mjzee Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 There are two Jorge Bolet albums in the Decca Piano box, both of which I greatly enjoyed. First, the album referenced above, recorded October 3 & 4, 1977: The other, recorded November 1981: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HutchFan Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 47 minutes ago, soulpope said: His career never really took off and when he was finally signed by RCA in 1972 and a master-tape of works by Liszt was made but not issued. The tape languished on the shelf for thirty years and was finally issued on CD in 2001 by RCA as "Bolet Rediscovered" (btw a "must have") .... Jorge Bolet - who was already 60 years (!!) at that time - said much later about the Carnegie Hall Concert " I hate to hear myself play, and up till now, there's been only one recording I can stand—and that comes from a 1974 Carnegie Hall recital which RCA put out." Critic Eric Salzman wrote about the released Concert : 'I don't know about you, but much as I like tramping off to unusual places for unusual experiences, I wouldn't normally walk across the street to hear anyone play a piano transcription of Wagner's Tannhauser Overture - unless . . . unless perhaps the player were Liszt himself playing his own arrangement. Well, Jorge Bolet is not Liszt, but he is about as close as you can come these days, and you can hear him playing the bejeezuz out of that transcription in your own living room on a new RCA recording.' Of the Chopin Preludes: 'There was no hyphen involved in these, but the program might just as well have read "Chopin-Bolet", for he takes every possible expressive liberty, playing off the beat, sustaining tones, arpeggiating chords, creating new lines and cross -rhythms, playing fast and free with the tempos, even changing the text here and there. Yet all of it has such authority and sensibility of touch, nuance, color, line, and phrase that one ends up agreeing with Bolet and not the dry-bone notes of the printed music! He re-creates it all afresh.' Concerning the Viennese waltzes: 'In a way, it's a pity that so much skill - and I mean musicality, sensitivity, swiftness, sureness, taste, and communicativeness, not mere facility - is tossed away so lightly, so prodigally, on so many soap bubbles.' Subsequently to this sensational concert it took anothe two years before producer Peter Wadland persuaded Ray Ware (of the L'Oiseau-Lyre/ DECCA label) to meet Jorge Bolet. His reminiscences : "Jorge Bolet had given a recital the day before the sessions, Sunday, 2 October 1977" Wadland picks up the story. ‘I remember the Queen Elizabeth Hall being almost empty, with perhaps as few as 200 people there (after all there had been no publicity) but when it came to the end there was a standing ovation— not only from the audience but also from all the critics—something I have never witnessed before or since. I persuaded Ray Ware, then Label Manager of L'Oiseau-Lyre to meet Jorge and myself for lunch. I was surprised that Jorge seemed slightly mistrustful of our intentions. He had, after all, not had wonderful experiences with record companies. Finally I was able to persuade him to make this record for L'Oiseau-Lyre, and the sessions took place on October 3rd and 4th, 1977, at Kingsway Hall." But it took another four years (during which he toured recurringly) before Jorge Bolet started recording for Decca on ongoing bases from 1981 onwards .... btw unfortunatey the artist became seriously lill and the recordings from the later 80`s suffer from that fact .... @soulpope, thank you so much for this background info, a history lesson on Bolet in miniature. As usual, I'm the beneficiary of my fellow forum members' expertise & insight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Referentzhunter Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 6 hours ago, soulpope said: Agreed on all accounts .... btw got this one 😇😁 .... then you're OK !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 1 hour ago, HutchFan said: @soulpope, thank you so much for this background info, a history lesson on Bolet in miniature. As usual, I'm the beneficiary of my fellow forum members' expertise & insight. You're welcome 👍 .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 Disc 1 - Impromtus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 2 hours ago, mjzee said: There are two Jorge Bolet albums in the Decca Piano box, both of which I greatly enjoyed. First, the album referenced above, recorded October 3 & 4, 1977: The other, recorded November 1981: Both excellent, nevertheless Chopin/Godowky nearer to my heart .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Friedman Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron S Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 Hanson, Symphonies Nos. 1, 3, and 5 / Piano Concerto / "Merry Mount" Suite / Lament for Beowulf Gerard Schwarz, Seattle Symphony and Chorale, Carol Rosenberger (piano, Concerto) (Delos) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Friedman Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 5 hours ago, Peter Friedman said: Distinct view on Bach ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Anatol Ugorski plays Liszt Sonata in b-minor "live" in the early 2000's .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Vitaly Margulis plays Scriabin Etudes "live" in the late 1990's .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Günter Wand - as usual - brisker paced, but not rushed .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Jorge Bolet finally with Liszt Sonata b-minor on Decca recorded September 1982 @ Kingsway Hall London .... expectedly wondrous .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Songs from Austrian composer Ludwig Thuille (and his friend Richard Strauss) .... .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 At that time Friedrich Fischer-Dieskau was - due to private circeumstances - in a bad shape and his voice was declining overall .... but the combo of a "broken" voice and Alfred Brendel`s insightful playing ignites sort of dark magic ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Diabelli Variations from this set - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Friedman Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Friedman Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 Another adventurous journey with Valery Afanassiev .... "must hear" Bach without reservations .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 Till now couldn`t warm up to Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and his Haydn piano sonatas crusade, so this is another try .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 Recorded for Polish Broadcast Corporation in May 2015 .... excellent .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Friedman Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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