Pianist Jorge Bolet Receives a “Strong” Welcome "A visiting pianist at Joint Senior High School expected polite applause and perhaps a wilted corsage. Instead, he was met by the school’s human brick wall: the school’s impressively built football team, captained by Buck “Brick” Donovan—owner of a jaw you could sharpen pencils on, shoulders that apparently require their own postcode, and a varsity sweater clinging on for dear life. His grin? Bright enough to make the stage lights file a formal complaint. "Fearing for the structural integrity of the guest’s livelihood (read: his fingers), Donovan and company delivered what they proudly dubbed “gentleman strength” handshakes—carefully calibrated somewhere between “cordial greeting” and “hydraulic press.” The pianist was then escorted to the stage with the kind of ceremony usually reserved for trophies and/or royalty. "Notably torn over the night’s true star striker was Donovan’s girlfriend, Daisy Whitmore, who appeared to be playing both flanks—caught squarely between the pianist’s slicked, glass-smooth hair (more polished than a perfectly weighted through-ball) and Donovan’s own sun-bleached crew cut, all grit and preseason form. In Uniontown, it seems even romance can go to extra time—and this one’s still level heading into stoppage. "The recital itself was a clean sweep on the scoreline, though a few squad members admitted they usually like their “chords” delivered with a whistle, a scoreboard, and ninety minutes on the clock. Still, their full-throated ovation shook the stands like a last-minute winner, leaving no doubt: in Uniontown, even the hardest-tackling—and frankly most camera-ready—footballers know how to put on a performance worthy of the highlight reel. Cyril K. Sterling, Uniontown Evening Gazette, 14 March 1961 Jorge Bolet's Baldwin piano in the hall, Joint Senior High School, Uniontown, Pa *Cine film courtesy of Mrs Walter E. Donovan Jr. (provided by her granddaughter)

New and very much "work in progress", a list of as many concerts of Jorge Bolet as I can find, 1926-1989. It's not a definitive list (that would be a tedious task), but hey...! In order to "clean up" the narrative pages of this website, I shall gradually delete a number of the concerts for which I have not included a review or interesting detail; thus, the Concertography pages will be the fullest account of Jorge's activity (though inevitably not complete - that would be a tedious task!) See link below the photo. Link

The Columbus Ledger (Georgia) devotes at least five articles to Jorge in October 1961

Jorge Bolet, Hochschule für Musik, Berlin, March 1961. "Only David Oistrakh received the sort of ovation this audience gave Mr Bolet, calling him again and again to the stage for more than half an hour after the concert." (Tagespiegel 31.3.1961) Of the Liszt festival in Berlin in August/September 1961: Spandauer Volksblatt (5 October 1961), "When something up after the end of the Festival Weeks, Jorge Bolet's piano, recital will remain as one of the strongest assets. He played Liszt entirely romantically, with singing touch and wonderful tone colourings, which seemed to evoke the world of Debussy. The brilliance of his technique is unbeatable, but this is not the main thing. The nobility of sentiment, depth of feeling and absolute beauty of his music making are simply overwhelming... The audience was ecstatic." Berliner Morgenpost: "The Cuban has conquered, a great audience of connoisseurs with a few recitals. He really conjures up the spirit of Liszt; the music hovers mysteriously in the atmosphere. The virtuoso Bolet is beyond the highest praise. A marvellous evening lifted the audience into ecstasy." (These reports are quoted in The Columbus Ledger, 19.10.1961)

Santa Barbara newspaper, January 1961

Red Rocks Festival of Music, August 1955

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Delighted confirm Jorge Bolet DID play in Chile (I had thought he hadn’t) June, 1983 in Chile, with Juan Pablo Izquierdo (born Santiago de Chile, 1935) and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago in the capital's Teatro Municipal.  Again in 1984 (also June).  Full details added to the relevant page.

New Zealand's Evening Post (11 March 1961) carries a text by Jorge Bolet on his preparation for the 1960 film (with Dirk Bogarde) ​ When William Goetz, the producer of "Song Without End " first approached me with the idea of portraying musically the great Franz Liszt , I must confess I received the suggestion with mixed feelings. ​ Naturally, I was enthusiastic at the opportunity to play the music of a man who had always been my artistic idol, but the offer had its terrifying quality. I would have to play as the greatest pianist who ever lived had played, a task which could serve to make me only more aware of my own limitations. And yet I could not bring myself to turn down such an opportunity! I decided to accept.    After some deliberation,  I decided that in order to play like this man, I must first fully understand the emotions and thoughts which possessed him when he composed and performed his works. Thus, I embarked upon an ambitious reading programme designed to steep myself in as much of Liszt as possible — his music, his loves, his life, his times. I practically haunted the libraries and bookshops in a one-man campaign to completely absorb myself in the man, as much as the music. No college student ever crammed more for an examination!   In addition to his prolific writing and performing, Liszt was one of the greatest teachers in musical history, and I had the great personal advantage in my endeavours of having studied in my youth in Vienna under Moritz Rosenthal, who had been a pupil of Liszt. I also spent many worthwhile hours in Weimar atthe Liszt Museum, which contains his manuscripts, his personal correspondence, his music salon perfectly preserved as it was in his lifetime — in short, everything that was his life. At last I felt that I was ready and I began recording the sound-track of the picture. One immediate problem which I faced concerned the particular dramatic scene in which the musical piece was being performed. For example, was he before a dazzling audienee of the crowned heads of Europe? In a ballroom, or perhaps in an intimate salon, as was the popular fashion in his day? In his studio attempting to polish and perfect a certain piece? Or in the villa of his beloved Carolyne? And yet, to balance this problem I also had-to remember that Liszt was, in the final analysis, still Liszt, no matter where he performed, and that even when he played the compositions of other giants of music, he was first, last and always himself.   A difficult technical problem concerned the fact that everything I played was being simultaneously recorded on three separate sound-tracks. I had always to keep in mind that every flaw, no matter how seemingly insignificant, would be magnified a thousandfold. The most minute error in the playing meant a retake was necessary. And so it should be! Those five weeks in which I attempted to feel as Liszt felt, think as Liszt thought, and play as Liszt played, were equal in musical benefit to me to five years of concert playing.

I've added some reviews from Jorge's New Zealand tour of 1964 to the relevant page. Here are some clippings from the Evening Post .

Cuban Airs to Sound On Colorado Range? The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), November 27, 1944 The plaintive if slightly monotonous tempos of the West Indian calypso may leave their mark on the lustier folk music of western North America as an indirect outgrowth of the war. That opinion was voiced in Denver yesterday by Lt. Jorge Bolet, noted Cuban pianist and assistant military attache to the Cuban Embassy in Washington. Lieutenant Bolet is in Denver for an appearance with the Denver Symphony Orchestra next Friday under the baton of Franz Allers. Tall, handsome and with a rich voice in which there is not even a shadowy trace of accent, Lieutenant Bolet expressed the belief the current importation of Cuban, West Indian and Mexican agrarian workers will have a definite influence on Western music of the future. Cuban Music Waning “But turn about is fair play,” he added. “Hollywood writes a lot of primitive African stuff, puts it to Spanish tempo and calls it Cuban. It catches the fancy in Cuba. The result is that real Cuban music, the bolero, for instance, is on the wane in its own country. “A Cuban peasant sings about anything — a political uprising, a strike or abdication of a ruler. He puts his story to verses, usually 10 lines, called decimas. Like the calypso songs, they don’t have much tune, but they have a sort of plaintive appeal. These are the kinds of songs that are invading particularly the Western United States.” To illustrate his point, Lieutenant Bolet sat down at a piano in one of the KOA reception rooms and played a Cuban folk song. There was a striking similarity to some popular American songs of the range. He will play Schumann’s Concerto and a group of Latin American compositions with the Denver ‘Symphony Orchestra at its third winter concert in City Auditorium Friday evening.

Who knew? It cannot have been the full Die Walküre, as that would need to start much earlier than 7:30pm. It was given as a pantomime by a grils' summer camp with JB playing the piano score. Otsego Lake is a lake located in Otsego County in the U.S. state of New York. It is the source of the Susquehanna River and largest lake in Otsego County. The Village of Cooperstown is located at the lake's southern end. Glimmerglass State Park is located on the lake's northeastern shore, and includes Hyde Hall, a large mansion constructed in 1817, that overlooks the lake. The Glimmerglass Opera, opened in June 1987, is located on the western shore. The Glimmerglass, 28 July 1937 reports: