top of page


Concertography
New and very much "work in progress", a list of as many concerts of Jorge Bolet as I can find, 1926-1989. It's not a definitive list (that would be a tedious task), but hey...! In order to "clean up" the narrative pages of this website, I shall gradually delete a number of the concerts for which I have not included a review or interesting detail; thus, the Concertography pages will be the fullest account of Jorge's activity (though inevitably not complete - that would be a t
Blue Pumpkin
Feb 81 min read


Jorge Bolet's Top Review?
Another contender for Jorge Bolet's best review...
Blue Pumpkin
8 hours ago2 min read
Jorge Bolet, a natural pianist
John Crouch, a former Indiana student of JB for 3 years, was interviewed in 1979 (what follows is a mixture of his own words and those of the journalist): 'Bolet is a natural pianist, like a natural athlete. At the peak of what could be called his first career, his manager was scheduling him for 100-120 performances a year, which is one almost every three days. Then, in his mid-50s, Bolet decided to start winding down his performing career and in 1968, accepted a teaching po
Blue Pumpkin
1 day ago1 min read


Jorge Bolet Estambul 1988
Página web: Clicc Bolet ofreció dos conciertos en la gran ciudad turca —antaño Bizancio, más tarde la legendaria Constantinopla y, desde 1930, oficialmente Estambul—. Los recitales tuvieron lugar los días 21 y 23 de junio, a las 21:30, en el Büyük Salonu (Salón Grande) del Centro Cultural Atatürk. El programa incluyó obras de Mendelssohn; la Sonata n.º 23 en fa menor, Op. 57 de Beethoven, conocida como Appassionata; el Prélude, Choral et Fugue de Franck —citado en turco como
Blue Pumpkin
3 days ago1 min read


"Juggler of glittering balls & clubs"
Review of 10 May 1979 recital in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
Blue Pumpkin
3 days ago1 min read


Jorge Bolet en la BBC 1983
¡No lo olvides! Hay una versión más corta de esta página web disponible en español. ¡Haga clic en el enlace! (El orador en el video no es real pero AI) Clases magistrales para BBC Scotland El 27 de febrero de 1983, Jorge interpretó el Concierto para piano n.° 3 de Rachmaninoff en el Usher Hall de Edimburgo, con la BBC Scottish SO y Bryden "Jack" Thomson, un brillante director escocés con una frase ingeniosa. Esto sería transmitido por la televisión de la BBC en el verano de
Blue Pumpkin
4 days ago1 min read


London again (February 1977)
Jorge Bolet began his major return to the UK in 1977. Edward Greenfield's review is very complimentary. 17 February 1977, Thursday (he was aged 62) Queen Elizabeth Hall, London Haydn, Sonata in E flat (No.52), Telemann/Reger, Liszt 3 Concert Studies, Don Juan Fantasy Jorge was generous with encores. Chopin: Nocturne in F minor, Op.55 No.1, Moszkowski: La Jongleuse, Op.52 No.4, Chopin/Godowsky: Etude in G-flat major, Op.10 No.5 (Study No.7 in G-flat major), Liszt: Valse-Impro
Blue Pumpkin
4 days ago2 min read


Jorge Bolet: página web disponible en español
¡No lo olvides! Hay una versión más corta de esta página web disponible en español (aunque todavía está en desarrollo). Por favor, ten en cuenta que no soy hablante nativo de español, así que habrá muchos errores en la traducción. No dudes en enviar correcciones. ¡Haz clic en el enlace! (El orador en el video no es real pero AI)
Blue Pumpkin
6 days ago1 min read
Gary Thor Wedow speaks of Jorge Bolet
Recorded in 2019. I've added an audio file (it's too large to upload to a blog post) where a former student speaks about JB and orchestra, and about "retouching" music. LINK (then scroll down to "Liszt Totentanz") Conductor Gary Thor Wedow has led performances with opera companies, orchestras, festivals, and choral organisations throughout North America. Although he has conducted music from many different eras and styles, Wedow specialises in historically-informed performan
Blue Pumpkin
6 days ago1 min read
Mozart/Liszt, Telemann/Reger
My trawl through Jorge Bolet's concerts has clarified a number of issues. It looks as if it was in the mid-1970s that he introduced two new and substantial works to his repertoire. I could have missed earlier mentions but it may be that someone can explain how he came to these two works, especially the Reger which has high rarity value. 29 September 1975 Teatro Coliseo, Buenos Aires (Argentina) incl.Chopin's Sonata No. 3 in B minor Op.58 and the Mozart/Liszt Don Juan Fantas
Blue Pumpkin
6 days ago1 min read


Jorge Bolet début in Toronto
The Mail & Globe, Toronto (April 1975) 17 April 1975; Eaton Auditorium, Toronto, Canada. [JB's Toronto recital début] Mendelssohn, Chopin, Sonata No.3, Liszt Petrarch + Tannhäuser 'When you consider, he's been playing professionally for more than 40 years, he seems to have taken his time getting up here. But then, as he says "I've been a long time arriving everywhere."'
Blue Pumpkin
7 days ago1 min read


RCA Carnegie Hall 1974
Michael Steinberg wrote a long and considered review in The Boston Globe (4.8.1974) of Jorge Bolet's Carnegie Hall recording whoch RCA issued in August 1974 Carl Michael Alfred Steinberg (4 October 1928 – 26 July 2009) was an American music critic and author who specialised in classical music. He was best known, according to San Francisco Chronicle music critic Joshua Kosman, for "the illuminating, witty and often deeply personal notes he wrote for the San Francisco Sympho
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 211 min read
Alberti bass
In noting down that Jorge Bolet gave summer masterclasses at Indiana during 17-21 June, 1974, I recalled a witty remark from the transcript of one masterclass - not necessarily at Indiana - where he emphasised that the melody must always be brought out (something he always demonstrated in his own playing). He said something like: "I have given hundreds of concerts, and I've never known anyone to pay the price of admission to hear an Alberti bass."
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 211 min read
Jorge Bolet and cameras
Jorge never was a man for reading many books but, for sure, he knew which books to read. Mark Twain's 'Letters from earth' (which JB once recommended to a journalist) is certainly one of them. Jorge usualy read many magazines when on tour. These were mostly about cars, photography and cameras. He went crazy when in the USA the Canon A1 came out. As he knew that I also loved photography, he bought one for me as in Europe the A1 was not yet on the market. Mattheus Smits The Ca
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 141 min read
Jorge Bolet and the Gates of Hell
There's a bit of drudgery leafing through masses of newspaper reviews, but it's worth it when you come across a jewel like this. 31 January 1971 (Sunday, 3pm) Fair Lawn High School, Fair Lawn, New Jersey, USA Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.31 in A-flat major, Op.110 Liszt: 12 Études d’exécution transcendante, S.139: 7. Eroica, 5. Feux Follets, 9. Ricordanza, 8. Wilde Jagd Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op.28 Encores: Schumann/Liszt: Widmung, Op.25 No.1 (S.566), Chopin: Waltz in D-flat majo
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 141 min read


Dirk Bogarde on Liszt and "Victim"
Speaking in 1974 to Russell Harty
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 101 min read


Australian reviews 1965
Jorge Bolet in the Syndey Morning Herald and The Age
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 91 min read


Jorge Bolet in northern Spain
A couple of clippings from Cincinnati newspapers October 1963
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 81 min read


Jorge on Latin American music
Jorge Bolet on Latin American music, as reported in the Oregon Daily Journal , 17 November 1962
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 61 min read


At home in the Los Altos Hills
Redwood City Tribune, 31 December 1960
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 51 min read
bottom of page