Fons Manuel Clausells (Centre de Documentació de l'Orfeó Català) Source: hispana.mcu.es

6 April 1958 (Sunday, 11am) Teatro Auditorium, Havana, Cuba Mozart No.24 in C minor, K491, Schumann, Rachmaninoff 3 Orquesta Filarmónica de la Habana/Alberto Bolet ​​ Jorge's nephew Samuel Bolet described the concert to me in c.2010/11: 'Memories? I could share a torrent, even going back to my youth sitting in Havana's Auditorium flanked by grandma, my folks and others applauding the two uncles (Alberto conducting the Filarmónica, and Jorge at the piano). 'One unforgettable p

I have uncovered so many little tidbits of knowledge while trawling (mostly a pleasurable task) through newspaper archives bur some bits can be lost in this large website. Here's an interesting detail . 16 October 1985 Liverpool, England (for the second time in the city after 20 years) Rachmaninoff 3 [+ Sibelius, Symphony No.4 in A minor] Royal Liverpool Philharmonic/Marek Janowski ​The packed house gave him a tumultuous reception. A local pianist Douglas Miller (1888-1984)

By Frank Cooper From The Musical Heritage Society Review 392 Vol. 11 No. 14 1987 Johann Nepomuk Hummel (14 November 1778 – 17 October 1837) Nineteen years ago, mine was the privilege to create the first-ever Festival of Neglected Romantic Music (at Butler University, Indianapolis). What an exciting project it was! During my decade as its director, the Festival explored and re-­premiered dozens and dozens of big works by such then-unplayed composers as Alkan, Bourgault-Ducoudr

Democracia, 6 & 7 June 1955 Avenida Corrientes (where Gran Teatro Broadway was) and a corner of the Plaza de Mayo in 1955.

I've just come across a notice in the Brentwood & Ongar Gazette (16 February 1990) advertising a performance at The Brentwood Music Centre on 4 May 1990 (Essex, England), followed by the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne (a resort town on England’s southeast coast) on 5 May. Jorge was meant to be playing, as I recall, the Rachmaninoff/Paganini with Andrew Litton and the Royal Philharmonic. But it was cancelled, though still advertised as late as 27 April in the Billericay Gazett

Jorge Bolet's piano technician 10 February 1987 Manchester Free Trade Hall, England Liszt 2 BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Bernhard Klee The Manchester Evening News (10 February 1987) mentions piano technician Denijs de Winter and the Bechstein brought from Europe. “The C.Bechstein model D-280 [the company’s flagship 9-foot-2-inch (280 cm) concert grand] used for recordings with Jorge Bolet in London was not based in London. The instrument belonged to Pianomobil in Belgium. This

29 May 1962 (aged 47) Royal Festival Hall, London Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 57, Appassionata, Liszt’s B minor sonata and Chopin’s Third Sonata (This was not, as sometimes assumed, his London solo début - that was on 18 December 1955, also in the Festival Hall.)​ Alistair Londonderry wrote in The Queen (3 April 1962) that 'his is not the icy diablerie of Michelangeli's virtuosity, nor is there anywhere the slightest lack of conviction. Liszt's sonata is one of the greatest works

New Zealand Listener, 4 September 1964 A VERITABLE DYNAMO Jorge Bolet, the pianist who begins his tour of New Zealand for the NZBC next week, is a man of great physical stamina. This is reflected in his playing: Press reviews consistently describe his performances as blazing, imposingly vigorous, masculine, virile. And he has been called “a veritable dynamo of power and feeling” (...) Bolet is regarded as a specialist on that composer [Liszt]. At a Berlin recital in 1961 he

Learn the secrets of pianist Jorge Bolet's use of the pedal when playing the piano.

Susan Goldenberg, Steinway from glory to controversy: the family, the business, the piano (1996), 147 claims that Jorge Bolet had been introduced to Baldwin pianos by Serge Koussevitzky [in the 1950s?]. 'After Baldwin sold the Bechstein line, it air-freighted an SD-10 to Europe for a 26 city tour by the internationally, acclaimed, pianist, Jorge Bolet. Bolet and SD-10 drew rave reviews, enabling Baldwin to gain a foothold in Europe.' This particular tour was in the mid-1980s

Wisps of Internet chatter that there has been/will be (or not!) an issue of Jorge Bolet's recital for Radio France on 31 January 1985. I see that Tower Records Japan advertises it. This recital was two days after I heard him live in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on 29 January, and I recall when going backstage to meet him for the very first time that he told a friend he would be in Paris the next day - and so he was! The CD cover (it actually seems to consist of two CD

7 May, 1950 Teatro Nacional, Havana Recital incl. Beethoven's Sonata in D minor ("Tempest"?), Franck, Prelude, Chorale et Fugue & some Mendelssohn, ending with Strauss/Godowsky "El Murciélago"(Fledermaus Waltzes) Diario de la Marina, 11 May 1950 Jorge Bolet Reveals Himself as a Virtuoso in His Full Maturity The brilliant pianist played Chopin as few have managed to do in his recent concert *A spirited review by Nena Benítez Last Sunday, May 7th, in the morning, we attended an

Santiago , Chile: 5 & 7 June 1984 (Jorge had previously performed in Chile on 14 and 16 June 1983. Claudio Arrau had returned to Chile after a long absence in May 1984.) Romantic Programme Teatro Municipal, Santiago, Chile Liszt , Concertos 1 & 2 Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago/ Simón Blech (1924-1997, Polish-Argentinian) The British Council is one of the sponsors of the concerts, but I don’t know why. ‘The eleventh performance of the Santiago Philharmonic at the Municipa

I sent David a link to the video of his performance with Jorge on 9 November 1988 (see previous post, link below) and he has sent me this appreciation. As with other contributions from students and friends of Jorge, I feel privileged to be able to add David's to this website, not least because he worked - albeit for a brief moment in time - with the pianist. ‘Thanks, Douglas, for sending this. I didn’t even know it existed until you mentioned it. So, it was a live performance

Professor Makoto Ueno, Kyoto City Unversity of Arts Your inquiry made me look back again and think about the Curtis days in the 1980s. At one time, I felt some doubt about the way JB taught. My former teacher in Japan criticised me a lot after listening to me at the end of 1984. (I had gone back to Japan for the first time in two and a half years) At one stage, I obtained permission from JB to study with Mieczysław Horszowski, for several lessons. Bolet was away a lot, of

I have visited the exquisite city of Bath a number of times over the last 30 years, but only this time (July 2026) did I happen to know about Jorge's connection, which I uncovered not so long ago. On Monday 5 June 1989, The Gloucestershire Echo announced 'Today. Jorge Bolet: a piano recital at the Theatre Royal Bath, Somerset; part of Bath International Festival.' This was his final performance in Britain, and it took place in the famous city of honey-coloured stone, a spa

Jorge Bolet Ambassador Auditorium Recitals The 3 CD set is now available for purchase from First Hand Records or your usual source. Exciting times!

In February 1960, Jorge, in response to a question during an interview with Ruth Lafranz in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA - "What does it take to be a concert pianist?" - replied: 'It takes talent - you must have that. But it also takes the patience of Job, the strength of an elephant, the cunning of a fox and the tenacity of an ant.' Well, his patience and tenacity paid off, and he finally made his début in Belgium in 1988. He told a newspaper (De Standaard, 25 May 1988) tha

This is an extensive and detailed account of Jorge Bolet during his three visits to Japan in the years 1946, 1976 and 1988 but it also examines the wider picture of his career at these times. Comments, corrections and additions are most welcome. Use the contact box (unless you already have my email). The PDF has been revised to take account of new material: 14 October 2026.