Johannes
Sebastian
Bernard
“He intoxicates with stirring and daring tone colors, and in turn is able to enchant with subtle elegance. Bernard guides his audience—as a ‘brooding lyricist’ and ‘pianist of moods’—into a sound world of his own, whose unique atmosphere offers the listener an unforgettable concert experience.”
In Richter's footsteps
“Only a small floor lamp provided light for the pianist. Older concertgoers may have been reminded of Sviatoslav Richter’s legendary recital in Tübingen. And at the Bechstein grand, J. Sebastian Bernard too walked in Richter’s footsteps. It was as if the entire evening had been leading up to this moment, when the restrained opening of Liszt’s Sonata in B minor began to sound. Bernard shaped the monumental work with utmost seriousness and creative power. Completely free of vanity, he allowed the pianistic abysses—such as the dreaded double-octave passages—to virtually disappear under his astounding virtuosity, all the more to direct attention toward the musical depths.”