Supraphon. Gramophone selected the album as Editor's Choice, noting that it “easily stands alongside reference Janáček offerings,” and NPR Music included the recording among the 10 Best Classical Albums of the Year, saying that “Apart from the late Rudolf Firkušný, Janáček's pupil, no pianist has interpreted his music with enough subtlety – until now. Czech pianist Jan Bartoš, in his own singular voice, has found his way into the composer's head.” Bartoš’s other notable CDs 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.”
Jan Bartoš studied at the Manhattan School of Music in New York and holds a doctorate from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he was the last student of the legendary pianist Ivan Moravec. Following his studies in the Czech Republic with Martin Ballý and Miroslav Langer, he continued under the guidance of Alfred Brendel, Leon Fleisher, James Tocco, and Zenon Fishbein. He is the recipient of several awards, among them the 1st prize at Zaslavsky-Koch Competition (New York), the Peter S. Reed Foundation Award (New York), the Mieczyslaw Munz Competition (New York), the Rucorva Trust Award (the Netherlands) and the Schimmel Prize (Germany).
Jan Bartoš teaches piano and chamber music at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and is the Founder and Director of the international festival and institute Prague Music Performance, the Artistic Director of the international festival Music Is, and the Ivan Moravec Academy. He records exclusively for Supraphon.