Jorge Bolet

"I think Bechstein has such overwhelming quality that it doesn't have any competition."

Jorge Bolet, born 1914 in Havanna, Cuba, studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philaldelphia and worked with David Saperton, Leopold Godowsky's son-in-law. After winning the Naumburg Award in 1937, he presented his New York debut in the Town Hall. Rudolf Serkin engaged Jorge Bolet as his assistant at the Curtis Institute. Bolet first achieved international fame in the 1970s and played in the following years up to 150 concerts per year. He died in 1990 in California. Jorge Bolet preferred Bechstein grand pianos his whole life and has left behind numerous recordings on Bechstein. He pronounced, „I think Bechstein has such overwhelming quality that it doesn't have any competition. Its mehanical facility makes playing completely effortless. The power of its sound gives the pianist an unlimited reservoir for great concert halls, and the possibility to vary the tone of the instrument into all tone colorations makes it the ideal instrument for concerts of all piano literature."I congratulate you on your great tradition, which you have now maintained for over 100 years."

Photo: Wikipedia

Jorge Bolet plays Liszt

Jorge Bolet, who since his legendary 1974 appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall has been celebrated as one of the "last greats of the old romantic school of piano playing," preferred the Bechstein grand piano throughout his career. Ingo Harden writes about one of Bolet’s last great recording series on Bechstein in the book “PianistenProfile” (Bärenreiter): "Then Decca worked with Bolet at the beginning of the 1980s to produce his eight-volume Liszt anthology, which contains in addition to the B -Minor Sonata a large part of the “Pilgrim Years” and the etudes as Volume 2--a collection of Schubert song arrangements--all among the pianist’s most impressive performances with beautiful tone, balance and considerate composure."