Res Gestae: The Stony Brook School Yearbook 1955 records a rectal by Jorge at his old high school on Long Island (Class of 1934) on 14 October with a well-meaning but less than flattering entry: 'Jorge Bolet, Cuba's answer to Liberace, gives dazzling performance; but even more dazzling are the thirty-eight Knoxers.' The reference is to The Knox School (female boarding and day school on the north shore of Long Island), whose students presumably also attended the recital. On

The great Austrian pianist, Alfred Brendel died at his home in Hampstead, north London on 17 June 2025. I was privileged to hear him many...

Jorge Bolet, Hong Kong (March 1987). Two clippings from the South China Morning Post.

RARE VIDEO: Jorge Bolet plays Liszt in Atlanta. The first six minutes of Liszt, Harmonies poétiques et réligieuses, S.173: Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude, filmed by Frank Bell, Georgia-Pacific Center Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia, 20 April 1987. I've uploaded this extract from the 2DVD set, details of which seem to have disappeared online. I will take it down, if it is felt this infringes copyright (this extract is not "public" on YouTube but "unlisted", the link being

Bolet Played the Piano—and Not Gently A tongue-in-cheek review from De Volk 9.5.1935. I include the Dutch below: though this ChatGPT translation flows well and idiomatically, it may miss things. Critics are lazy creatures. If you don’t keep them busy, they are quite capable of spending a quiet evening at home. And naturally: that’s not what critics are for. So we can do no less than congratulate Dr. De Koos on his brilliant idea to use the one evening that the Dutch Music Fe

Check the relevant page for more detail on the orchestral concert on Thursday 22nd. On Tuesday 27 October, Die Burger reported on Saturday evening's recital at Green Point, when Jorge played Beethoven's Sonata No.31 in A flat, Op.110 and the Liszt Transcendental Etudes. ​ 'Bolet's musical gifts command the highest respect. He has technical finger skills that are strongly reminiscent of Horowitz, and he has the appearance, muscular strength and endurance of a Springbok rugby

Musical America , February 1950 notes that Jorge will have Ludwig Lustig (of Ludwig Lustig Artists' Management) as his personal...

Jorge Bolet, September 1975, Teatro Coliseo, Buenos Aires. (Newly added to website) After Brazil, Jorge played in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Diario Crónica 26 September 1975 announces that at 9:30pm that evening, Friday, Sociedad de Conciertos de Buenos Aires 'presents the sensational pianist in a “marathon programme” of Bach/Busoni, Chopin, Strauss and Wagner-Liszt. The venue is the Teatro Coliseo (on Marcelo T. de Alvear 1125) in the Retiro neighbourhood. (The Coliseo

A very incomplete list, which I've just started. Feel free to add - using the Contact page (I've excluded those students in masterclasses) Jacobs School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana Francisco Rennó (Venezuela) Gary Thor Wedow Glenn Winters (1970-76) Curtis Institute, Philadelphia Meng-Chieh Liu (Kaohsiung, Taiwan) Ira Levin Ju Hee Suh (South Korea) Makoto Ueno (Japan) Anthony Padilla Graydon Goldsby Wonmi Kim (South Korea) Studied with JB (privately) Teresa Escandon Henry

Red Rocks Festival of Music, August 1955

What is "Jorge Bolet" in Japanese?

Jorge Bolet stayed at the Moana Hotel on Waikiki beach, October 1962 In October 1962, Jorge performed in Honolulu. A local newspaper reported that he was staying at the Moana Hotel. This was a well-established and iconic landmark on Waikiki Beach. The hotel, which opened in 1901, was known for its European-inspired architecture, including Ionic columns and intricate woodwork. It had a grand porte cochere on the street side and wide lanais [lānai = a type of roofed, open-sid

In 1983, I was in the audience of a masterclass in what was then called the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). The pianist David Wilde was in charge of proceedings. I recall he wore a dark blue double-breasted suit jacket. Born 1935 in Manchester, as a boy he had studied with Solomon and his pupil Franz Reizenstein, who had also studied composition with Hindemith and Vaughan Williams. Wilde shared with cellist Jacqueline du P

One of the very last recordings Jorge Bolet made (of Chopin's Berceuse). In November 2024, Donald Manildi wrote in the International Piano magazine: "Included as disc 26 is a CD of previously unreleased performances that stem from Bolet’s final recording sessions in San Francisco (February 1990). There are seven Chopin Nocturnes and the Berceuse; they require special comment. It is unclear whether Bolet approved these performances for release. He was not in good health at t

Jorge Bolet en español: sitio web

"What?! He had no connection with Jorge, as far as I know." No, but my interest in Latin America includes not only Jorge Bolet (who...

Did Jorge Bolet play Chopin as well as he did Liszt? A video uploaded to YouTube, hence the bit about "comments" at the end

Saturday, 14 November 1981: recital in Kobacker Hall, Bowling Green State University, Ohio (Mendelssohn, Schumann Fantasy ,...

I've taken advantage over the weekend of 15/16 March when The Times removed its paywall for its archive. Here are a few choice reviews...

What about the notes the composer wrote on the page? "I have been criticised for saying something like this; butI still. believe it:...