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The Eighth Sonata There are only two performance that I know of (no doubt there are a few more). 3 December 1948 Carnegie Hall, NYC The programme of his 6th appearance here included: Beethoven's Rondo Op. 51/1 in C Schubert's A minor Sonata D.748 Prokofiev's Sonata No. 8 in B flat major Op. 84 Chopin's Ballade in G minor Op.23, Berceuse, and a Saint-Saëns Waltz. 27 April 1949 Havana, Cuba (for the Sociedad Amigos de la Música) incl. Piano Sonata in A minor, D 784 (Schubert) and Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 8 in B♭ major, Op. 84. Two encores, Adiós a Cuba (Ignacio Cervantes) and a dance by Lecuona ​​ 'The pyrotechnics of the Prokofieff sonata were easily within Mr. Bolet’s command. He was not satisfied, however, to remain on the surface of the work, but imbued it with a rhythmic savagery which made its brassy measures sound more impressive than they usually do. To pass from this athletic work to the gossamer texture of Chopin’s Berceuse was something of a tour de force. He even managed to do interesting things to the Ballade in G minor.' (Musical America) However, it was in the Prokofiev Sonata No. 8, Op. 84, that he really came into his own. His and Prokofiev’s styles click like two sides of a zipper. Bolet’s clarity, his incisiveness, was meant for such a work as this Sonata. His percussive quality was indispensable to the Al- legro passages. And then in the Andante sognando he could make Prokofiev sound innocent and tender. There was stir and beauty, all the more touching for the surrounding glitter. One senses that here a composer is being presented whole, and truly. (...) Bolet is best, we decided, in his ability to identify him-self with composers of the special characteristics, the ones that call for the more unusual treatment. Many modernists, we should suppose, look at him with expectancy and hope. I have a feeling he will not let them down.' (International Musician) ​ Prokofiev completed the sonata in 1944 and dedicated it to his partner Mira Mendelson, who later became his second wife. The sonata was first performed on 30 December 1944, in Moscow, by Emil Gilels. In the brief movement [Andante sognando in D flat major], Prokofiev uses a theme from his then unperformed melodramatic adaptation of Eugene Onegin. All this was before the second piano concerto took hold. 10 January 1950 Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16 New Orleans Symphony & Massimo Freccia JB's first public performance of the concerto, in an interview with the Times-Picayune (10.1.1950). He had heard it a few years ago, played by Abbey Simon and had rushed out to buy the score but found to his dismay that it was out of print. Simon had photostats of it form The New York Public Library, obtained at considerable expense. But then Jorge found out in 1948 that it had been republished. Orchestral scores were quite scarce, but one arrived from London a month ago. Maestro Freccia's score is annotated in Russian and the players are reading from hand copies. He is a guest of Fred Bultman Jr, 1525, Louisiana. ​

12 April 1943 Havana Rachmaninoff 3rd concerto (Jorge Bolet) [+Mozart, Symphony No.33 in B flat major, K. 319 & Wagner, Meistersinger overture] Orquesta Filarmónica de la Habana/Erich Kleiber The extract is from: Erich Kleiber, a memoir (1957) by John Russell Custodio, music critic, in Noticias de Hoy (14 April 1943)is full of praise for Kleiber. Dr. Agustin Batista, president of the Patronato Pro Música Sinfónica (Board for Symphonic Music), delivered some courageous words, which we warmly applauded, to summarize the season and speak of the future. The focus of his remarks was precisely the personality of Eric Kleiber and his prospects for remaining in Havana, at the helm of our symphonic music Eric Kleiber has agreed to dedicate himself to this task, which would place the Philharmonic Orchestra among the foremost in Latin America. However, he has set a condition that does him credit, not only as an artist but also as a progressive man and a profound democrat: that the orchestra cease to be a private organization and become an official entity, supported and sustained by the Cuban state and reaching not only the wealthy class, as has been the case until now, but also the people themselves, through the organization of large public concerts and extensive radio broadcasts. In short, Kleiber does not want to devote his valuable energies and vast experience to an exclusive and limited audience like the one that currently attends the Philharmonic's evening concerts. His work in Cuba should benefit all the people, both those who can afford a ticket and those who must listen to that artistic emotion on their radios from the most remote corner of the island. Otherwise, Kleiber—quite rightly—will leave in search of greater understanding, in Mexico or Buenos Aires, where symphony orchestras are already fulfilling this high mission of bringing great music to the masses.

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 was described by the German press as the successor to Liszt. The Berliner Morgenpost said: “Our point of view regarding Liszt has been a problematic one for decades, but Bolet has a solution for all problems. One agrees with him from the first note. The piano is never a percussion instrument with him. His hands seem to breathe like a voice and the in--strument sings’. A marvellous evening lifted the audience into ecstasy.” Jorge Bolet will give concerts at Auckland (September 12). Hamilton (Sept. 15), Gisborne (Sept. 21), Wellington (Sept. 22). Timaru (Sept. 24), Christchurch (October 1), Wanganui (Oct. 3) and Nelson (Oct 6); and he will appear with the NZBC Symphony Orchestra at Wel--lington (Sept. 17). Palmerston North (Sept. 19). Christchurch (Sept. 26). Dunedin (Sept. 29), and Wellington (Oct. 8). The first broadcast of his performances will be on September 12 at 9.00 p.m. over all YCs. Bruce Mason, New Zealand Listener (9 October 1964) I think this review is of the recital on 22 September 1964 Wellington Town Hall Recital incl. Schumann Fantasy, Beethoven, Appassionata, 7 Transcendental Studies by Liszt Before Jorge Bolet came on stage for his recital last week, I wondered idly what, say, a performer on the Malayan nose-flute who had never heard Western music, would make of the auspices before us. A stage bare but for some gigantic bouquets of flowers, centre this huge shiny black monster with a gaping lid like a shark’s maw, equipped with 90-odd black and white teeth: who could catch and subdue the thing, who make it discourse? The nineteenth century marshalled a squad of leonine Orphei to woo the beast, imperial tamers like Paderewski and Anton Rubinstein; a few weeks ago, we saw the last of this seigniorial line in Arthur Rubinstein. But Jorge Bolet, as I realized at the end of the recital, is not of this line at all. He is the Commando Colonel of the keyboard, and the images he evokes in me are all military. Playing an entirely nineteenth-century programme he seemed to say that public music is a campaign, a matter of careful strategy, successful siege and the combined operation and early preparations seem to demand that the music be brain-washed before any statement can be made. The piano is not merely tamed but cowed: ‘Down. sir, or I’ll have Queen’s regs on you!” His account of seven Liszt Transcendental Studies ,only two of which ] had heard before, was indeed titanic – (I now concede the justice of the NZBC publicity tag) but I hazard that no one who had not fought through the Second World War. as Bolet has with distinction, would have played them in quite this way. This was post-1945 playing, ruthlessly efficient, with an armoury of effects honed and polished to the last demisemiquaver, his fortes prolonged barrages. his pianos the coldest, iciest steel. The virtues of this playing are accuracy, without which no Liszt at all - transcendental or otherwise, brilliance, and where glitter is not possible, plainness, to the point of severity. You see, I want to make it clear that I am not just being puppish, because the Beethoven Appassionata was a plain and deeply honest account; every note was there, every dynamic change observed. If no poetry, then equally, no tricks; if no finesse. then no false heroics, either. I confess that I found no trace of charm in the playing nor any evidence of that love of the craft that makes Rubinstein’s concert so warmly memorable. I would find it hard to say whether Bolet really liked playing the piano at all. But there is a job to be done. So many thousand notes to dispatch by the quickest route and one could nowhere fault his supply lines Let me acknowledge the huge energy of the man and a brilliance of tone in the Liszt such as ] don't think I have ever heard. If this amounts to music. if this is what you want, then Bolet surely is your man. 8 October 1964 Wellington Town Hall, New Zealand "Fountains of Rome" Respighi Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16 Prokofiev Symphony No. 4 in E Minor. Op. 98 Brahms with conductor Juan Matteucci New Zealand Listener 23 October 1964 Bruce Mason The Prokofiev Concerto No. 2 in G minor received the performance it deserved from Jorge Bolet. An avowedly student work, it showed, in passages of glittering asperity and lyrical fairy-tale episodes, the first statements of the distinctive sweet--sour idiom which was to receive full-scale definition in the justly famous third concerto. Bolet was fully equal to its prodigious technical demands, sending out cascades of notes at incredible velocity and evenness of tone. The splashy exuberant cadenza, which must have raised the hair on the necks of its first listeners in the St Petersburg of 1913, was performed by Bolet with magnificently casual bravura. I will refer to his lapse of memory in the last movement only because of the taste and skill with which he coped with it. Instead of fumbling around, vamping till ready as it were (and we would not have known, after all) he simply stopped. rose, went to Matteucci’s score, glanced at it, returned, resumed. No fuss from him, no anxiety from us. I could not help recalling the celebrated story of Victor Borge in the davs when he was on the concert platform. Finding that the orchestra was winning, he went to the conductor’s desk, turned back the score 10 pages, and started again. The audience, convulsed, launched him on his career as a musical comedian. If there is no sign of Bolet turning into a comedian, I would still like to applaud his honesty. The Prokofiev revealed him at his best: this dry Russian glitter seems peculiarly his world. New Zealand Listener 2 October 1964 Diana Farmer BRAVO FOR BOLET You'll find him down the corridor,” I was told, “talking to Mr Matteucci.” Instead, I found Jorge Bolet alone, relaxed in an easy chair although, he said, feeling rather hot in spite of the heavy rain outside. “I’ve just been talking to your new conductor Juan Matteucci,” he said. “I was delighted to find him here; he’s a wonderful conductor. As I was just telling him, the two works I’m playing in my next concert are unusually difficult for me, because so often the conductor doesn’t know what I'm doing. But Matteucci understands what I mean every time. It’s a pleasure to work with a man like that.” Visiting pianist Jorge Bolet is Cuban-born, but is a naturalized United States citizen who now lives in Spain, “‘almost on the frontier of France.” He had just arrived in Wellington from concerts in Auckland and Hamilton. “The Auckland concert went very well, I think. They have a wonderful hall there and the audience was very receptive, very enthusiastic. I find British audiences wonderful, and I include New Zealand in this.” Weren’t British audiences traditionally undemonstrative? "No," he said, “not undemonstrative. Audiences have different ways of showing their enthusiasm and approval. They don't all yell and holler! British audiences would be frightfully shocked if one of their number suddenly shouted Bravo! I was a member of an English audi--ence not long ago and I did shout out a lone Bravo! My neighbour turned to me with an amazed look – You know, sort of 'Where did this monster come from?' Strangely enough, the wildest audiences are German. It’s odd, isn’t it? You’d expect them to be sedate and proper, but in fact they’re absolutely wild, liable to do almost anything. I approve of this. If an audience is demonstrative it’s all to the good. “I was a soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic not long ago. We were doing Prokofiev’s 2nd Piano Concerto, and at the conclusion of a very rousing movement, not at the end of the work, the audience burst into wild applause. This is quite unheard of in Germany, where they take their music very seriously. I prefer that to a pseudo-intellectual audience that is so concerned with appearing learned that its members wait about 10 seconds after I finish before applauding. This is to make sure that I have actually finished. Half-way through a piece in one performance, a woman yelled Bravo! It was quite accidental – a sort of involuntary reflex. She came backstage afterwards to apologize. I told her I’d been delighted. I had wished a dozen more had yelled Bravol” The people touring with Mr Bolet describe him as “easy to work with one of the most punctual and obliging artists ever to come to New Zealand.” Over six feet tall, Bolet is often mistaken for a footballer or an advertising executive. “I guess I was just naturally blessed with good health,” he says. On another subject he comments: “I have very little patience with artists who are temperamental. Many of my colleagues, I know, are difficult to work with. This shows lack of discipline. You see, most of us show musical talent at a very early age. Parents of these child prodigies treat them as if they were made of fine bone china. They grow up into men and women who expect to be humoured, who still believe they have Mama and Papa to nurse their every whim. Do you know the only thing worse than a child prodigy? It’s a child prodigy’s mother. That’s a well-known and true saying among pianists. Although Bolet first served in the Cuban Army and received Cuba’s highest military award, he ended the last war as a lieutenant in the United States Army. Now he speaks and looks like an American – an American with a Latin-style moustache. Because he has appeared with all the major orchestras in the United States, I asked Mr Bolet which had seemed to him the best. “There are no good or bad orchestras,” he said, "only good and bad conductors. I have heard some really good orchestras sound bad because the conductor was inadequate. On the other hand, a bad orchestra can be made to play well under a good conductor.” During his term in the United States Army, Jorge Bolet conducted the first Japanese performance of The Mikado, in Tokyo. “Not only conducted,” he said. “I also had to find rehearsal rooms, chairs and stands, music for the orchestra and all the musicians It wasn’t exactly D’Oyly Carte, but it was quite a good show.” Between his frequent concert tours Bolet appears on television. “‘Television is very hard work,” he commented. “In Britain they keep everything simple. But in the United States you usually appear with a lot of other artists. There are endless rehearsals to get all the cues right. A television performance involves all sorts of technical and theatrical details which one just isn’t used to. I have so many cameras around me that I sometimes feel that if I lean too far to the left or right while playing I'll knock a lens out of one of the cameras. And television producers want such a variety of shots! You see I have rather a large bald spot on the top of my head? Well, once they assembled a television camera and lights directly above me. All they could see was a bright gleam from the top of my head. Finally, they sprayed it all over with some sort of black paint. There are so many distractions like this with television, it’s difficult to play as well as you would on stage.” Jorge Bolet is a pianist only. He does not compose; he has done no further conducting since The Mikado He plays no other musical instrument. With his heavy concert schedule (over 50 concerts in Australia after his New Zealand tour) he does not have time. Does he like travelling so far from his home so often? “Not really. But then we never like doing the things we have to do. The man with the nine-to-five job always has the wanderlust, while we who have to travel dream about staying home.”

I know of at least three performance of Jorge Bolet's performance with Dr Weissmann in Scranton, PA, but the Havana connection is interesting - he was succeeded by Alberto Bolet in 1953: 4 October 1944 Masonic Temple (Scranton, Pennsylvania) Scranton Philharmonic/Frieder Weissmann 12 March 1945 Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton Philharmonic/Frieder Weissmann 14 March 1949 Masonic Temple, Scranton, PA. Liszt, Concerto No. 2 in A major Scranton Philharmonic/ Frieder Weissmann 22 April 1951 (10:45am) and Monday 23 (9:30pm) Havana Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat Op.83 Orquesta Filarmónica de La Habana and Frieder Weissmann Buenos Aires 1934-7; Cincinnati & New York 1937-9; Scranton 1943-50; Havana 1950-1953... As an artist of Jewish descent, Weissmann left Germany in June 1933 for the Netherlands. This was followed by six-month stays - alternating with the Netherlands - in Argentina from 1934 to 1937, where he gave concerts in Buenos Aires Radio Splendid and at the Teatro Colón. It was also in Buenos Aires that Weissmann, who had acquired Argentinian citizenship in 1935, married his second wife Rosita Chevallier-Boutell in 1937. As successor to Artur Rodziński, he took over the direction of the Orquesta Filarmónica de La Habana in Havana, Cuba, from 1950 to 1953. He died in Amsterdam, Holland. Moriz Rosenthal recorded Chopin's first concerto for Parlophon in Berlin (1930-31) with Frieder Weissmann (1893-1984) and the Orchester der Staatsoper Berlin. 'When I left Cuba, the famous symphony of Havana, which had 16 first violins, 16 second violins, and all the woodwinds and brasses one could ever dream of, was stil going strong. That same year, however the excellent first viola, Granat [*J. Wolfgang Granat (1918–1998)] (who is now with the Philadelphia orchestra) and the equally famous first cellist, Odnoposoff [Adolfo Odnoposoff (1917 – 1992)] (who is now in Mexico) had both already left…. Why I too left such a splendid orchestra, readers will surely understand that I cannot discuss here and now! 'It had been one of my dreams, since 1949, to conduct that very orchestra and I had succeeded in realizing it. It was a glorious; exciting, and happy time for four years. But alas, during 1953, general conditions deteriorated and although the conductor always received his full pay, quite often the men did not get theirs. 'Anyway, in 1954 I left, and have not chosen to return since, although I had been announced with – amongst others- Erich Kleiber (whose assistant I once was at the Berlin State Opera at the start of my career). I was hoping and waiting for a more favourable turn of events to call me back, but that turn of course never came. 'Igor Markevitch came to Havana for a short while, but the shadows which had fallen over everything quickly deepened, and the checkered career of the orchestra – as always in the wake of any political upheaval- ran its course. By now the main first instrumentalists had left, some for the US, some for Latin America. Today they have in Havana the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional, which is in the hands of the conductor Mandici [Enrique González Mántici (1912-1974)], who was already a devout communist when he was conducting at C.M.Q., the famous Havana radio station. I have heard that there is a full season, but it does not seem to amount to anything of musical value. That beautiful, ambitious and -especially in the strings- fantastically sensuous sounding orchestra went the way everything went in Cuba. How can such things happen?' Musical Courier June 1953: Huberto de Blanck mentions Cuban orchestral music conducted by Weissmann, e.g. Julian Orbón’s Homenaje a la Tondilla, a piece inspired by Spanish 18th century themes which was cordially received.

September 2026 'The diverse and storied musical career of Earl Wild, one of the most prodigious and virtuosic pianists of the 20th century. The unique trajectory of Wild’s career stands out in comparison with other classical pianists. Drawing on meticulous research, Ian Hominick highlights the progress of a musician forced to diversify his skills from an early age for the sake of subsistence, to one who fully embraced the variety of musical life, pursuing collaborations across genres, mediums, and spheres of influence. Having been hired as the youngest pianist at NBC in 1938, Wild would take full advantage of all the opportunities presented in the roles of performer, composer, arranger and conductor. Through public exposure over the airwaves, his career outside the studio began to blossom: his tours with bandleader Paul Whiteman helped introduce his virtuoso style to audiences across the country, forever linking his name to the music of George Gershwin. The only classical pianist to have performed for 6 consecutive U.S. Presidents, Wild embraced his role as a diverse musician, breaking new ground with a variety of musical projects, while gaining acceptance and recognition in the classical music world. This book aims to provide readers with a comprehensive overview of Wild’s unconventional journey to success and acceptance in the world of music. Forging his own path, he used his innate talent to explore, diversify, and eventually create a career that, to this day, remains unparalleled.' Ian Hominick is a Canadian concert pianist, teacher, and Professor of Music at the University of Mississippi. Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgements 1. Childhood (1915–1932) 2. Carnegie Tech (1933–1937) 3. Welcome to NBC (1938–1942) 4. World War II: Washington, D.C. (1942–1944) 5. ABC and Paul Whiteman (1944–1947) 6. ABC and Europe Debut (1947–1950) 7. Premieres (1951–1954) 8. The Caesar Years (1955–1958) 9. JFK and Santa Fe (1958–1961) 10. Reader's Digest, Boston Pops & New Directions (1961–1967) 11. Penn State & Musical Rarities (1968–1972) 12. Palm Springs (1973–1978) 13. The Musical Fireman & Wolf Trap (1978–1981) 14. Transcriptions & the Liszt Centennial (1981–1986) 15. Ohio State (1987-1993) 16. Last of the Great Romantics (1993–2000) 17. Final Touring Years (2001–2010) 18. Epilogue

Jorge first played in Santiago de Chile, Chile in June 1983. He returned on 5, 7 June 1984 and Sergio escobar wrote a review for La Nacion. Teatro Municipal, Santiago, Chile Liszt, Concertos 1 & 2 [+ Tchaikovsky 6] Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago/ Simón Blech (1924-1997, Polish-Argentinian) ​​ 'This year Jorge Bolet has returned—tall, erect, with large hands—and, in case anyone remained unconvinced that he is one of the finest pianists of Romantic music, he has just performed—with the Philharmonic conducted by Simón Blech—the two concertos written by Franz Liszt. Both of them! And this under circumstances where either one alone poses a challenge few can successfully meet. (It is true, Mr. Bolet, that you have made your name internationally by playing Liszt’s music, but, in truth, you did not need to proveit so lavishly.) Liszt’s concertos (1839 and 1849)—revised repeatedly by the composer until he was satisfied—are often played as displays of impressive bravura, yet few performers manage to extract their true essence, the spirit their creator imbued in them. Bolet played them with unabashed Romanticism, varying the tempos as if following a narrative arc. (...) Jorge Bolet's performances have been, for us, the most memorable we have heard in concerts, because they have helped to understand Liszt's music, sometimes so poorly executed and without relief.' Sergio Escobar, La Nacion (8.6.1984)

I've just come across this substack article by a former student of Jorge. I've included a a couple of excerpts here but this is the link to the source. Five Years With A Legendary Musician The greatness - and oddness - of an immortal pianist Glenn Winters January 16, 2026 He was not a warm teddy bear As a skinny excited freshman piano major at Indiana, I was gobsmacked and totally star-struck to be accepted into Bolet’s studio. I knew all about him - we had a copy of the Song Without End album at home My intimidation didn’t stem from his reputation and star status alone; it was also his physical presence and aura. He was a giant; easily 6’5” and muscular. He looked more like a right tackle for the Chicago Bears than a classical musician. And his bearing was dignified; serious; imposing. He was not a warm teddy bear. He was most at home, most himself, when seated at the piano, making music. Here’s an example. One day, probably the last year of my Master’s degree, I reported to his studio as usual for my regular weekly lesson. All prepared, feeling confident, ready to play and be taught. Bolet was at the piano, flipping through the pages of a lengthy book of piano music. He held it up for me to inspect. The title: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Telemann, by the German Romantic composer Max Reger. “Do you know this piece”? I didn’t. He probably knew that I didn’t. Reger’s Telemann Variations are a pretty obscure piece by a composer not well known for piano music. Bolet explained that he was learning it for recitals and a recording project. He opened the music to the first page and said “Isn’t this a great theme for a set of variations/” And he launched into playing it, a stately minuet from the Baroque era, a couple of minutes long. Before I could agree with him, he turned the page. “And my god, this first variation is wonderful!”. And he played it for me. Then something happened It was as if he forgot where he was, who I was, what we were doing, what we were supposed to be doing. He got into the spirit of this piece he was “learning” and kept playing - flipping pages, variation after variation. I was rooted to my spot on the floor. That particular piece by Reger is over 30 minutes in length, longer if you take all the repeats. It calls for thundering octaves, will-o’-the-wisp finger dexterity, intimate passages of heartbreaking lyricism - it’s like an encyclopedia of piano technique, exploring the limits of the instrument. It was a private concert for an audience of one. Bolet did not hold back, it was a performance for the ages. As he met the challenges of strength and stamina, he turned red in the face. When he finally completed the triumphant final chords, he was breathing heavily, perspiring, exhilarated. I don’t think I played anything that day. I didn’t care. THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM. In 1987, three years before his death in 1990, Jorge Bolet appeared with the Virginia Symphony orchestra it was in the mid-1980s, a few years before his passing in 1990. The program included the 2nd Liszt piano concerto and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, a fun piece involving a big solo piano part, full orchestra, a quartet of vocal soloists and a large chorus. The chorus was being provided by Christopher Newport College, where I happened to be teaching at the time. I thought it would be fun to participate, so I volunteered to join the bass section and bellow away while Bolet raised the roof at the keyboard. The first half of the program ended with the Liszt. During intermission, while in the lower level of the concert hall where there were dressing rooms, I heard a piano. Someone had put an upright piano in the hallway. Bolet was furiously playing the Beethoven with the score in front of him. “I haven’t played this in years”, he muttered. He was re-learning the piece on the spot. During intermission. Are you shocked? Do you find that unprofessional? You don’t get it. Bolet was a musician of gifts that you have likely never encountered. He seldom practiced at a piano, my friends. He could learn music silently, score in hand. And then play it. In the comments, someone mentions Tex Compton, and Glenn Winters replies: "Ah, Tex: he was Truman Capote before the actual Truman Capote"

Elżbieta Szczepańska-Malinowska: "Dyskretny zapach fermen-tacji..." ["The discreet scent of fermentation..."]: L. Godowsky's paraphrases of Chopin's Etudes and Waltzes recorded by Jorge Bolet, L'Oiseau de Lyre In: Rocznik Chopinowski, 13: 1981, p. 171-3. The pianist's fantasising on the material of piano compositions whose essence—as in Chopin's etudes and waltzes—is figuration or ornamental texture, richly endowed with virtuosity by the composer himself, may seem an idea bordering on the absurd. Anyway, Godowsky's approach probably stems from very specific (and not very clear) aesthetic needs, different from those in the situation when ornaments are added to the intact structure, or when a solo instrumental idea is embedded in orchestral texture. Apparently, Godowsky is as much a child of the 19th century as of contemporary times (he died in 1938). In his rearrangements, the musician introduces the element of combination theory, alien to the 19th-century way of thinking. He penetrated deeply the musical substance of Chopin's compositions, sometimes he crumbles them into minute elements in order to rearrange them in a different manner, changes the direction of melody movement, transfers the figuration to the left and the accompaniment to the right hand, makes the structure polyphonic, extends concentrated groups of notes and vice versa, etc. The final artistic result is very peculiar. Chopin's compositions, arranged by Godowsky, swell with added counterpoints, multiple harmonies, and doubled and tripled tunes. Godowsky uses all the "thin" places in the texture to highlight them and pump up the sound. It is not, which is worth mentioning here, a thickening; thanks to the open harmonies and slight tone, the volume is not large. Harmonic progression is treated like a loose groundwork, in which every opening must be "plugged" with a delay, alteration, or a swing to a different key. The harmonies bubble here with timid dissonances in the pre-Debussy style, and generally speaking, are hesitant. The discreet scent of fermentation hovers above them and above all paraphrases—very slightly spoiling the sweetness of the Romantic sound. From the point of view of texture, Godowsky's paraphrases suffer from the elephantiasis of sound foam and, like foam, they rise and fall instead of gaining momentum. This applies, in particular, to etudes, in which no speed can be felt. Here Godowsky simply changes swift streams into flood waters, depriving Chopin of his dynamics and inner tensions. On this record, only seven of Godowsky's 53 fantasies on Chopin are performed, but out of these seven, the majority—in my opinion—provoke the question: "What for?" It is a pity that in etudes transcribed for the left hand alone, we cannot see with our own eyes how the pianist manages to overcome difficulties: in the recording, the effect is considerably reduced. Waltzes, however, show coquetry full of dubious meanings. Evidently, Godowsky wanted to appear very subtle, and indeed, he managed to produce gems—sometimes resembling a film soundtrack, sometimes café music (Waltz in D flat major). The output of the great virtuoso Godowsky was passed on to Jorge Bolet without special risk. An American of Cuban descent, one of Józef Hofmann's pupils, he possesses a phenomenal technique that nothing seems to limit. The calm and ease with which he navigates the sheer hell of difficulties, accumulated by Godowsky in the most cruel manner—examples of which can be seen in numerous figurations in parallel thirds or sixths, or frequent polyphonic structures with the volume adapted for two hands but meant for the left hand alone—confirm high mastery skills. Bolet's conscious and precise measurement of the power and intensity of sound allows us to assume that he could flawlessly perform Webern's dynamic series, i.e., determine audible boundaries between two, three, and four p's. In this case, too, one would dream of hearing him in the truly great classical-romantic repertoire.

The Times, 3 July 1992 Obituary of Peter Wadland, one of the significant helpers of Jorge Bolet's career. The Independent (2 July 1992, James Jolly) Peter Wadland, record producer, born Exmouth 28 May 1946, died London 30 June 1992. WHEN the history of the gramophone comes to be written, one name high on the list of major influences will be Peter Wadland, who at his death was Chief Producer of Decca's early music L'Oiseau-Lyre label. He was a man of great taste and style, qualities that are evident from every disc issued on 'his' label. His early years were spent in Antwerp and Brussels where, with the benefit of a German mother, he received a trilingual upbringing, something which set him up for life. The most important lesson he took with him from his years at King's College, Taunton, were the hours spent learning the classical repertoire in the school's record library: his love and knowledge of records was deep and extraordinarily informed. After working for Schott & Son and for the Hansom book organisation, Wadland joined Decca as label manager of L'Oiseau-Lyre and Vox Records in 1968. In 1971, when Decca took over the label, Wadland put forward his first suggestion for a recording - renaissance duets with Anthony Rooley and James Tyler. This was followed by a disc by the remarkable Japanese percussion player Stomu Yamash'ta, a disc that not only featured specially commissioned music but also multi-tracking effects, rare in the classical record world of the day. In 1973 Wadland dreamed up the Florilegium series, to a large extent the British equivalent of the German Archiv label. A chance meeting with Christopher Hogwood led to the foundation of the Academy of Ancient Music, and one of the most successful recording partnerships of the post- war years. The complete cycle of the Mozart symphonies launched in the late 1970s broke new ground in performance practice and in developing a new audience for baroque and classical music. Since then, the same performers have recorded all the Beethoven symphonies and concertos (with Steven Lubin) as well as embarking on a cycle of the complete Haydn symphonies (a project Wadland launched but sadly had to pass to colleagues). Other artists received the care and attention Wadland devoted to the L'Oiseau-Lyre label: Malcolm Binns recorded all the Beethoven piano sonatas on a variety of period instruments; Simon Preston and the Choir of Christ Church, Oxford, made a number of discs; Hogwood with many celebrated early music performers recorded a huge set of Purcell's theatre music and The Consort of Musicke and Anthony Rooley made countless discs for the label. L'Oiseau-Lyre played host to many of today's leading artists: Emma Kirkby, Philip Pickett and the New London Consort, Catherine Bott, Christophe Coin, James Bowman, Simon Standage, Christophe Rousset, Joshua Rifkin, John Mark Ainsley, David Thomas and the Amadeus Winds. Wadland was a perfectionist, involving himself in every aspect of the recordings he made, from chosing the cover illustration to proof-reading the notes. (He worked with 'mainstream' Decca artists, too, overseeing the Fitzwilliam Quartet's award-winning Shostakovich quartet series as well as assisting on a number of productions with Sutherland and Pavarotti.) But early music was not the music you would hear at Wadland's house. Pianists of the old school - Lhevinne, Moriz Rosenthal, Josef Hofmann, Horowitz, Bolet and Cherkassky (the last two artists he worked with at Decca, coaxing some memorable interpretations on to disc) - were his greatest enthusiasm. As were the singers of generations past: he adored Luisa Tetrazzini but above all it was Jussi Bjorling who appealed to his sense of style and ease of technique. Peter Wadland was a great host - his house in Camden was always home to musicians passing through London - and an inspired cook (his repertoire as questing as the programmes he assembled on record), a fine photographer and an inveterate traveller. He will be missed for his dynamism, humour and, above all, for his remarkable natural musicianship.

1914 Born Havana, Cuba on 15 November to Antonio Bolet Valdés and Adelina Tremoleda de la Paz. c.1925/1926 Aged about nine or ten, Jorge played in the old-fashioned salon in Havana of Mrs Amelia Solberg de Hoskinson. 1926 13 August: first of two benefit concerts for the young Jorge in the Teatro Principal de la Comedia (organised by Maria Jones de Castro) 1927 4 September: second of two benefit concerts for the young Jorge in the Gran Teatro Nacional, Havana. Organised by Amelia Solberg de Hoskinson. 16 September: Jorge sails with his sister Maria Josefa (aged 23) on the SS Governor Cobb to the U.S.A. 27 September/ 6 October 1927: two auditions for the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia. 1927-1934 Jorge is taught at Curtis by David Saperton (1889-1970), son-in-law of the pianist-composer Leopold Godowsky 1928 28 February. Moriz Rosenthal (a pupil of Liszt) gives a recital at Curtis which Jorge probably heard. 1932 29 January. Seventeen-year-old Jorge performs the first movement of Tchaikovsky's B-flat minor concerto with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra under Fritz Reiner at Carnegie Hall, New York City. 1932/33 A few sessions in New York with Leopold Godowsky; Jorge played the composer’s music which he had worked on with Saperton (Java Suite, Fledermaus, Künstlerleben, arrangements of Chopin études, Passacaglia…) 1933-34 Attends The Stony Brook School, Long Island (while still at Curtis). 1934 16 April. Graduation recital in Casimir Hall, Curtis. 9 June 1934. Graduation from The Stony Brook School, August/September: concerts in Havana, often with brother Alberto 1935 March. JB stays in Paris, France. He has a stipend from the Cuban government. His eldest brother Joaquín (Nico) finances a European tour. European début (aged 20) 8 May, Kleine Zaal ('Small Hall') of the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Followed by Den Haag/The Hague, Berlin, Milan, Vienna, London and Paris (Late 1935) 5 lessons with Moriz Rosenthal (legendary pianist, pupil of Franz Liszt) in Vienna Late 1935/ early 1936 Concerts in Spain (Pamplona, Gijón, Oviedo, Madrid etc.) May. Returns to the USA. Resides (?) with the family of Reverend Donald Barnhouse in Philadelphia. 9 December. First known recording of JB (radio broadcast from the Curtis Institute) 1936-39 There were concerts in the USA, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, Dominican Republic. Bolet’s concerts in Havana were for Pro-Arte Musical, for the Lyceum, the Anfiteatro, Teatro La Comedia and the Auditorio, with Havana's Filarmónica and Sinfónica. 1937 27 October. Naumburg Prize recital; Town Hall, New York City 1938 February. Academy of Music, Philadelphia. JB’s début with Philadelphia Orchestra/ Eugene Ormandy. (Rachmaninoff, Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op.30​) 1939 22 December. CMZ and COX radio stations (Havana, Cuba) broadcast Liszt's first concerto with Alberto Bolet / Orquesta Sinfónica de la CMZ. Billed as JB’s"debut radiofónica" (but see December 1936) Early 1940s Raymond Fayette Stover (1894-1979) is a friend and manager. JB’s connection with him may run from the late 1930s to mid-1940s At some stage in these years, JB meets Houston Larimore 'Tex' Compton (1910-1980), who was to be his life-partner until the latter’s death in December 1980. 1940 Assistant to Rudolf Serkin, Head of the Piano Department at Curtis 29 October. Hofmann Award recital, Town Hall, NYC. (Aged 25 yrs 11 months) 1941 31 December. Recital at the Presidential Palace, Havana, 'after which he is to be decorated, we hear, by President Colonel Batista, no less'. 1942 12 January. Auditorio, Havana (Manuel de Falla, Noches en los jardines de España) with Havana Philharmonic/ Massimo Freccia (for this long-lived Italian conductor see also January 1950) 1943 12 April. Havana. Rachmaninoff 3 with Erich Kleiber October (?) JB is awarded the Order of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, a high Cuban distinction. November. During the early stages of World War II, Jorge Bolet is seconded to the Cuban Embassy in Washington as Assistant Military Attaché . 16 December. Constitution Hall, Washington DC. Impromptu recital début in the capital, as Sigmund Romberg's train hadn't arrived. 1944 A Washington DC diplomatic list for May 1944 notes that while he was at the Cuba Embassy, Jorge lived at Dorchester House - a giant apartment building, 2480, 16th Street, N.W., at 16th and Kalorama. April. Andre Mertens and Horace J. Parmelee, heads of the Haensel & Jones division of Columbia Concerts, announce the addition of three new artists, including Lt. Jorge Bolet, Cuban pianist. 14 April. Pan American Day, Hall of the Americas, Washington DC. JB plays Schubert and Latin-American music 8 May. Tilghman High School, Paducah, Kentucky. JB has a chance to fill in for his pianistic idol Josef Hofmann, who cancelled. 4 November. Teatro Nacional, Havana. Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1 in B♭ minor, Op. 23 with Erich Leinsdorf in aid of victims of a cyclone. December. Political change in Cuba finally rendered Jorge Bolet’s military commission at the Washington embassy void. The President, Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar’s (1940-44) handpicked successor, Carlos Saladrigas Zayas had been defeated in the election of 1 June 1944 and Batista was succeeded by Ramón Grau San Martín (‘his bitter, bitter enemy’, as JB described him in 1984), who secured a massive popular victory. Dr Grau San Martín, a physician, took office on 10 October. 1945 January/February. Inducted into the U.S. Army. Training at Camp Croft (Spartanburg, South Carolina) and Fort Benning (Columbus, Georgia) The date of enlistment is given as 31 January, 1945 in Baltimore Maryland. 17 March. Spartanburg, South Carolina: Jorge Bolet becomes a US citizen. 1946 Early months. Sent to Tokyo, Japan as part of the U.S. Occupation. 24 May. Ernie Pyle Theatre, Tokyo (*now the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre, Yurakucho, Chiyoda ward). Recital by Hungarian violinist Fery Lorant and Jorge Bolet. 31 July. Hibiya Hall, Tokyo. Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18. Nippon [later NHK] Philharmonic/ Józef Rosenstock August. Ernie Pyle Theatre. JB conducted performances of The Mikado September. JB is discharged from the Army. He is flown back from Japan at the request of Columbia Concerts. 22 September-December. Tour of Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and South America. 1947 29 January. Recital in the Teatro Capitolio, Ciudad Trujillo (present day Santo Domingo), Dominican Republic April/May (?). Latin American tour ‘which took him as far south as Guatemala and included a ten-week radio engagement in Mexico City.’ 1948 April. JB touring in Cuba (Havana, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Camagüey [?]). JB seems to have been engaged to give concerts in Bogotá, Colombia during an Inter-American conference in April 1948 but these had to be cancelled due to the political situation. July. Mexico (?) 1949 c.25 March. Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh. JB replaces Vladimir Horowitz ["a slight indisposition"], for two of three performances of Rachmaninoff's third concerto. Pittsburgh Symphony/ Lorin Maazel or Vladimir Bakaleinikoff. Late 1940s. JB credits work with pianist Abram Chasins for helping his artistic development. JB has described tough times in the late 1940s/50s, years when he was grateful for the many friends who supported him in these ‘ghastly lean years… These were ‘terrible years... great struggle...half-starvation’. 1950 10 January. Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana. Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16. New Orleans Symphony & Massimo Freccia. JB's first public performance of the concerto. 1951/52 'This year Mr Bolet is playing the greatest number of concerts of any pianist with Columbia Artists - 75 in one season.' The Star-News, Wilmington, North Carolina (20 February, 1952). In August 1953, a newspaper announced: JB has travelled 45,000 miles, giving 67 concerts in 38 states during the last 12 months. 1952 10 March. Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar seizes power in Cuba in a military coup. Declaring himself president, Batista cancels the planned presidential elections. 1953 February. Teatro Municipal, Caracas, Venezuela. Concerts in honour of José Martí (b.1853), who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in the liberation of his country from Spain. The famous Cuban author Alejo Carpentier (1904-1980) wrote a review in El Nacional. April. JB records Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor Op. 16 with the Cincinnati SO under Thor Johnson. 26 July. Fidel Castro initiates an attack on the Moncada Barracks, a military garrison outside Santiago de Cuba, Oriente. Castro's plan emulated those of the 19th-century Cuban independence fighters who had raided Spanish barracks; Castro saw himself as the heir to independence leader José Martí. In the end Castro ordered a retreat. Batista's government proclaims martial law, 1954 April. JB was one of five American musicians invited for a four-week visit to West Germany as guests of the Federal Republic. While in Germany, Bolet appeared as soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic. Europe for the next 6 weeks, according to newspapers. First return to Europe since his 1935 début? 1955 May/June. A tour of Brazil and Argentina, 18 concerts being mentioned. Confirmed: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Buenos Aires. In Buenos Aires in May 1955 there were massive riots. Roman Catholicism was being disestablished. A massacre took place on 16 June 1955. Thirty aircraft from the Argentine Navy and Air Force strafed Plaza de Mayo in the largest aerial bombing ever on the Argentine mainland. The attack targeted the adjacent Casa Rosada ("The Pink House"), the official seat of government, while a large crowd of protestors gathered to demonstrate support for President Juan Perón. The action was to be the first step in an eventually aborted coup d'état. In Cuba (1955), bombings and violent demonstrations led to a crackdown on dissent, with Castro and brother Raúl fleeing the country to evade arrest. 1955 November/December. European tour (cf. 1935, 1954) incl. Denmark, Sweden Holland, Britain. *18 December (aged 41). Royal Festival Hall, London: recital 1956 2 December. Fidel Castro and the 26th of July Movement rebels land on Cuban soil with the intention of starting a revolution. Met by heavy Batista defences, nearly everyone in the Movement is killed, with merely a handful escaping, including Castro, his brother Raúl, and Che Guevara. For the next two years, Castro continues guerrilla attacks and succeeds in gaining large numbers of volunteers. 1957 Random bombings and other sabotage are commonplace across the island of Cuba, and the régime becomes more ruthless in its attempts to retain political control. 1958 25, 26 November. Constitution Hall, Washington DC. John LaMontaine, Piano Concerto (première). National Symphony/Howard Mitchell 2 December. Auditorium, Havana: recital for Pro-Arte. Schubert's B flat major sonata D960 makes a rare appearance on JB’s programmes. His last concert in Cuba? By 1958, perceiving that Batista was absolutely discredited among Cubans of every political affiliation and class, the United States finally imposed an arms embargo against him. In May 1958, his army failed in a final offensive against the guerrillas and began losing territory. On 31 December, New Year’s Eve, Fulgencio Batista flees Cuba with a few of his closest supporters, leaving revolutionary forces free to take control of the capital. 1959 9 January. A victorious Fidel Castro reached Havana. JB never returned to Cuba. Promotional material states that JB has an annual European tour (England, Germany, Holland) in January/February 1959 and in America during March/May. ​​​ January/February. London, Amsterdam, Delft, The Hague, Berlin, Hamburg… May. First appearance in Norway. 1960 11 August. USA premiere of Song without End in New York City, for which JB had performed music by Liszt for the soundtrack. 1961 3 February. JB's television debut, on the Bell Telephone Hour, playing Rhapsody in Blue 26 May -19 June. Poland (Kraków, Katowice, Bielsko-Biała, Szczecin, Gdańsk, Jelenia Góra and Warsaw) 1962 29 May. Recital in the Royal Festival Hall, London 14 & 16 October. Honolulu, Hawaii. Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op.58. JB’s first appearance on the island. 31 October. JB celebrates his 25th Anniversary on North American concert stage in Carnegie Hall. The Cuban Missile Crisis took place from 16 -28 October. This 13-day period was sparked on October 16 when U.S. reconnaissance planes photographed Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. The crisis officially concluded on October 28 when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to dismantle and remove the weapons 1963 From early spring 1963, Jorge Bolet and Tex Compton are living in Fuenterrabia, northern Spain. 24 June. Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland. Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23. Scottish National O​rchestra, [later Sir] Alexander Gibson. JB’s first appearance in Scotland. 1964 ​Jorge Bolet and Tex Compton are still living in Fuenterrabia, northern Spain. JB performs a lot more abroad than in the USA this year. August. Following reported attacks on U.S. destroyers, the U.S. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, officially pulling the U.S. into open military conflict in Vietnam.. 7-11 April. Grosser Saal, Musikverein, Vienna (Austria). Liszt 1. Vienna Symphony (Wiener Symphoniker) under Paul Klecki. Only his second appearance in the Austrian capital (since 1935). 12 September - 8 October. JB tours New Zealand, with recitals and concertos: Auckland, Hamilton, Gisborne, Wellington, Timaru, Christchurch, Wanganui, Nelson, Palmerston North, Christchurch and Dunedin. October and November. JB makes a tour of South Africa (in their summer) and Windhoek, South-West Africa (now Namibia). 1965 8 March 1965, 3,500 U.S. Marines were landed near Da Nang, South Vietnam. This marked the beginning of America's ground war. March-June. Australia tour 6 July. City Hall, Hong Kong recital. 1966 Jorge seems hardly at all to have performed in the USA this year. c.13 January. Helsinki, Finland? Rachmaninoff 3 with Paavo Beglund. Also May 1966; August & December 1968? December 1966: Haus des Rundfunks (Saal 3), West Berlin, West Germany (SFB Studio Radio Broadcast ). Also in 1965 1967 January. Major USA tour with Detroit Symphony Orchestra/ Sixten Ehrling 16 April. Recital in [the new] Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. JB seems not to have been back in London until the 1970s. 1968 January. The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on 30 January, by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces of the South Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the United States Armed Forces and their allies. ​ ​ September. Jorge now takes up a teaching post at University of Indiana, at Bloomington. Divides his time between there at Fuenterrabia, Spain. 1970 Jorge is still living in Spain (presumably at least this is his main residence, while at Bloomington, Indiana). 3 October. Hunter College, NYC. Benefit concert for International Piano Library (which had been vandalised and robbed). A big break for JB. 1971 On 18 February, Jorge arrived in Fuenterrabia, northern Spain, where he and Tex still rent a home. 19 May. Clowes Hall, Butler University, Indianapolis. US premiere of Sgambati’s Concerto in G minor (as part of the Romantic Festival IV). Louisville Orchestra and Jorge Mester 1972 This new season 1972-73 marked JB's 35th on the concert platform (he would be 59 years old in November) ​March. JB records the Sgambati Concerto in G minor in Nuremberg - Colosseum Musikstudios with Ainslee Cox and the Nürnberg Symphoniker. June. JB signs a long-term contract with RCA (which would not last...) 1973 May/June. South Africa tour (Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town) July. Records "Great Rachmaninoff Transcriptions" n RCA Studio A, New York City October. Concerto appearances in Bournemouth, Bristol, Exeter in England 1974 23 January. Victoria Hall, Geneva (Switzerland): Jorge's first appearance in this Alpine land? 25 February (aged 59). Carnegie Hall, New York City. A recital that would acquire legendary status, not least because it was recorded by RCA. "The power source that heated up a close-to-capacity audience in Carnegie Hall on a cold and snowy night was Jorge Bolet.” 1975 JB’s days as an exclusive RCA Victor artist ended when his contract there was abruptly terminated in 1975, as Thomas Z. Shepard became director of classics at RCA and replaced Bolet with Belgian-born, American pianist Tedd Joselson. September. Brazil and Argentina (Teatro Coliseo, Buenos Aires). 1976 January./ February. South Africa (3rd visit): concerts in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Windhoek (Namibia since March 1990), Pietermaritzburg, Durban, Salisbury (Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe). May. Tokyo, Japan (first return to the country since The Mikado performances in 1946) 14 May. Bunka Kaikan Hall (Ueno Koen, Tokyo), recital 19/20, 21/22 May. NHK Hall, Shibuya Tokyo Brahms, Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat op.83; Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor op.37. Wolfgang Sawallisch and the NHK Symphony Orchestra 1977 It is usually said that Bolet finally made a return to Britain in 1977 for regular concerts, but he had visited periodically in the early 1970s. *See: March, October 1973, October, December 1974, October 1975. 17 February 1977 (aged 62). Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. JB meets Peter Wadland who would enable him - finally - to get a lasting recording contract (with Decca). July. Mexico July/August/September. Australia. JB’s 8 August recital in Sydney Opera House would have been rather special as it was the first time he had seen the famous new Opera House (1973). 'The sun did not know how beautiful its rays were, until it saw them reflected upon the roof of Sydney Opera House.' September. He takes up his post as Head of the Piano Department at the Curtis Institute, Philadelphia.. This required around 30 days of teaching a year. 3 & 4 October (aged 62). Kingsway Hall, London. Records a selection of Chopin/Godowsky Études and Waltzes for Decca/L'Oiseau-lyre. 1978 July. South America (Brazil - incl. Campos do Jordão, Argentina, Peru) and Mexico. 11/12 August. Blossom Music Centre, an outdoor amphitheatre at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat, Op.83. The Cleveland Orchestra under Jerzy Semkow 16 August. Schloss Esterházy, Eisenstadt, Austria (Haydn Festival) Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Concerto No.5 in A flat major op. 113 7-9 December. Kingsway Hall, London. JB records Liszt for Decca/L'Oiseau-lyre. 1979 For some reason, the glamour of an international concert career has never surrounded this 'Cuban pianist. One has the feeling that he surely deserves more special treatment than he has sometimes received.' [Vianne Webb, Daily Press Newport News (25 January 1979)] June/July. Argentina and Uruguay. 1980 29 February - 2 March 1980, Kingsway Hall, London. Jorge records Reger’s Telemann variations Op.134 & Brahms-Handel for Decca July/August. South Africa tour 25 August. A recital in the Freemasons Hall for the Edinburgh International Festival, recorded by the BBC. Tex Compton, manager & partner since the early 1940s, dies on 9 December, aged 70 1981 July/August. Australian tour 24-27 November. Kingsway Hall, London. Schubert/Liszt recorded for Decca 1982 4 May. Revival of Joseph Marx’s Romantic Piano Concerto in E major (1916-19) in Avery Fisher Hall, New York City. June. In Central & South America (Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Chile?, Uruguay) 1983 February. Masterclasses in Edinburgh recorded for BBC. Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, Usher Hall, with the BBC Scottish SO and Bryden Thomson, March. First Decca Liszt recording. June/July. South America August. Television broadcast for the Rachmaninoff masterclasses in the UK. 'Four television appearances can do for an artist what music critics fail to achieve in twice as many years‘ 28 November. Milan, Italy (Sala Puccini of the Conservatorio di Milano). This concert was advertised as being in honour of Godowsky's appearance in Milan in 1913.

Mattheus Smits has sent me this very interesting piece. I am very grateful to him for the insights which he has provided to this website, things which would otherwise be lost.. There is no doubt in my mind that Jorge loved the Bechstein piano, especially the model EN, above all others. The important technical reasons for this were: The smoothness of the action. The use of agraffes in the treble. The functioning of the left pedal The functionning of the middle pedal. The functioning of the right pedal. About the Bechstein pedals, it is important to know that they are closer to the ground/floor and that the brass parts are longer. This gives better leverage and less tension in the feet of the player. As Jorge used the left pedal often, even in forte, he could always trust its correct functioning. Jorge also used the middle pedal more often than other pianists in order to get the desired effect. Playing on the Bechstein, Jorge knew that the middle pedal would always work thanks to its different mechanism. As Jorge used the right pedal in a different way than most other pianists, he had full advantage of the fact that the pedals were longer and closer to the floor. It must also be mentioned that Jorge had an extremely good relationship with Edwin Bechstein, the grandson of Carl Bechstein. He had always appreciated the fact that Edwin Bechstein was a family member, and thus able on occasion to see beyond the world of business and finance. I witnessed this good relationship several times in Germany at concerts and at dinners afterwards. When Edwin sold his shares to Baldwin, as his children were not interested, it was no problem for Jorge to play on Bechstein in Europe and on Baldwin in the Americas. Problems came when Karl Schulze bought Bechstein back from Baldwin. Bechstein still provided Jorge with his beloved instrument, but the chemistry between the two parties was no longer what it used to be. I know that the new Bechstein management tried to find a market for Bechstein in the Americas where Jorge could have been very intrumental; there were contacts with Maximilian's House of Grand Pianos in New York (no longer in operation), but this did not work out. When things became very difficult for Bechstein around 1985, the company was forced to finish the providing of Bechstein concert grands to Jorge. I remember that this was a big blow for him. As far as Jorge was concerned, I know the Bechstein had been his great favourite and he was always happy to have one at his disposal for concerts and recordings. A major issue here was also the fact that when Jorge knew there was a Bechstein on stage waiting for him, he knew he did not have to worry. When he had to play on a different instrument, he always had to spent a lot of time getting to know it. Not that it made any difference. In Arnhem (Holland) in 1974, he had to play on a Steinway; the result can be heard on the Marston set. Listen to the Paul de Schloesser étude and the Saint- Saens/Godowsky both played as encores. There is a nice anecdote I should mention: when Jorge was on tour in Holland with the new model Bechstein EN, he was invited onto a live broadcast of a radio programme with a live audience. When Jorge was asked what the difference was between this Bechstein and “another famous model”, he answered: “Yes I know what model you have in mind but they do not make pianos for pianists, they make pianos for elephants!" Great laughter and clapping hands! Jorge added that no matter how difficult the music, everything felt to him easy on this instrument. During a harmony, lets say G major, Jorge very, very slowly moved his right foot upwards, so the dampers were going very, very slowly downwards. This resulted in the pedal and the dampers being already very close at the point when there was the shift to the next harmony, let's say C major. This way of using the pedal is written down in copies which I have from Jorge from his student days, possibly by Godowsky, as the piece involved is Godowsky's arrangement of Chopin's Waltz in E flat, op.18. Jorge many times showed me how slowly and with how much control he could make the right pedal go up and prepare for the next harmony without any hiccups resulting from a fast up and down movement of the pedal. In other words, this technique makes the harmonies blend more naturally into each other. I remember that the individual regulation of all the dampers by the technician was always a time-consuming task when working for Jorge. Jorge told me that such pedalling required a pedal close to the ground/floor and long pedals to provide longer leverage, and - as a result - this made things easier for the right foot and for the pianist. With all this knowledge in mind Jorge never understood why students showed up for a lesson wearing sneakers or worse high heels. For concerts Jorge always had special shoes with very thin leather material between his foot and the brass of the pedal. Another important point of the Bechstein was that when Jorge got to know them before the [2nd world] war the key-weight was the same in all the registers of the instrument, just under 60 grams. In other words there was no difference in key-weight between the bass side and the treble side, even though the hammers in the bass are heavier. After the war this was changed but only a little bit. This gives the Bechstein a more even action.

A rare performance of Jorge in chamber music 2 July 1968 Plaça de Sant Felip Neri, in the Gothic Quarter [Barrio Gótico], Barcelona, Spain Chamber music: trios by Ravel (in A minor, 1914) and Tchaikovsky (in A minor, Op.50) with Victor Martin & Marco Seano ​ ​In Destino (13.7.1968), J. Casanovas writes: ​'The tradition of serenades during summer nights seems to have taken firm root, as is often the case with things that are well thought out and executed. The programme consisted of Ravel's "Sonata for Violin and Cello" and Tchaikovsky's celebrated "Trio," Op. 50: a short but interesting programme, and above all, well executed, with seriousness and competence. (...) To tell the truth, we would have liked to hear Jorge Bolet perform a different work—perhaps one of the frequently played pieces by Schubert or Schumann—since we have a very strong impression that something is fundamentally amiss in this score. The balance between the piano and the two opposing string instruments, for instance, is highly questionable. This almost invariably results in a confusing effect: the piano constantly drifts toward the role of a substitute for the hypothetical accompanying orchestra of a would-be "double concerto." Conversely, when the piano takes a leading role—acting as the soloist in this concertante work—the strings are relegated to a falsely schematic accompaniment. In any case, the piece is an example of unbridled lyricism, a blend of undeniable triumphs and equally palpable weaknesses. It was with this work that the famous Barcelona Trio—comprising pianist Vives, violinist Perelló, and cellist Marés—achieved its greatest successes fifty years ago.' ​​ Augusto Valera, El Noticiero: 'The atmosphere of the Plaza de San Felipe Neri can truly be described as delightful—cool and peaceful—even when one has to endure the chiming of eleven and twelve o'clock from various city clocks, the roar of jet engines, or the occasional neighbor. Yet, even setting that aside, the location possesses wonderful natural acoustics, and the stately atmosphere adds even more to the experience. (...) The interpretation of Jorge Bolet deserves a separate chapter. He is a true soloist whose mastery of the piano is total, both in the technical aspect and in the expressive aspect; A man of strong musical personality and marked temperament whose way of doing things is linked to complete interpretive mastery; perhaps this quality stood out even more considering the special structural conception of Tchaikovsky's fascinating trio conceived more in the manner of a "concerto" than in the chamber music form...'