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- Michelangeli (1920-1995)
As if it is not enough to maintain a website on Jorge Bolet, I've recently begun another on Italian legend Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. It's an interesting experience to compare the research: on Jorge, there has been very little written, certainly no books; on the other there is a mass of material, but one has to distance oneself from the "cult". It's still work-in-progress but do take a look.
- Students of Godowsky unite!
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) had died the previous year; both he and Bolet had worked with Godowsky (for Miller, this was in Berlin). Rex Bawden of the Daily Post Circa 1910/1911, Miller played the new Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No 3 at St George's Hall, Liverpool with organ accompaniment (he had already played it for Godowsky in Berlin); repeated at St Agnes’s Church, Ullet Road, again with organ. These may have been either rehearsals or for an invited group. A performance with the Bournemouth Municipal Orch was cancelled, the composer having withheld the band parts. The concerto premiered on November 28, 1909, in New York with the composer as soloist and Walter Damrosch conducting the New York Symphony Society.
- Ginastera & Martha Argerich
Jorge never learned the Ginastera concerto. Nor did Martha... Alex Ross, The New Yorker, November 12, 2001 "I was terrible," Martha Argerich said, after drawing hysterical applause with a recent pair of performances at Carnegie Hall. "I was in a strange state. My mind was on other things." Argerich was sitting in a midtown hotel restaurant, amid a motley, lively group of friends. She had just played Beethoven's First Piano Concerto with the Montreal Symphony. The friends, speaking in various accents of Argentina, France, Hungary, and California, protested that she had in fact been stupendous, colossal, magical. The conductor Charles Dutoit, who is nearly as famous for being one of Argerich's former husbands as for leading the Montreal, joined in the campaign of reassurance as he hastened to catch a plane to Paris. "You were not terrible at all, pas du tout," he told her. But Argerich had made up her mind. "I played better in April," she said. She waved the praise away as if it were a silly dessert. In the restaurant, hours pass and night falls. I feel that I should go, but it is strangely difficult to leave. The cosmopolitan chatter goes on at a dotty pace, as if we had all been thrown together at some turn-of-the-century spa. Argerich is asked why she did not play the concerto by Alberto Ginastera that had been announced for the Carnegie series. "I did not learn it," she replies.
- Vienna 1935 & 1959
Recital/Klavierabend 20 May, 1959, leaflet 23 May 1935, during European début
- Johann Nepomuk Hummel
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-Ducoudray, David, Dreyschock, Ernst, Guiraud, Henselt, Herz, Joachim, Moszkowski, Napravnik, Paderewski, Pierne, Raff, Rheinberger, Rombert, Rubinstein, Servais, Sgambati, Spohr, Thalberg, Wieniawski, and many others. The one that almost got away was Hummel. Pupil of Haydn, Mozart, Clementi, and Beethoven and teacher of Mendelssohn, Hiller, Henselt, and Thalberg, Hummel was a key figure in the development of romanticism. He created the most profuse and elaborate keyboard idiom before Liszt, set the stage for Chopin’s jewel-like ornamentation and bel canto melodic lines, wrote the era’s “bible” on piano technique, and composed reams of elegant, sometimes astonishingly brilliant music. I most wanted to revive one of Hummel’s concerti, which were so prophetic of Chopin’s, but the problem was that virtually no pianists then (or now, for that matter) had the right combination of head and heart, of technique and style to put the music across. Then a great artist, Jorge Bolet, came to my rescue with the iridescent magic of Hummel’s Concerto in A-flat major [Piano Concerto No.5 in A-flat major, Op.113] and swept us all away with a never-to-be-forgotten performance. Now, after all those years, other properly equipped pianists are giving the remarkable Mr. Hummel new life through recordings. 19 March 1975 Alice Tully Hall, New York Hummel, Piano Concerto in A flat (Op. 113) LISTEN Early September 1975 Haydn Conference/Festival, Esterházy Castle, Eisenstadt, Austria Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Concerto for piano and orchestra in A flat major op. 113 20 April 1976 Clowes Hall, Butler University, Indianapolis (9th Romantic Music Festival) Hummel No.5 in A flat major, Sgambati in G minor Op.15 [introduced by JB in 1971] Indianapolis Symphony/Oleg Kovalenko (1936, Kyiv - 2025) 29/30 April 1977 Music Hall, 1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, Ohio Hummel, Piano Concerto in A flat major op. 113, Chopin, Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise (piano only) Cincinnati Symphony/Thomas Schippers (Music Director, who was ill and Carmon DeLeone took his place). JB's first performance with the CSO in 2 decades [?] 16 August 1978 Schloss Esterházy, Eisenstadt, Austria (Haydn Festival) Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Concerto No.5 in A flat major op. 113 Don V. Moses / Eisenstadt Festival Orchestra
- Jorge Bolet, Mrs Curtis Bok
Mid-1930s photo from the Curtis Institute website
- Missed opportunity
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 Gazette. I was working in Brentwood at the time and a colleague, whose son Peter Dixon was a cellist with the Royal Philharmonic, had arranged for me to sit in on the afternoon rehearsal. I still went and heard the orchestra rehearse the lovely ballet "The Three Cornered Hat" by Manuel de Falla, but I remember sitting there, thinking what I'd missed. I also recall being surprised that Jorge would be playing outside a major city music venue. Brentwood although a commuter town for London, with an easy train link to London Liverpool Street station, and with a fine public school - as private schools are called in Britain - was not a major location. But having trawled the archives over the years, I now understand (as I didn't then) that this was far from unusual for Jorge!
- Jorge in Latin America 1974-1984
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 Janeiro, Brazil recital 26 September 1975 Teatro Coliseo, Buenos Aires (Argentina) Bach/Busoni, Chopin, Strauss and Wagner-Liszt. 29 September 1975 Teatro Coliseo, Buenos Aires (Argentina) incl.Chopin's Sonata No. 3 in B minor Op.58 and the Mozart/Liszt Don Juan Fantasy 30 September 1975 [?] Buenos Aires (Argentina) Liszt 1 and 2 See here When Juan Perón died on July 1, 1974, he left to his widow a deeply compromised inheritance, yet the transition of power was smooth, and Isabel Perón was sworn in as the world’s first woman president. In September 1975, Argentina was experiencing severe political instability, escalating guerrilla warfare, and hyperinflation that collectively set the stage for the March 1976 military coup. The country was facing serious economic instability, political violence, and intensifying military counter-insurgency operations under the fragile presidency of Isabel Perón. Operation Independence (Operativo Independencia): the military campaign in the rural Tucumán province to suppress the Marxist People's Revolutionary Army (ERP) saw continuous skirmishes. Clandestine Repression: security forces ramped up arbitrary arrests and secret detentions of left-wing activists and student dissidents, foreshadowing the full military dictatorship. On September 13, 1975, President Isabel Perón took a temporary leave of absence due to health issues and an impending nervous breakdown. Senate President Ítalo Luder assumed executive power as provisional president until her return in mid-October. Recognizing the rapid deterioration of the Peronist government, high-ranking military officials, including Army Commander-in-Chief Jorge Rafael Videla, formally began drafting strategic plans for the coup d'état [which happened on March 24, 1976]. The month was marked by the severe economic fallout of the "Rodrigazo" (a massive currency devaluation implemented earlier in the year), resulting in soaring inflation, plunging real wages, and widespread labour strikes. Earl Wild made his début in Argentina and Uruguay during May 1975, including a concert which featured both Chopin 2 and Brahms 2 at the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires with conductor Simon Blech on 12 May. In one harrowing incident (during the start of the military dictatorship), passing through a checkpoint at La Plata with Michael Rolland Davies, "we witnessed another car racing through this checkpoint without stopping. The soldiers opened fire and riddled that car with bullets. It didn't look like anyone survived." Wild returned again in May 1976, staying at the Plaza Hotel, Buenos Aires. His closing concert was a triple-header, Saint-Saëns 2, Grieg, and Rachmaninoff/Paganini. (IAN HOMINICK p.279) 1977 15, 16 January 1977 Jorge's date book notes rehearsals ("ensayos") in Caracas, Venezuela 14 March 1977 Teatro Tapia, San Juan, Puerto Rico Haydn, Sonata No. 62 in E-flat major, Hob. XVI/52, Schumann's Carnaval Op.9 and Liszt (Petrarch Sonnets, Don Juan Fantasy). It looks as if his previous appearance on the island was way back in October 1958. There was a tour of Central (and possibly South) America in July 1977. On Saturday 2 July, Bolet left for Mexico on AeroMéxico. 7 July 1977 Palacio de Bellas Artes, México City Liszt 1 [+Bartok, Miraculous Mandarin & Tchaikovsly 4] Filarmónica de las Americas/ Stanislaw Skrowaczewski 8 July 1977 Palacio de Bellas Artes, México City Haydn sonata in E flat major, Schumann’s Carnaval, Liszt’s Sonnetti di Petrarca and Don Juan fantasy. 11 July 1977 (a date of the 5th is also given) Teatro Degollado, Guadalajara (Jalisco, Mexico) recital (replacing an indisposed fellow Cuban Horacio Gutierrez) In a concert during this week (beginning 3rd June; Mexico City), Jorge replaced Polish-British-Canadian violinist Ida Haendel (1928-2020) who had cancelled due to the death of her mother. 'In her place the Cuban pianist Jorge Bolet played Liszt's First Concerto. The concert was with the Filarmónica de las Americas under Polish conductor Stanisław Skrowaczewski, and was completed with Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin [A csodálatos mandarin, Op. 19, Sz. 73 (BB 82)] and Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony in F minor. Jorge flew back on Saturday 9th to San Francisco. Was this flight (noted in his date-book) changed to accommodate the recital on 11th in Guadalajara? Or was the recital actually on the 5th? November 1977 (?): Teatro Tapia, San Juan, PR 1978 In July 1978, there was a trip to Brazil for concerts. He took an American Airlines flight on Monday 3 July at 8.30pm, arriving Tuesday morning in Rio de Janeiro. 6 July 1978 Sala Cecilia Meireles, Largo do Lapa, Rio de Janeiro Funerailles and the 12 Transcendental Etudes 8 July 1978 Palacio Boa Vista, Campos do Jordão, Brazil Liszt’s Consolations 1and 2, the B minor Sonata, Petrarch Sonnets 47,104 and 123 and Mozart/LIszt Reminiscences , f Don Juan (as part of the Winter Festival) 10/12 July 1978 Casa de Manchete/ Teatro Cultura Artistica, São Paulo, Brazil 2 recitals On Thursday 13 July, Jorge flew on American Airlines flight 251 to Buenos Aires, Argentina, but does not appear to have played in that city in July [?]. On Sunday 16 July, he flew on AA370 to Mexico City (masterclasses on 18, 20 and 21). He presumably gave concerts; his date book mentions Tepotzotlán, 25 miles north-west of Mexico City. 19 July 1978 UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Mexico City Recital [Musica de Camera] by "Georges Bolet" (El Universal 's description!) Jorge told Lisa Battle of The Columbus Ledger (6 March) that an impresario wanted to display his photography in concert halls during the Mexican tour. On Monday 31 July he flew at 10:30am from Mexico City to JFK Alternatively, another date books lists: 6 July 1978 Sala Cecilia Meireles, Largo do Lapa, Rio de Janeiro Funerailles and the 12 Transcendental Etudes 8 July 1978 São Paulo, Barazil 9 July 1978 Flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina 10 July 1978 Lima, Peru or Buenos Aires 11 July 1978 Leave for Mexico 12 July 1978 Tepotzotlán 30 Jul 1978 arrive back in U.S. 12 November 1978 (Sunday, 12 noon) Teatro de la Ciudad, Mexico City Rachmaninoff 3 [+Lutoslawski, Shostakovich] Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México and Polish conductor Andrzej Markowski (Jorge had performed with Markowski in Poland in 1961). But the Baldwin piano had not been secured and crashed off the stage. 14 November 1978 Sala Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico City Rachmaninoff 3 Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México/Andrzej Markowski (also cancelled?) Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México and Polish conductor Andrzej Markowski (Jorge had performed with Markowski in Poland in 1961). But the Baldwin piano had not been secured and crashed off the stage, so no concert. 1979 In June/July 1979, Jorge was in Argentina and Uruguay. He flew on 18 June to Buenos Aires. His date book mentions repertoire (see below but also: Chopin, Barcarolle, Fantasy in F minor Op.49, Sonata No.3, Ballades, Rachmaninoff's third concerto and Weber's Konzertstück) 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 and Transcendental Études 7, 6, 12, 9 and 8; Funerailles. (JB's first appearance in the country) 21 July 1979 Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, Argentina (JB’s only appearance in this fabled venue) Bach/Busoni Ciaccona, Liszt's Sonata and his Transcendental Études 7, 6, 12, 9 and 8. 1980 A newspaper review dated 31 May 1980 discusses a concerto with Armando Krieger and the Orquesta Sinfónica del Sodre (in Montevideo, Uruguay). It featured Uruguayan composer León Biriotti's Symphony No. 3, "in memoriam Lauro Ayestarán" and Jorge playing Rachmaninoff 3. See here for mixed review. 26 May 1980 National Theatre, Panamá City, Panamá Recital 30 May 1980 Palacio de Bellas Artes (?), Mexico City, Mexico Liszt 1 (+ Wagner, Berlioz) Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional (OSN)/ Sergio Cárdenas A newspaper review dated 26 May 1980 mentions a concerto with Armando Krieger and the Orquesta Sinfónica del Sodre (in Montevideo, Uruguay). It featured Uruguayan composer. León Biriotti's Symphony No. 3, "in memoriam Lauro Ayestarán" and Jorge playing Rachmaninoff 3 Heterofonía 70, México (July-September 1980) mentions that JB performed Liszt 1 and the Hungarian Fantasy in Mexico City with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional under Guatemalan conductor and composer Jorge Sarmientos. Is this 30 May? 12 June 1980 Teatro Nacional, San José, Costa Rica Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op.58 Conductor Agustín Cullell 1981 3 May 1981 (Sunday, 12 noon) Sala Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico City Chopin, Barcarolle, Fantasy in F minor Op.49, Schumann, Carnaval, Liszt Sonetti del Petrarca 104 & 123, Dante Sonata 5 May 1981 Sala Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico City Brahms, Concerto No 2 in B flat Op.83 (also Moncayo, Tierra de temporal and Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4) Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM/ Armando Zayas 15 October 1981 [originally 18th?] Teatro Degollado, Guadalajara (Jalisco), Mexico Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto no. 2 in C minor Op. 18 Conductor: Hugo Jan Huss 20 November 1981 Teatro Nacional Eduardo Brito, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Mendelssohn, Schumann, Schubert & Liszt In El Caribe (12.11.1981), Lamela Geler stated that Jorge visited Santo Domingo 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. 1982 Jorge's itinerary states that 1-15 June 1982 had been reserved for Mexico. His date book notes a flight from New York to Mexico City on 31 May 1982. 4 & 6 June, 1982, [6th Sunday at 12 noon] Sala Nezahualcóyotl., Mexico City Franck, Symphonic Variations Rachmaninoff, Variations on a theme of Paganini Enrique Diemecke and the Orquesta Filarmonica de le UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) Saturday, 5 June, in the Palacio de la Antigua Escuela de Medecina: Mendelssohn, Fantasie in F sharp minor, Op.28 "Scottish" 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 9 June 1982 Auditorio, Colegio Santa Ursula, Lima Mendessohn, Fantasy in F minor Op.28 "Scottish" 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, Lima) "It has been a long time since we have heard in Lima a pianist of Bolet's stature." El Comercio 13.6.1982 c.10/11 June 1982 Santiago, Chile? 12 June 1982 Teatro Solís, Montevideo, Uruguay Liszt, Concerto No. 2 in A major & the Hungarian Fantasia Brazilian conductor Isaac Karabtchewsky & the SODRE Symphony Orchestra, the national orchestra 15 June 1982 São Paulo, Brazil *On 16th he flew from Brazil to New York. 13 November 1982 Sala René Marqués of the Centro de Bellas Artes, San Juan (Puerto Rico) Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto no. 2 in C minor Op. 18 Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico/ John Barnett Cristobal Diaz writing in El Mundo 7.11.82 recalls an unforgettable night at the Teatro Tapia in November 1977, which seems to be when he last heard Bolet in San Juan, or it may be the last time JB performed in the city. 1983 14 /16 June 1983 Teatro Municipal, Santiago de Chile, Chile Rachmaninoff, Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op.30 Juan Pablo Izquierdo and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago There's some confusion as the season schedule lists Tuesday and Thursday 14/16 June 1983 as conducted by Franz Paul Decker; the Rachmaninoff is there but it's framed by Hindemith's Mathis der Maler symphony and Richard Strauss's Rosenkavalier Waltzes. Indisposition? 23 July 1983 (Saturday) Arequipa, Peru Schumann, Fantasiestücke Brahms, Handel variations Liszt, Petrarch Sonnets & Hungarian Rhapsody No.12 *Birthplace of Peruvian author and Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa (1936-2025) 25 July 1983 Auditorio Santa Úrsula, Lima, Peru C. Franck, Symphonic Variations Rachmaninoff, Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op.18 Orquesta Sinfónica de la Escuela de Música/ Peruvian conductor Armando Sánchez Málaga Brazil (July 1983) The organisers of the II Gramado International Festival, which will begin on the 1st of next month, are encountering the same difficulty faced last year: a lack of resources. Of the Cr$ 200 million requested from the Ministry of Education, for example, only Cr$ 15 million were released. Even so, maestro Eleazar de Carvalho, its creator, is enthusiastic about the event, for which more than 500 music students have already registered, and which will feature 13 foreign musicians and another 12 Brazilians, to the point of stating that in 1985 he will create another festival, in the same format, in Fortaleza. Eleazar de Carvalho, conductor of the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra, organizer of the festival, invited important names such as the Cuban Jorge Bolet, one of the best pianists in the world... From Brazil itself, for example, Arnaldo Cohen, Magdalena Tagliaferro, Temo Jacomi and Marcos Barbero will be present. With the exception of Bolet, the invited musicians will also act as professors of the chamber music, instrumental music, percussion instruments and applied theoretical subjects seminars. The festival is similar to the Berkshire Musical Center in Tanglewood, Massachusetts, USA, where Eleazar studied. Ultima Hora (Rio de Janeiro, 27 June 1983) 29 July 1983 Cine-Teatro Embaixador, Gramado (Rio Grande do Sul), Brazil Schumann, Fantasiestücke Brahms, Handel variations Liszt, Petrarch Sonnets & Hungarian Rhapsody No.12 30 July 1983 Gramado (Rio Grande do Sul), Brazil Schubert's Trout ["Die Forelle"] Quintet in A major D.667, with Telmo Jaconi, Miguel Mutuberria, Dennis Parker and Milton Masciadri. 31 July 1983 Gramado (Rio Grande do Sul), Brazil Brahms 2 Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre, presumably under Eleazar de Carvalho 3 August 1983 Lima, Peru Schumann, Fantasiestücke Brahms, Handel variations Liszt, Petrarch Sonnets & Hungarian Rhapsody No.12 1984 Claudio Arrau returns to Chile, May 1984 Arrau made a 15-day tour of his homeland Chile, arriving on Thursday 10 May, after a 17-year absence. On Friday 11 May, there were rehearsals with conductor Juan Pablo Izquierdo and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago at the Teatro Municipal, whilst anti-government street protesters clashed with police forces resulting in one 18-year-old dead and 170 arrests. In June 1984 there was a tour (?) of South America; Jorge Bolet flew from San Francisco to Miami on 1 June and then on LAN Chile LA141 to Santiago. 5, 7 June 1984 Teatro Municipal, Santiago, Chile Liszt 1 & 2 Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago/ Simón Blech (1924-1997, Polish-Argentinian) 11 June 1984 Teatro Cultura Artística, São Paulo (rua Nestor Pestana 196), Brazil Rachmaninoff, Concerto No. 2 in C minor Op.18 Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado/ Eleazar de Carvalho 12 June 1984 Teatro, Casa da OSPA, Avenida Borges de Medeiros 1501, Praia de Belas, Porto Alegre, Brazil Rachmaninoff 2 and Paganini Variations Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado/ Eleazar de Carvalho 19 June 1984 Lima, Peru
- Buenos Aires, 6 & 7 June 1955
Democracia, 6 & 7 June 1955 Avenida Corrientes (where Gran Teatro Broadway was) and a corner of the Plaza de Mayo in 1955.
- Denijs de Winter
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 concert-grand served for all Jorge Bolet’s concerts in Europe.“ (Denijs de Winter, 2017) Belgian Denijs de Winter founded Pianomobil in Antwerp in 1979. (In 2023 he handed over to Torben Garlin.) 'Il a été l’accordeur de quelques-unes des plus grandes stars du clavier, d’Elton John à Martha Argerich, de Chick Corea à Alfred Brendel en passant par Jorge Bolet, Keith Jarrett ou Krystian Zimerman.' Le Figaro December 2021 Mr de Winter's sons are making a biographical film of his life. Photo: Pianomobil
- Students of Jorge Bolet
A very incomplete list. Feel free to add to it, using the Contact page. Jacobs School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana Francisco Rennó (Brazil) Gary Thor Wedow Glenn Winters (1970-76) Ira (Philip) Levin (1976) Andrzej Ratusiński (Starachowice, Poland) Curtis Institute, Philadelphia Meng-Chieh Liu (Kaohsiung, Taiwan) Ira (Philip) Levin (1977- ) Ju Hee Suh (Seoul, South Korea) Makoto Ueno (Japan) see here Thomas Sauer (USA) see here Anthony Padilla Graydon Goldsby Wonmi Kim (South Korea) Gustavo Rivero Weber (Mexico) Károly Mocsári (Hungary) 1984-86 Gavin Martin (Goa, India) - BBC Masterclass on Rachmaninoff 2 (1985) Ira Levin (b. Chicago, 1958). At Indiana University in 1976, he began to study with Jorge Bolet; he then went on to Curtis, and after graduation became teaching assistant to Mr. Bolet. Studied with JB (privately) Teresa Escandon Henry Lowinger Panayis Lyras (Panaghis Lykiardopoulos [1953-2025], Athens, Greece) A selection of students from masterclasses Hélène Grimaud Barry Douglas (Northern Ireland, UK) José Feghali (Brazil, 1961- 2014) Kathryn Stott (UK) Philip Smith (UK) Marc-Antonio Barone (USA) Wolfgang Manz (Germany) Andrzej Ratusiński (born 9 November, 1949 in Starachowice, Poland) is aPolish pianist living in Germany. He studied from 1968 to 1973 at the Academy of Music in Warsaw with Margerita Trombini-Kazuro . He continued his studies with Vladimir Horowitz , Artur Rubinstein , and Jorge Bolet . He received prizes and awards at the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano (1973) and the Pyotr Tchaikovsky International Music Competition in Moscow (1974). In 1982 he moved to Germany. In 1990 he was appointed professor at the State University of Music and Performing Arts (Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst) in Stuttgart , where he taught piano. In addition to his teaching work, he performs on concert stages with orchestras including the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande , Wiener Symphoniker, Berliner Philharmoniker with a classical repertoire, as well as works by Polish composers from Chopin to Lutosławski and Penderecki.
- A Scottish stramash!
Two very different reviews of the same recital. 6 September 1982 A morning recital (11am) in the Freemasons' Hall, Edinburgh Beethoven, Sonata No.26 Op.81a Les Adieux, Rachmaninoff, Variations on a theme by Chopin, Liszt, Sposalizio, Campanella The Dundee Courier: 'It has been suggested that Bolet is at his best as a solo recitalist, rather than in concertos. It does seem that his rapport with the audience is more quickly, warmly and firmly established as a solo recital. (During the interval a hanging E flat on the Bechstein piano - it sounded like a sticky damper - was put right in time for the Liszt). Not even the uncomfortable and noisy bentwood chairs in the Freemasons' Hall (they creak loudly even when one draws a breath!) could make this 2 hour recital, seem a moment too long, and it reinforced Jorge Bolet's position as one of the truly great pianists of our time.' The Scotsman's Raymond Monelle wrote quite an acerbic review. Raymond Monelle (1937- 2010) was a music theorist, teacher, music critic, composer and jazz pianist. Monelle wrote three books, dozens of articles on music, and many music criticism reviews in newspapers, mainly for Opera and The Independent. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh with a doctoral thesis on "Opera seria as drama: the musical dramas of Hasse and Metastasio", which he wrote under the supervision of David Kimbell. Monelle joined the Faculty of Music at the University of Edinburgh in 1969, teaching History, Counterpoint, Harmony, Analysis, and the Semiotics of Music. Most famous classes were his "Wagner Project Weeks" in which he took students for a week away from Edinburgh to Holy Island, off the coast of Northumberland, for a week of listening and study of Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. He also nurtured the careers of two of Scotland's most notable living musicians, Donald Runnicles and James MacMillan.







