Makoto Ueno remembers Jorge Bolet

Makoto Ueno has generously sent me some memories of his time studying with Jorge Bolet at Curtis.

Professor Makoto Ueno [b.1966, Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan] left his home town at the age of 16, to study in the West, first at Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he became one of the last six students of Jorge Bolet, then continued at Mozarteum Salzburg with Hans Leygraf.

In addition to being a performing and recording artist, since 1996 he has also taught as a professor of piano at Kyoto University of Arts. A link to his website

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In April 1982, I went to Philadelphia for the first time, for the audition at the Curtis Institute. After the audition, several days later, I received a piece of paper from the Admissions Office.

It was a paper from Bolet, a list of repertoire which I should study during the summer months, before the commencement of the school year.

Ignorant as I was, and rather rebellious about everything, unfortunately I only partly followed his suggestions. Of the repertoire, I studied Chopin's Preludes, Études, the Barcarolle, the Nocturne, Beethoven, Bach. But I brought also pieces which interested me at the time and especially Schumann Op. 11, 16, 18 [Piano Sonata No. 1 in F♯ minor, Kreisleriana, Arabeske] and Debussy Études, Chopin Ballades, 3rd Sonata, Liszt. He did not mind, or at least he did not stop students from playing those pieces.

Now that I am old enough, I know that I should have followed his suggestion (or an order) better, and should have had lessons with him on all these pieces. I studied all of them much later in my life.

I think it was around 1984 or 85 that JB suggested Thomas Sauer (who had enrolled in the same year, and I think he received the same repertoire paper) and I study Ginastera's Concerto (No.1), even inviting us to listen to a recording of it at his apartment in Philadelphia. He thought this piece wonderful and recommended that we both study and accompany/work together to get to know the piece. He told us that it is important to have concerti in one's repertoire that not everyone plays. That is so correct.

However again we did not do it… Tom did not like the piece, and I did not understand the piece. At least I bought the score and examined it.

Bolet was right again. Working on concerti with a friend is the best way to get acquainted with the score. (The Ginastera is a great concerto, too.)

In general he was not a teacher to teach uneducated young students (as I was).

I think he was better at giving a final touch to already fully-developed students/artists.

[With reference to lesson on Chopin's Ballade No. 3]: As you may have noticed, in his memory some of the Chopin scores and notes are based on the old Breitkopf complete edition from the late 19th Century. Paderewski's edition was fine, but he did not like an Urtext such as that of G.Henle, though he said he discussed and exchanged opinions with Dr. Ewald Zimmermann (1910–1998), the editor of Henle Chopin series back then.

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Mattheus Smits has written:

Whenever Jorge played in the "Ruhrgebiet" in Germany [Ruhr area, a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia], Ewald Zimmermann showed up with his partner. After the concert we were often invited in their home. I still remember the address, Rektor-Horn-Straße, Rheinberg. There we all enjoyed talking about Ewald's work on the Chopin Urtext edition for Henle. In his house he kept copies of manuscripts and several old editions which were sent to him from institutions all over the world. Ewald always gave us free copies of the volumes which were recently published, and Jorge and I always were happy to get them. I know that Jorge always studied them carefully so that he was able to tell Ewald his opinion during the next visit to Rheinberg.