IN CONVERSATION WITH: Martin James Bartlett

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We sat down for an exclusive interview with Martin James Bartlett. A winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2014, the British pianist also became the inaugural recipient of the Prix Serdang in 2022, a Swiss prize curated by Rudolf Buchbinder in recognition of the achievements of a promising young pianist while forging and international solo career. 

Martin James Bartlett is an exclusive recording artist with Warner Classics, and his new album, Bach Mozart Britten: Concertos, is released on 27 February 2026.

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This programme spans more than two centuries — from Bach to Mozart to Britten. What was the artistic thread that connected these three composers for you when shaping the album?

The starting point was exploring Britten as not just a composer but also as a wonderful pianist and conductor. He was deeply influenced by Bach, taking inspiration for his own War Requiem. For me Mozart and Britten’s works on this album are tied together in the sense that they are both precociously talented artists emerging brightly into the world. 

You’ve described Young Apollo as “rhythmically electric” and radiant with youthful brilliance. What does this piece demand from you technically and emotionally at the piano?

It is a physically demanding work as it requires a colossal sound. Imitating the sheer power and radiance of the sun god Apollo is no easy feat! But it is a joy to play, the rhythms and the intense character are a complete adrenaline rush. 

For this recording, you worked from a new critical edition of Young Apollo, calling it “in a sense, a second world premiere.” How did revisiting Britten’s corrected intentions reshape your interpretation?

It was fascinating to see the corrections made in the new Faber critical edition. Lots of them are very subtle but they all add up to make the piece even more effective. It’s like the restoration of an old oil painting – suddenly everything is sharper and brighter. 

Mozart’s ‘Jeunehomme’ concerto famously disrupts convention — the piano interrupts the orchestra almost immediately. How do you approach that moment of bold equality between soloist and ensemble?

I, as with most things in my life, approach it with a sense of cheekiness! Mozart was rather rambunctious in character and I’m sure he would have interjected the first phrase with a twinkle in his eye. The fact it happens twice is just to make sure everyone has caught on to the joke. 

Recording in Salzburg with the Mozarteumorchester must have carried a particular resonance, especially given your earlier experience performing the Mozart in a masterclass with Sir András Schiff. Did returning to the city change how you felt about the work?

To record in the city of Mozarts youth and wander the streets that he wandered is beyond a privilege – It feels as if you are as connected to him as you possibly can be. 

The support and guidance over the last years of Sir András Schiff has changed my artistic development significantly and The Mozarteumorchester, not surprisingly, are completely masterful in this genre. All in all I feel extraordinarily lucky that this all came to fruition. 

You chose a Bösendorfer piano for this disc, noting its clarity and luminosity. How important is the instrument itself in shaping the colour palette and narrative arc of a recording like this?

It really is the most key foundation – To have an instrument that makes you smile at how it reacts under your hands is what pianists all wish for. I had the privilege of choosing this instrument at the Bösendorfer in Vienna and as soon as I touched the first key I knew it was the one that could bring a freshness to each of these masterpieces.