Brazilian/American pianist Francisco Rennó, a student of Bolet at Bloomington, Indiana, wrote to me c.10 years ago, and I've always enjoyed his letter. ‘I first met Jorge Bolet in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1974 at the Teresa Carreño International Piano Competition, where I was one of the competitors and he served as chairman of the jury. Bolet was one of two people who made it possible for me to leave behind the impoverished conditions of my native Brazil, come to the US to ac

"It has been a long time since we have heard in Lima a pianist of Bolet's stature." 9 June 1982 Auditorio, Colegio Santa Ursula, Lima Mendessohn, Fantasy in F minor Op.28 Schumann, Fantasy in C major Op.17 Schubert/Liszt, 5 Lieder (Auf dem Wasser au singen, Der Müller under der Bach, Der Lindenbaum, Aufenthalt, Erlkönig) Liszt, Mephisto Waltz Jorge's only recital that year in Lima, Peru, a recital arranged in association with Baldwin Pianos (Los Zorzalas 140, San Isidro, Lim

10 July 1979 Teatro Solís, Montevideo, Uruguay 30th anniversary of SODRE (Servicio Oficial de Difusión, Representaciones y Espectáculos; Official Service for Broadcasting, Performances and Entertainment) in con junction with the Embassy of the USA Liszt's Sonata, Funerailles and his Transcendental Études 7, 6, 12, 9 and 8. (JB's first appearance in the country) ​El País (Montevideo): Inimitable style. He is a gigantic man, and possesses a musical and pianistic talent that is

Mexico City, June 1982. Sala Nezahualcóyotl., Mexico City Franck, Symphonic Variations Rachmaninoff, Variations on a theme of Paganini

El Comercio (Lima, Perú), 23 July 1983 Jorge Bolet's second visit (after 1982) to Peru and the The City of Kings, Ciudad de los Reyes. Monday 25 July 1983 in the Auditorio Santa Ursula, Lima. He had arrived in Lima on Monday 18th at 5:20am. There were orchestral rehearsals on 20 and 22. This was a dangerous time to be in Peru. ​Sendero Luminoso, a notorious terrorist organisation, was orchestrating a brutal campaign for against the country. 23 July 1983 (Saturday) in Are

During a tour of South America in 1983, Jorge had two dates in Peru. He admited that some countries he visited were politically unstable and sometimes dangerous. However he also mentioned to his friend Mattheus Smits that these countries were known for having attentive audiences of some highly cultured people. I am aware of the general situation in Peru at this time, but I recently looked at the specific political situation in July 1983. and it was grim I need to confirm

"He knew he had to take the stage, to stride up to that huge instrument and take command. 'Remember,' he'd say, 'it's likely to kick back." Andrei Svetlichny, Boston Globe, September 1982 As ever, I am grateful to Mattheus Smits for providing information to this website. He has alerted my attention to this tribute (edited) to Jorge Bolet's tuner in the USA. A Memorial Died April 12, 1998 • Born February 19, 1957 Andrei Svetlichny, 41 Tuner of Concert Pianos for the Stars By

This list does not include Cuba. See also 1974-84 In El Caribe (12.11.1981), Lamela Geler stated that Jorge visited Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) in the early 1950s and played in the Teatro Olimpia, under the auspices of Sociedad Pro Arte. Now he gives a second recital in Santo Domingo. She goes on to state: 'Conocido mayormente en Europa y los Estados Unidos, ya que sus incursiones en América Latina han sido escasas, su repertorio está constituido por el total del ma

This list does not include Cuba. See also 1936-58 1974 In late 1974, Jorge was one of the judges on the Concurso Latinoamericano de Piano Teresa Carreño in Caracas, Venezuela. He made a number of concert appearances in Caracas. 1975 17 September 1975 São Paulo, Brazil Recital 19 and 21 September 1975 Teatro Municipal de São Paulo, Brazil Rachmaninoff's Paganini Variations OSESP (Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo) under Gerard Devos ​ 23 September 1975 [?] Rio de Ja

Jorge Bolet on Latin American music, as reported in the Oregon Daily Journal , 17 November 1962

I recently found a review of volume 1 of the Liszt series for Decca in a Uruguayan paper which I have added below Opinar (1 July 1982) reports of a concert in Montevideo, Uruguay (Saturday 12 June, in the Teatro Solís) with Brazilian conductor Isaac Karabtchewsky (born 1934) and the Sodre Symphony Orchestra, the national orchestra. 'The great Cuban-American pianist was at the second concert conducted by Karabtchevsky. He belongs to that category of pianists who continue the

I'd always been surprised not to find that Jorge had played in Montevideo, only a short hop across the water from Buenos Aires. I've now found two concerts: July 1979 and June 1982 La Semana de El Día N° 51 (29 December 1979), under the heading "Pianist of the Year (in recital)" reported: 'This North American pianist was a revelation, a giant of the keyboard, whom our audience watched in awe, in a unique, legendary Liszt recital on July 10 at the Teatro Solís. With superhum

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

Jorge Bolet en español: sitio web

Early in the new year, Bolet had been on tour in Central America/Caribbean. A passenger manifest shows that he arrived in San Juan,...

I'm not just a fan of Jorge Bolet. Another great interest is Alfred Brendel, who today on 5 January 2025 is celebrating his 94th...

This is very much work-in-progress, but I thought I'd try to gather together all that I know so far about Jorge's performances in South...

In Clarín , 25 July, 1979, Jorge D'Urbano - who had reviewed Jorge's first appearance in Argentina in June 1955 - wrote: 'Jorge Bolet is a virtuoso pianist. This does not mean, in any way, that he lacks musicality. But his specific definition is that of a virtuoso, that is, capable of mastering the piano so completely that everything else fades into the background. He is capable of true pianistic feats, and has to his credit that these seem not to be a process at all, as