Starter Packs

Complete your collection with these curated titles, grouped at a special discount.

Shop Now
Audite Musikproduktion

Jorge Bolet: The RIAS Recordings, Vol. I

$27.99

Details

Composer
BACH, J.S.
Artist
Jorge Bolet
Format
CD
Label
Audite Musikproduktion
Released
Jan 05, 2018
Catalog #
AUD21438
UPC
4022143214386

About

Cuban-American pianist Jorge Bolet (1914-1990), misleadingly labeled the "last Romantic" among 20th century pianists and marketed under this title when he achieved world fame at the end of his career, was first and foremost a gentleman of the piano. Few pianists interpreted the great piano music of the 19th and early 20th centuries with such unerring stylistic assurance and technical mastery that was at the same time completely free of vanity and striving for effect. Rather than vague sentimentality, Bolet - who studied at the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia with David Saperton, son-in-law of the legendary pianist Leopold Godowsky, and later succeeded Rudolf Serkin as director of ist piano department - sought a balance between musical and pianistic intelligence. Thanks to these qualities, his recordings, which include not-uncontroversial transcriptions from the golden age of piano playing before 1914, are considered benchmarks.

These recordings for the RIAS Berlin from 1962-73, featuring works by Chopin, Liszt, and Debussy along with highly virtuosic encores and arrangements by Moritz Moszkowski and Godowsky (among others), are no exception: here we experience a pianist and musician who rightly occupies a place among the pantheon of great pianists.

All the recordings in this three-CD box set are first releases from the master tapes.

-----

REVIEW:

Almost everything by Bolet is worth acquiring, but this collection is particularly valuable. Few pianophiles will be aware of the existence of these radio broadcasts from the early 1960s.

Disc 1 opens up with Bolet on top form, including an intense account of Vallee d'Obermnann that ends more in despairing torment than than rapturous ecstasy.

Disc 2 includes a number of superb accounts of Bolet favorites. The third disc contains a muscular, magisterial rendition of Chopin's F minor Fantasy, most characteristic of this great artist yet by no means devoid of introspection and sensitivity. All four of Chopin's Impromptus are a real joy. The Debussy Preludes selections form a beautifully played sequence of individually defined tone-poems.

– Gramophone

Tracklist 36 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 No. 1. La chapelle de Guillaume Tell (The Chapel of William Tell) 06:44
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 1. La chapelle de Guillaume Tell (The Chapel of William Tell)
    Duration
    06:44
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  3. 2 No. 2. Au lac de Wallenstadt (At the Lake of Wallenstadt) 02:56
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 2. Au lac de Wallenstadt (At the Lake of Wallenstadt)
    Duration
    02:56
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  4. 3 No. 3. Pastorale (Pastoral) 01:45
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 3. Pastorale (Pastoral)
    Duration
    01:45
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  5. 4 No. 4. Au bord d'une source (Beside a Spring) 03:34
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 4. Au bord d'une source (Beside a Spring)
    Duration
    03:34
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  6. 5 No. 5. Orage (Storm) 04:22
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 5. Orage (Storm)
    Duration
    04:22
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  7. 6 No. 6. Vallee d'Obermann (Valley of Obermann) 14:06
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 6. Vallee d'Obermann (Valley of Obermann)
    Duration
    14:06
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  8. 7 No. 1 in C Major, "Preludio" 01:00
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 1 in C Major, "Preludio"
    Duration
    01:00
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  9. 8 No. 2 in A Minor, "Fusées" 02:46
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 2 in A Minor, "Fusées"
    Duration
    02:46
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  10. 9 No. 11 in D-Flat Major, "Harmonies du soir" 10:13
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 11 in D-Flat Major, "Harmonies du soir"
    Duration
    10:13
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  11. 10 No. 12 in B Minor, "Chasse-neige" 05:09
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 12 in B Minor, "Chasse-neige"
    Duration
    05:09
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  12. 11 No. 9 in A-Flat Major, "Ricordanza" 10:53
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 9 in A-Flat Major, "Ricordanza"
    Duration
    10:53
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  13. 12 No. 8 in C Minor, "Wilde Jagd" 05:44
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 8 in C Minor, "Wilde Jagd"
    Duration
    05:44
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  14. Disc 2
  15. 1 No. 1. Nocturne in A-Flat Major 06:44
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 1. Nocturne in A-Flat Major
    Duration
    06:44
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  16. 2 No. 2. Nocturne in E-Flat Major 04:40
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 2. Nocturne in E-Flat Major
    Duration
    04:40
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  17. 3 No. 3. Nocturne in A-Flat Major 05:03
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 3. Nocturne in A-Flat Major
    Duration
    05:03
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  18. 4 Rhapsodie espagnole, S254/R90, "Folies d'Espagne et jota aragonesa" 13:01
    Track
    4
    Title
    Rhapsodie espagnole, S254/R90, "Folies d'Espagne et jota aragonesa"
    Duration
    13:01
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  19. 5 8 Morceaux caractéristiques, Op. 36: No. 4. En Automne 02:16
    Track
    5
    Title
    8 Morceaux caractéristiques, Op. 36: No. 4. En Automne
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Moritz Moszkowski
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  20. 6 Carnival of the Animals: XIII. Le Cygne (The Swan) (arr. L. Godowsky for piano) 02:32
    Track
    6
    Title
    Carnival of the Animals: XIII. Le Cygne (The Swan) (arr. L. Godowsky for piano)
    Duration
    02:32
    Composer
    Camille Saint-Saëns
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  21. 7 Triakontameron, 30 Moods and Scenes in Triple Measure: No. 21. The Salon 02:49
    Track
    7
    Title
    Triakontameron, 30 Moods and Scenes in Triple Measure: No. 21. The Salon
    Duration
    02:49
    Composer
    Leopold Godowsky
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  22. 8 Schumann - Liebeslied, S566/R253, "Widmung" 03:44
    Track
    8
    Title
    Schumann - Liebeslied, S566/R253, "Widmung"
    Duration
    03:44
    Composer
    Franz Liszt
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  23. 9 3 Symphonische Metamorphosen Johann Strauss'scher Themen: No. 2. Die Fledermaus 10:51
    Track
    9
    Title
    3 Symphonische Metamorphosen Johann Strauss'scher Themen: No. 2. Die Fledermaus
    Duration
    10:51
    Composer
    Leopold Godowsky
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  24. Disc 3
  25. 1 Fantasy in F Minor, Op. 49 12:51
    Track
    1
    Title
    Fantasy in F Minor, Op. 49
    Duration
    12:51
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  26. 2 Impromptu No. 1 in A-Flat Major, Op. 29 03:41
    Track
    2
    Title
    Impromptu No. 1 in A-Flat Major, Op. 29
    Duration
    03:41
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  27. 3 Impromptu No. 2 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 36 05:49
    Track
    3
    Title
    Impromptu No. 2 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 36
    Duration
    05:49
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  28. 4 Impromptu No. 3 in G-Flat Major, Op. 51 05:15
    Track
    4
    Title
    Impromptu No. 3 in G-Flat Major, Op. 51
    Duration
    05:15
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  29. 5 Fantasy-Impromptu in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 66 04:25
    Track
    5
    Title
    Fantasy-Impromptu in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 66
    Duration
    04:25
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  30. 6 Waltz No. 6 in D-Flat Major, Op. 64, No. 1, "Minute" 01:55
    Track
    6
    Title
    Waltz No. 6 in D-Flat Major, Op. 64, No. 1, "Minute"
    Duration
    01:55
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  31. 7 12 Etudes, Op. 10: No. 5 in G-Flat Major, "Black Keys" 01:51
    Track
    7
    Title
    12 Etudes, Op. 10: No. 5 in G-Flat Major, "Black Keys"
    Duration
    01:51
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  32. 8 No. 1. Danseuses de Delphes 03:39
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 1. Danseuses de Delphes
    Duration
    03:39
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  33. 9 No. 9. La sérénade interrompue 02:29
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 9. La sérénade interrompue
    Duration
    02:29
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  34. 10 No. 10. La cathédrale engloutie 06:31
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 10. La cathédrale engloutie
    Duration
    06:31
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  35. 11 No. 12. Minstrels 02:12
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 12. Minstrels
    Duration
    02:12
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  36. 12 No. 6. Général Lavine - eccentric 02:44
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 6. Général Lavine - eccentric
    Duration
    02:44
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  37. 13 No. 7. La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune 04:48
    Track
    13
    Title
    No. 7. La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune
    Duration
    04:48
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  38. 14 No. 8. Ondine 02:57
    Track
    14
    Title
    No. 8. Ondine
    Duration
    02:57
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet
  39. 15 No. 12. Feux d'artifice 04:08
    Track
    15
    Title
    No. 12. Feux d'artifice
    Duration
    04:08
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Jorge Bolet