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Jorge Bolet

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Biography

Born in Havana, Cuba on November 15, 1914, Jorge Bolet was a classical virtuoso pianist and educator. He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, in 1937, he gave his first solo recital and won the Naumburg Competition in New York. As part of the Army of Occupation, he was sent to Japan, where he conducted the Japanese premiere of the opera The Mikado. Jorge Bolet recorded Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 16 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, which was released in 1953 on the Remington label. That same year, he released Recital Favorites on the Boston Records label. One of his most high profile projects was performing piano on the Academy Award-winning soundtrack to Song without End, a biopic on Franz Liszt. Because of his tendency to focus on romantic virtuosity, Jorge Bolet was overlooked by critics throughout most of the 1960s, but came to prominence again after a 1974 performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. During this period - 1968 to 1977 - he served as Professor of Music at Indiana University. Jorge Bolet then signed a recording contract with Decca/London Records, which allowed international distribution of his recordings. He gained more commercial recognition in 1984 when Bolet Meets Rachmaninoff, a series of three masterclass programs, was broadcast on the A&E Network. His catalog consists of close to 70 titles including A Liszt Recital (1960), A Chopin Piano Recital (1961), Great Rachmaninoff Transcriptions (1973), and Debussy: 16 Préludes (1989). Jorge Bolet’s health deteriorated and in 1989, he underwent brain surgery. Never fully recovering, he died on October 16, 1990. Since his death, there have been many posthumous releases including the nine CD box set Liszt: The Piano Works.
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Albums

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Top Tracks

  1.   Track
    Popularity
  2.   Piano Sonata in B Minor, S. 178: III. Allegro energico
  3.   Chopin: 24 Préludes, Op. 28 - 3. in G major
  4.   Harmonies poétiques et réligieuses, S. 173: VII. Funérailles
  5.   Chopin: 24 Préludes, Op. 28 - 2. in A minor
  6.   Mephisto Waltz No. 1, S. 514, "Der Tanz in der Dorfschänke" featuring Robert Irving
  7.   Chopin: 24 Préludes, Op. 28 - 1. in C major
  8.   1. Etude in C Major
  9.   Piano Sonata in B Minor, S. 178: I. Lento assai - Allegro energico
  10.   Piano Sonata in B Minor, S. 178: II. Andante sostenuto by Franz Liszt
  11.   Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54: II. Intermezzo. Andantino grazioso featuring Robert Schumann
  12.   VIII. Ondine. Scherzando
  13.   Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54: I. Allegro affettuoso featuring Robert Schumann
  14.   Chopin: 24 Préludes, Op. 28 - 6. in B minor
  15.   7. Etude in C Major
  16.   Chopin: 24 Préludes, Op. 28 - 5. in D major
  17.   6. Etude in E-Flat Minor
  18.   Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.129 featuring Robert Schumann
  19.   Chopin: 24 Préludes, Op. 28 - 4. in E minor
  20.   Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54: III. Allegro vivace featuring Robert Schumann
  21.   Liszt: 12 Etudes d'exécution transcendante, S.139 - No. 3 Paysage (Poco adagio) by Franz Liszt
  22.   Le Salon
  23.   Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 - 1. Allegro molto moderato featuring Riccardo Chailly
  24.   Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16: 2. Adagio featuring Riccardo Chailly
  25.   Impromptu No. 3 in G-Flat Major, Op. 51/BI 149
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