The concert of Jan Bartoš was a great success. Renowned Czech pianist Jan Bartoš sold out the Bohemian National Hall a couple days ago, mesmerized its audience by masterly interprentation of various composers. The program introduced not only world-famous composer Leoš Janáček and the father of Czech music Bedřich Smetana, but also Miloslav Kabeláč, one of the best Czech composers of the last century.
Interview with Czech pianist Jan Bartoš ahead of his upcoming concert in New York
August 2022, interview by Miroslav Konvalina, Director of Czech Center NY:
How often do you play in America? Where have you played before and what was your favorite venue?
I'm returning to America after ten long years. The last time I played in the US was in New Orleans and New York. I love jazz music and experiencing New Orleans was simply wonderful. In fact, I did my postgraduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, which means that I'm actually returning to one of my homes.
What will you be playing this time? Where will you be going and what are you looking forward to besides New York?
I've prepared a program of Czech music. I want to introduce Miloslav Kabeláč, who's perhaps the most important Czech composer of the latter half of the 20th century. His passacaglia Mysterium of Time was recently performed to great acclaim by Jakub Hrůša in Cleveland alongside a famous local orchestra. His piano cycle Eight Preludes dates from the same period and is his most important piano composition. I will also be playing 1.X.1905 and the cycle In the Mists by Janáček, and will conclude with Smetana's Dreams. That’s an important cycle that Smetana worked on in parallel with My Fatherland. It is a program which I will first perform at the San Francisco Piano Festival, where I will also have the honor of conducting a masterclass for young talented pianists. I am really looking forward to it.
Why do you like New York?
There's no other city in the world with the same energy. Every part of it is so distinctive and unique. I love Greenwich Village with its jazz clubs and cafes, Chelsea with its galleries and flea markets, Central Park, and of course the neighborhood that's home to cultural institutions like the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. When I was studying in New York, my wife and I lived in Spanish Harlem, so I have a connection to that part of Manhattan as well. I also hope I will make it to Brooklyn, which many of my friends speak highly of. They say that it has changed beyond recognition in the ten years since my last visit.
