Jan Bartoš / piano

Program:
Bedrich Smetana
Dreams (Rêves): Six characteristic compositions
Miloslav Kabeláč
Eight Preludes Op. 30


Bedřich Smetana was one of the best pianists of his time, so his legacy for this instrument in the context of his overall work is extremely extensive. However, not all of Smetana's piano compositions were intended for concert performance on large stages. A number of them, especially during his teenage years, he wrote more for girls with whom he continuously fell in love in his youth. One of Smetana's major contributions to piano work is his Liszt virtuoso cycle Dreams with the subtitle Six Characteristic Compositions from 1875. Jan Bartoš, one of the most outstanding Czech pianists of the middle generation, puts this cycle in a very thoughtful combination with the Eight Preludes Op. 30 of Smetan's colleague Miloslav Kabeláč, almost a century younger. In this combination, he also recorded them on an extremely successful CD, which was released the year before last by the Supraphon publishing house.