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Jorge Bolet (November 15, 1914–October 16, 1990) was a Cuban born American pianist, conductor and teacher.

Contents 1 Life 2 Recordings 3 Instruments 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Life

Bolet was born in Havana, Cuba and studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he himself taught from 1939 to 1942. His teachers included Leopold Godowsky, Josef Hofmann, David Saperton, Moriz Rosenthal and Fritz Reiner.^[1]

In 1937, he won the Naumburg Competition, and gave his debut recital.^[2] In 1942 Bolet joined the US Army and was sent to Japan. While there, he conducted the Japanese premiere of The Mikado.^[1] He made his first recordings for Remington. He provided the piano soundtrack for the 1960 film about Liszt, "Song without End". His playing, though, was condemned by American critics for decades, as too focused on romantic virtuosity,^[3], so he only made a few recordings for smaller labels in the 1960s. He came to prominence in 1974 with a stupendous recital at Carnegie Hall, which sealed his reputation.^[4]

He later became Head of Piano at the Curtis Institute, succeeding Rudolf Serkin, but retired from this to concentrate once again on his career. A measure of Bolet's stature can be given by the fact that the dean of American music critics, Harold Schonberg, considered him "a kind of latter-day Josef Lhévinne".^[5]

In 1984, the A&E Network broadcast a series of three programs entitled Bolet Meets Rachmaninoff, in which the pianist was shown giving masterclasses on Piano Concerto No. 3 (Rachmaninoff). This is followed on the series by a complete performance of Bolet playing the concerto.

The Decca/London recording company contracted him in 1978, giving Bolet his first major record contract at the age of 63. Recordings of key sections of his repertoire were made from 1978 up to his death, but there are also tapes of many live concerts which can be found in archives, principally the International Piano Archive at Maryland. These include a specialty of his, Leopold Godowsky's Concert Paraphrase on Themes from Johann Strauss' Fledermaus which he studied with Godowsky during his student years.

Bolet's health began to decline in 1988, and in 1989 he underwent a brain operation from which he never fully recovered. It was reported in the media that he died from heart failure in October 1990, at his home in Mountain View, California.^[6] However, Gregor Benko states that Bolet in fact died of complications from AIDS.^[7]

[edit] Recordings

Bolet is particularly well remembered for his performances and recordings of large-scale Romantic music, particularly works by Franz Liszt and Frederic Chopin. He also specialised in piano transcriptions and unusual repertoire, including the fiendishly difficult works of Godowsky, many of which Bolet had studied with the composer himself. In an interview given to Elyse Mach ("Great Contemporary Pianists Speak for Themselves"; Dover Books on Music), Jorge Bolet extensively mentioned the "Romantic Piano Concerto" by Joseph Marx which was, according to Bolet's own words, his favorite among the great virtuoso concertos because of the enormous show of strength required from the soloist.^{[citation needed]} Bolet recorded for the RCA, Everest, and Decca labels.

• Bach, J.S., PIANO VIRTUOSOS--CZIFFRA, MOISEIWITSCH, & BOLET, Georges Cziffra, Benno Moiseiwitsch, & Jorge Bolet, Philharmonia Orchestra, Charles Groves, Medici Arts 1333 DVD
• Chopin, Frederic, 24 Preludes Op. 28; Ballade No. 2 in F major Op. 28; Ballade No. 4 in F minor Op. 52; Fantasie in F minor Op. 49, Jorge Bolet, Eloquence 458 172-2 CD
• Chopin, Frederic, Jorge Bolet In Concert Vol 1 - Chopin Andante Spianato e Grande Polonaise Op. 22; Barcarolle Op. 60; Impromptus 1, 2, & 4; Four Scherzos; Polonaises Op. 26; Nocturnes Op. 9 No. 3, Op. 15 No. 2, Op. 27 No. 2, & Op. 55 No. 1; Sonata No. 3 in B minor Op. 58; Chant Polonaise Op. 74 No. 12 "My Joys" (arr. Liszt); Waltz No. 14 in E minor Op. Posth., Jorge Bolet, Marston 52035-2 CD
• Debussy, Claude, Preludes Books 1 & 2 (selections), Jorge Bolet, Decca 425 518 2 CD
• Grieg, Edvard, Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16; Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54, Jorge Bolet, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly, Decca 417 112 2 CD
• Liszt, Franz, Études D’Exécution Transcendante, Jorge Bolet, Ensayo 9711 CD
• Liszt, Franz, GREAT PIANISTS OF THE 20TH CENTURY VOLUME 11: JORGE BOLET II, Mephisto Waltz No. 1; Venezia e Napoli; Funérailles; Liebestraum No. 3; La Leggierezza; La Campanella; Sonetto 104 del Petrarca; Harmonies du soir; Gnomenreignen; Au bord d'une source; Consolation No. 3; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12; Ricordanza; Réminiscences de Norma, Jorge Bolet, Philips 456 814-2 CD
• Liszt, Franz, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30; Die Forelle (Schubert); Des mädchens Wunsch (Chopin); Widmung (Schumann); Réminiscences de Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti); Spinnelied aus Der fliegende Holländer (Wagner); Rigoletto Paraphrase (Verdi), Jorge Bolet, Indiana University Symphony Orchestra, Charles Webb, Palexa 0503 CD
• Liszt, Franz, Piano Works, Jorge Bolet, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Iván Fischer, Georg Solti, Decca 467 801-2 CD
• Liszt, Franz, Various works, Jorge Bolet RCA 63748-2 CD
• Schumann, Robert, Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16; Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54, Jorge Bolet, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly, Decca 417 112 2 CD
• Liszt, Franz, Bolet Rediscovered: Liszt Recital, Jorge Bolet, RCA 63748, 04/03/2001
• J Brahms; R Schumann: Klaus Tennstedt Jorge Bolet, London Philharmonic Orchestra; Klaus Tennstedt, BBC Legends, BBCL42512

[edit] Instruments

Throughout his career, Bolet bucked the system by endorsing and performing on Baldwin and C. Bechstein pianos worldwide. When other pianists aligned with the Steinway piano, he chose a different approach and a unique broadly varied tone through non-standard instruments. It is common knowledge that Bolet's best Decca/London recordings were made using the Baldwin SD-10 concert grand.^[8] Some of the most celebrated, near the end of his career, were made with Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (Orchestre symphonique de Montréal). Most pianophiles agree that the most perfect piano sound and tone (through masterful piano technical preparation) was the last Decca/London solo piano recording of Debussy.

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Bolet, Jorge", Grove Music Online, 2007. Accessed June 2, 2007.
2. ^ H. HOWARD TAUBMAN (October 27, 1937). "JORGE BOLET GIVES A DEBUT RECITAL". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0B1EF93959177A93C5AB178BD95F438385F9&scp=6&sq=Jorge%20Bolet%20&st=cse. 
3. ^ HAROLD C. SCHONBERG (Wednesday, October 17, 1990). "Jorge Bolet, Pianist, Is Dead at 75; Specialist in Romantic Literature". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/17/obituaries/jorge-bolet-pianist-is-dead-at-75-specialist-in-romantic-literature.html?scp=20&sq=Jorge%20Bolet&st=cse. 
4. ^ HAROLD C. SCHONBERG (February 27, 1974). "Bolet's Romantic Pianism Evokes Giants of the Past". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60D12FB3E59127A93C5AB1789D85F408785F9&scp=3&sq=Jorge%20Bolet%201974%20carnegie&st=cse. 
5. ^ Harold C. Schonberg, The Great Pianists from Mozart to the Present, Second Edition, Simon & Schuster, 1987
6. ^ "Jorge Bolet, Pianist, is Dead at 75", The New York Times, October 17, 1990. Accessed March 29, 2008.
7. ^ Gregor Benko. Liner notes to VAI Audio's 2-CD set "Liszt - The 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies" (co-written with Mark Ainley)
8. ^ http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2009/Sept09/Debussy_Bolet_4801131.htm

[edit] External links

• Jorge Bolet's Profile at The Remington Site
• Discography at SonyBMG Masterworks
• A Moderated Group Site On Jorge Bolet
• A site detailing the life and recordings of Jorge Bolet
• Jorge Bolet Liszt Masterclass