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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


Garden Party for a Steinway and Jorge Bolet
The Columbus Ledger (Georgia) devotes at least five articles to Jorge in October 1961
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 41 min read


Bolet plays Liszt's 90 year old piano
Jorge Bolet, Hochschule für Musik, Berlin, March 1961. "Only David Oistrakh received the sort of ovation this audience gave Mr Bolet, calling him again and again to the stage for more than half an hour after the concert." ( Tagespiegel 31.3.1961) Of the Liszt festival in Berlin in August/September 1961: Spandauer Volksblatt (5 October 1961), "When something up after the end of the Festival Weeks, Jorge Bolet's piano, recital will remain as one of the strongest assets. He pl
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 31 min read


Brass Fanfare for Jorge Bolet
Santa Barbara newspaper, January 1961
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 31 min read


Big break 1938
Check out this page
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 11 min read


Pianist Receives a “Strong” Welcome
Pianist Jorge Bolet Receives a “Strong” Welcome "A visiting pianist at Joint Senior High School expected polite applause and perhaps a wilted corsage. Instead, he was met by the school’s human brick wall: the school’s impressively built football team, captained by Buck “Brick” Donovan—owner of a jaw you could sharpen pencils on, shoulders that apparently require their own postcode, and a varsity sweater clinging on for dear life. His grin? Bright enough to make the stage ligh
Blue Pumpkin
Apr 12 min read
Bolet researches in Weimar
New Zealand's Evening Post (11 March 1961) carries a text by Jorge Bolet on his preparation for the 1960 film (with Dirk Bogarde) When William Goetz, the producer of "Song Without End " first approached me with the idea of portraying musically the great Franz Liszt , I must confess I received the suggestion with mixed feelings. Naturally, I was enthusiastic at the opportunity to play the music of a man who had always been my artistic idol, but the offer had its terrifyi
Blue Pumpkin
Mar 302 min read


Jorge Bolet in New Zealand/Aotearoa
I've added some reviews from Jorge's New Zealand tour of 1964 to the relevant page. Here are some clippings from the Evening Post .
Blue Pumpkin
Mar 301 min read
Cuban Airs to Sound On Colorado Range
Cuban Airs to Sound On Colorado Range? The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), November 27, 1944 The plaintive if slightly monotonous tempos of the West Indian calypso may leave their mark on the lustier folk music of western North America as an indirect outgrowth of the war. That opinion was voiced in Denver yesterday by Lt. Jorge Bolet, noted Cuban pianist and assistant military attache to the Cuban Embassy in Washington. Lieutenant Bolet is in Denver for an appearance with the D
Blue Pumpkin
Mar 292 min read


Jorge Bolet "conducts" Wagner
Who knew? It cannot have been the full Die Walküre, as that would need to start much earlier than 7:30pm. It was given as a pantomime by a grils' summer camp with JB playing the piano score. Otsego Lake is a lake located in Otsego County in the U.S. state of New York. It is the source of the Susquehanna River and largest lake in Otsego County. The Village of Cooperstown is located at the lake's southern end. Glimmerglass State Park is located on the lake's northeastern shore
Blue Pumpkin
Mar 291 min read


Jorge Bolet, Berlin: 8 June 1989
Jorge in cheerful mood entering the green room in the Philharmonie, Berlin before what turned out to be his last recital. (Photo: Mattheus Smits)
Blue Pumpkin
Mar 251 min read


Edinburgh Festival
Jorge's masterclass in Edinburgh (early 1980s). "If my memory is correct, the masterclass took place in a school next to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Arboretum Road. Left from Jorge can be seen Elisabeth Kittel, right from Jorge you can see me [Mattheus Smits]; the small group at my right is of some of the students. If I am not mistaken, the student on my right-hand side is Santiago Rodriquez who became an important pianist." Photo: Mattheus Smits Elisabeth Kittel (1925-2020
Blue Pumpkin
Mar 32 min read


Jorge Bolet & Franz Schubert
A portrait once said to be by Leopold Kupelwieser (not authenticated) and said to be of Franz Schubert aged 16, probably drawn before Kupelwieser met Schubert. Modern research suggests it is Karl Joseph Maria von Hartmann or Moritz von Schwind. Jorge Bolet & Franz Schubert. On 30 January - 2 February 1989, Bolet recorded for Decca two sonatas by Schubert, Sonata in A minor D784 and the one in this recital D959. He had in fact played Schubert throughout his career, reasonabl
Blue Pumpkin
Mar 32 min read


No one can agree!
15, 16 May 1987 Circle Theater, Indianapolis Grieg {+ Saint Saens Organ Symphony [No.3] and José Pablo Moncayo, Huapango } Indianapolis Symphony/John Nelson (Jorge Mester)
Blue Pumpkin
Feb 261 min read


Australian interview (Jorge Bolet)
The Age (Melbourne, Australia), 28 February 1987
Blue Pumpkin
Feb 241 min read


Rachmaninoff & Hofmann
Sergei Rachmaninoff’s tribute to Josef Hofmann, in dedicating his third piano concerto to him. Who was the first British pianist to play this notoriously difficult concerto? Clue? He was a pupil of Leopold Godowsky in Berlin and was from Liverpool. He also taught Simon Rattle.
Blue Pumpkin
Feb 181 min read


January 1985 London
Two reviews of the first Jorge Bolet concert I ever heard. At that time, I travelled up from Oxford for the evening and went backstage (of course) afterwards. I remembered being surprised to see him smoking (!) and he had a huge black overcoat/cape lying on a table, every inch the dapper gentleman from a past age.
Blue Pumpkin
Feb 181 min read


Max Reger and Jorge Bolet
A recording which is often forgotten is one Jorge went into the studio to set down on 29 February - 2 March,1980 in Kingsway Hall, London: BRAHMS Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel Op.24 REGER Variations & Fugue on a Theme of Telemann Op.134 (It was issued on LP in November 1981) 'The circumstances of the recording of the Reger and Brahms were a different cup of tea [from the 2 previous recordings Chopin & Godowsky (1977) & Liszt (1978). As it was clear that all fut
Blue Pumpkin
Feb 162 min read


Jorge Bolet on teaching and travel
Syracuse Herald-Journal , 1 February 1980
Blue Pumpkin
Feb 151 min read
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