Jorge in cheerful mood entering the green room in the Philharmonie, Berlin before what turned out to be his last recital. (Photo: Mattheus Smits)

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

The Age (Melbourne, Australia), 28 February 1987

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.

First Hand Records is issuing a 3 CD set of Jorge Bolet's Ambassador Auditorium Recitals (Pasadena) 1981 and 1986 in autumn 2026, and for the cover they've chosen a photograph spotted on this website: Wilhelm Fröling's photo of JB in Paris (1988), kindly provided by Mathias Donderer with the agreement of the photographers family. Due for release 3 July 2026 In the Los Angeles Times (13 November 1981), Daniel Cariaga reviewed the first recital. Jorge Bolet reminded us onc

Another very fine photo provided by Mathias Donderer: Paris, 1988 The photographer was Wilhelm Fröling.

Jorge Bolet "Claire de Lune" I recently came upon this gem from Larry Yungk's YouTube Channel (he has been an occasional but very fine source of JB information over the many years of this website). It's been online for 12 years but I knew nothing about it. I'm now ashamed to say -also - that I never spotted it on the Marston 6 CD set, or if I did, I don't recall. Christian Johansson's website on pianists has given some background. He suggests. a date of 1980: University o

The pianist David Wilde died on 23 October 2025. Although I never met him, I owe a great deal to him (as the video explains). See also this blog entry David Wilde, ‘magnificently berserk’ pianist and composer of The Cellist of Sarajevo Billed as ‘the 10-year-old Boy Prodigy’, he performed the Grieg Concerto at Blackpool, and broadcast it that year on the BBC Telegraph Obituaries 12 November 2025 ​David Wilde, who has died aged 90, was a thoughtful and dazzling pianist, thou

1 February 1982, Hamman Hall, Rice University, Houston, Texas. Fantasy in F-sharp minor, op. 28 / Felix Mendelssohn -- Fantasy in C major, op. 17 / Robert Schumann -- Five Lieder/ Franz Schubert ; transcribed by Franz Liszt -- Mephisto Waltz / Franz Liszt.   LINK to recording He played the same programme on 8 February 1982: Van Wezel Auditorium, Sarasota, Florida.  Recital includes Schumann's Fantasy , 5 Schubert/Liszt Lieder and the Mephisto  waltz. 'His fingers are made of

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

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

On 19 October 1984, in the Filharmonia Narodowa, Warsaw, Jorge Bolet played Liszt. That very evening, Catholic priest and chaplain of Solidarity/Solidarność Jerzy Popiełuszko was murdered by officers of the Security Service. The archives of the Warsaw Philharmonic have this concert down for 19/20 October 1985, but this may an error as Stolica: warszawski tygodnik ilustrowan y, R. 39, 1984 nr 42 [14 X] advertised it on that week of 1984. Although the communists lifted martial

Jorge Bolet recalled by a Spanish friend from a meeting in 1981; I believe the friend to be Ramón Rodamiláns Vellido (Spanish, with English subtitles)

Various reports of JB’s South African tours on 1973, 1976 and 1980 from the Afrikaner newspaper  Die Transvaler  have been added.

Delighted confirm Jorge Bolet DID play in Chile (I had thought he hadn’t) June, 1983 in Chile, with Juan Pablo Izquierdo (born Santiago de Chile, 1935) and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago in the capital's Teatro Municipal.  Again in 1984 (also June).  Full details added to the relevant page.