Jorge Bolet, May 1979

JORGE BOLET, who gives the final recital in this season’s Music on Mondays series on Monday 14th May, is now universally recognised as one of the greatest pianists of our day.  A native of Cuba, he made his debut at the age of nine, and soon won the acclaim of Rachmaninov, Horowitz and Hofmann among others.  Early in his career he won both the Hofmann and Naumberg Prizes, and subsequently embarked on a schedule which has brought him renown throughout the world.  An all-too-rare visitor to Britain until recent years, he first became widely known in this country when he ‘ghosted’ the sound track for Dirk Bogarde in the film biography of Liszt, Song Without End, and his recitals are now eagerly-awaited events.  Mr. Bolet’s Stevenage programme comprises the Four Ballades by Chopin and, after the interval, a selection of the scintillating transcriptions by Godowsky of Chopin Waltzes and Etudes which were the subject of this artist’s recent best-selling LP on the L’Oiseau Lyre label.  Writing of Bolet’s playing, Harold Schonberg recently drew attention in his New York Times column to the artist’s “playing full of strength, colour and command . . . a tour de force of sheer virtuosity . . . ” and we can only echo those words, and promise an evening quite out of the ordinary run. Don’t miss it!

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Music on Mondays: 7