A newspaper amusingly reported a few of the pianist's pet hates: playing strange pianos, especially upright pianos in high schools, non-mixing bathroom taps (faucets), Rossini, peanut butter, mint in any form including toothpaste, Berlioz.  The High Point Enterprise, North Carolina, 24 February 1954 Full disclosure: I like both Rossini and Berlioz. Mattheus Smits, a friend of JB, has told me: "Jorge knew the translation of 'onions' in many languages. When ordering meals in Germany, he always said 'ohne Zwiebel'!"

First Hand Records is issuing a 3 CD set of Jorge Bolet's Ambassador Auditorium Recitals (Pasadena) 1981 and 1986 in autumn 2026, and for the cover they've chosen a photograph spotted on this website: Wilhelm Fröling's photo of JB in Paris (1988), kindly provided by Mathias Donderer with the agreement of the photographers family. Due for release 3 July 2026 In the Los Angeles Times (13 November 1981), Daniel Cariaga reviewed the first recital. Jorge Bolet reminded us once again that old-fashioned, many-faceted pianistic virtuosity is a life's work as well as an apparently vanishing art. Also, that he is one of the handful of elder keyboard statesmen still practising that art. The programme offered all the authority one has come to expect from a Bolet performance, the total integrated with impeccable taste, sovereign technique and poetic insight. Here were massive sonorities, flying fingers, purling trills, velvet tone and, rarest of all, genuine, bona-fide , honest-to-God legato octaves - all in the service of musical communication. The Mendelssohn sonata had lucidity as well as the deepest kind of suavity; Schumann's Fantasy accumulated power and intensity with no loss of tone-quality, intimacy or tension. The five Liszt transcriptions found Bolet unraveling abundant intricacies while spinning long-breathed songs; his way with the "Mephisto" Waltz seemed bigger than life because he commands a dynamic palette wider and more faceted than other pianists; part of this is resource, but imagination and intellect are involved, too.

JORGE BOLET – The Ambassador Auditorium Recitals, Pasadena, California, USA, 1981 and 1986 (3CD) This is the first release of Bolet’s two recitals recorded at the Ambassador Auditorium, California. Transferred and remastered in high resolution. Due out in autumn 2026 LINK 1 NOVEMBER 1981 Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809–1847) 1–3. Fantasia in F sharp minor, Op. 28, ‘Sonate éccossaise’ (1833) Robert SCHUMANN (1810–1856) 4–6. Fantasy in C major, Op. 17 (1838) interval Franz LISZT (1811–1886) Schubert Song Transcriptions 7. 12 Lieder, S558: No. 2. Auf dem Wasser zu singen (1838) 8. 6 Müllerlieder, S565: No. 2. Der Müller und der Bach (1846) 9. Winterreise, S561: No. 7. Der Lindenbaum (1839) 10. Schwanengesang, S560: No. 3. Aufenthalt (1839) 11. 12 Lieder, S558: No. 4: Erlkönig (1838) CD2 LISZT 1. Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke, S514, ‘Mephisto Waltz No. 1’ (1861) Encores: Frédéric CHOPIN (1810–1849) 2. Nocturne No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 15, No. 2 (1832) Abram CHASINS (1903–1987) Preludes, Book 3, Op. 12 (1928) 3. No. 2 in E flat Minor 4. No. 3 in B flat Minor Moritz MOSZKOWSKI (1854–1925) 5. La Jongleuse, Op. 52, No. 4 (pub. 1894) CHOPIN 6. Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9 (1832) 3 DECEMBER 1986 Edvard GRIEG (1843–1907) 7. Ballade in G minor, Op. 24 (1876) Johannes BRAHMS (1833–1897) 8–11. 4 Ballades, Op. 10 (1854) CD3 LISZT 1. Ballade No. 2 in B minor, S171 (1853) Interval CHOPIN 4 Ballades 2. Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 (1835) 3. Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38 (1839) 4. Ballade No. 3 in A flat Major, Op. 47 (1841) 5. Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52 (1843) Encores: Georges BIZET (1838–1875) L’Arlésienne Suite No. 1 (1872) 6. III. Adagietto (arr. 1927, Leopold GODOWSKY, 1870–1938) CHOPIN Etudes, Op. 25 (1837) 7. No. 1 in A flat major, ‘Harp Study’ 8. No. 2 in F minor 24 bit, 96kHz high resolution transfers by Kabir Hermon from open reel tapes 24 bit, 96kHz high resolution remastering by John Croft (Chiaro Audio) Booklet notes by Jonathan Summers Recordings released with approval from the estate of Jorge Bolet

Another very fine photo provided by Mathias Donderer: Paris, 1988 The photographer was Wilhelm Fröling.

10 January 1950 Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16 New Orleans Symphony & Massimo Freccia Jorge Bolet'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.

Jorge Bolet with Mrs Mary Louise Curtis Bok and David Saperton (Diario de la Marina, 28 December 1934) The Chattanooga Daily Times (14.10.1938) reported that Mrs Bok has said that all she has done and put into the Curtis Institute is justified in this one student.

Wilmington Press Journal, 20 March 1948, reporting on the New York City scene

I recently found a review of volume 1 of the Liszt series for Decca in a Uruguayan paper which I have added below Opinar  (1 July 1982) reports of a concert in Montevideo, Uruguay  (Saturday 12 June, in the Teatro Solís) with Brazilian conductor Isaac Karabtchewsky (born 1934) and the Sodre Symphony Orchestra, the national orchestra. 'The great Cuban-American pianist was at the second concert conducted by Karabtchevsky. He belongs to that category of pianists who continue the tradition of brilliant virtuosity. For this reason, he is considered a Liszt specialist, although in reality he is a first-class interpreter of different musical languages ​​and styles. He performed Concerto No. 2 and the Hungarian Fantasia for piano and orchestra, both Liszt compositions. Two unhappy works by the Hungarian, empty, repetitive, uninspired—except for some rich passages—but technically dazzling. Only Bolet's great skill allows one to listen to these works with any interest.'  Stravinsky' Rite of Spring  was the other work, and the reviewer was delighted with the conductor's handling of the orchestra in a work that had pervasively seemed 'impossible for our orchestra. Let him come back!' ​ Karabtchevsky has recorded the complete symphonies of Heitor Villa-Lobos with the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (Osesp).  No other notice of Jorge playing with him (so far). ​...................................... In a review of volume 1 of the new Liszt series (issued in Britain in March 1983), the Uruguayan journal La Democracia  (28 November 1986) wrote: 'Jorge Bolet.  Few play Liszt like him.  This Cuban pianist, a naturalised American citizen, who must be nearing seventy-six years old, was discovered by Uruguayans practically in this decade (starting with his performance with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Sodre in 1982 of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1). ​ [ In actual fact, Jorge had played first in Uruguay on 10 July 1979 at the Teatro Solís, Montevideo, and possibly again in May 1980 .] ​ Although originally released in 1982, this first [volume]... processed and distributed by Sondor appears in Uruguay on the centenary (1986) the death of the brilliant composer. From that live experience - plus all the known phonographic recordings - there is the conviction that Bolet plays Liszt as few do or have ever done.  His control of the sound planes ( los planos sonores ) is admirable, as are his delicacy and refinement. Bolet does not flaunt virtuosity, preferring musicality. This is evident in the firmness of the touch, the timbral richness, the constant emphasis on structure in pieces like Mephisto  or Funérailles .  Although somewhat belatedly, he must be recognised as one of the best pianists of our time.'

I'm a bit late to this as the article was published in November/December 2014 in International Piano. However... Jeremy Nicholas, who wrote a biography of Godowsky, recalls Jorge Bolet. Here's an extract. Though it would be presumptuous of me to describe him as a friend, I got to know him quite well in the late 1970s. Thereafter, he would invariably phone to tell me when he was in the country and I made sure I saw him after all his UK recitals. One memorable evening, I think it was after a Q&A session at the Wigmore Hall [1982], Jorge, his producer Peter Wadland and a few other mutual friends came back to my flat for dinner - and an impromptu recital. We were all hoping Jorge would play, of course, and one should never ever press an artist to do so on a social occasion. Nevertheless... I slyly asked if he knew Godowsky’s recording of Grieg’s Ballade. No, he didn’t. We began to talk about the work. Innocently, I said that actually I had a score. We gathered round my piano - and off he went. Having talked and played his way through most of the Ballade, he embarked on a whole string of pieces, from Cuban Dances (‘I haven’t played these since I was a student’) to Liszt’s Reminiscences de Don Juan (‘What do you think of my ending? I’ve rewritten it slightly to be more effective.’). The poor little Chappell boudoir grand I had at the time took a pounding that night. The recital only stopped after Harry and Ross, the couple in the flat beneath me, yelled up the stairs, ‘Stop that bloody racket! We want to get some sleep!’, to be answered by me shouting back, ‘Are you crazy? ... It was two o’clock in the morning. I first met Bolet in 1977. I’d had the idea of putting together a book of conversations with great pianists and was also gathering material for my biography on Leopold Godowsky. When I heard that Bolet was coming to London to give a recital and to make a recording of Godowsky’s music [4-5 October 1977, Kingsway Hall], I was determined to meet the man. He had, after all, known Godowsky himself, and studied with his son-in-law David Saperton and his close friend Josef Hofmann. Decca (in the form of the much-missed Peter Wadland) was kind enough to let me attend the Godowsky sessions in London’s Kingsway Hall, where Bolet recorded nine of the Chopin-Godowsky Studies and six Chopin-Godowsky Waltzes - all without the score. Bolet agreed to an interview the following day. We met at the Westbury Hotel, New Bond Street, where he was staying. My notes say it was 5 October 1977. This, with apologies for my then inexperienced interviewing technique, is a transcript of our conversation. Have you recovered from the recording session? Godowsky certainly makes you work hard, doesn’t he? You know, the Chopin-Godowsky Studies are so difficult to play. It’s not just the notes, though you have to be 100 per cent accurate in recording - one sour note and the whole piece goes. It’s capturing the spirit behind them. They must be light and fluffy. Two days was not really enough time. I should have preferred seven. The Chopin Ballades I can play in two days. These pieces need longer so I can go away at the end of the day and practise the next one!

Ian Hominick, Professor of Music, University of Mississippi is due to publish a biography of legendary American pianist Earl Wild in October 2026. Professor Hominick began studying piano in his native Nova Scotia and continued his studies in the United States under the tutelage of Earl Wild. He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Ohio State University in 1991 where he served as assistant to Wild. Jorge Bolet and Earl Wild had some interaction so it will be interesting to see what's in the book, in addition to the career of this remarkable pianist. Publisher: Bloomsbury

Lookee here! Just arrived. Antonio Armella's chronology of pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (December 2025). 491 pages (independently printed by Amazon), on good paper with clear printing. I had wondered what the quality would be like, but this looks excellent. The minus point is that I don't read Italian; the plus point is that it's a resource, not a book to read from cover to cover and with my knowledge of Latin and romance languages + Google Translate, it should be okay! I've added this post with photos here because the more modest site I have on ABM is a free one and I'm at my limit, data-wise. Link to ABM site

This was the first review I read of Jorge Bolet, March 1983 in Gramophone magazine. It was of the first volume of his Liszt series for Decca (the 1978 disc for L'Oiseau-Lyre, a Decca subsidiary notwithstanding). The reviewer was Max Harrison, and his review prompted me to buy the LP in Glasgow's HMV shop, in Union Street.