Jorge Bolet: The RIAS Recordings, Vol. I

Featuring

Jorge Bolet
Franz Liszt
Moritz Moszkowski
Leopold Godowsky
Robert Schumann
Frédéric Chopin

Claude Debussy

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Recording & Production

These recordings were made for RIAS Berlin between 1962 and 1973 and are based on original analogue tapes from broadcasting archives, remastered for superior sound quality.

Performer Biography

At the age of sixty-four, Jorge Bolet signed an exclusive contract with DECCA, an extraordinary event given that soloists are often considered unmarketable by thirty.

Performer Biography

Jorge Bolet, born in Cuba, won the prestigious Naumburg Competition in 1937, but his fame was launched when he performed piano scenes for the 1960 Liszt film Song without End.

Performer Biography

Despite early success, Jorge Bolet's ascent was slow, and he experienced "terrible years" of struggle and "half-starvation" in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Jorge Bolet believed that a musician must have an open mind about everything in connection with music, willing to listen to and study all approaches.

Performer Biography

Jorge Bolet's musical talent was evident from a young age; at five, he learned to sight-read by watching his older sister's piano lessons.

Notable Performances

Jorge Bolet's definitive breakthrough came with a sensational piano recital at Carnegie Hall on February 25, 1974, which secured his place among the 20th century's greatest pianists.