RACHMANINOFF PIANO CONCERTO 3 JORGE BOLET 'LIVE' 1988. 

For those who will criticize that Bolet played it too slow and sloppily in spots it should be noted that his health was declining by this time and he died two years after this performance of complications from brain surgery. So to think he pulled off this monumental concerto with such aplomb with a brain disorder brewing I think he deserves the Medal of Valor, especially as you can readily see he is exhausted as he approaches the conductor to take bows with him. He was 73 here, and interestingly Horowitz was 75 and in perfect health when he made his historic appearance with Mehta playing this concerto. This is one of the most astonishing feats of pianism I have ever witnessed, frankly. A superb historic document.

The tempi is perfect, it allows us to listen many notes that go hidden in other versions, specially when they rush it so fast one can barely understand the phrase… I personally love this version, it’s delicate, mystic and majestic at the same time. My god and that Chopin was beautiful

This concerto has sooo many notes...and yet Bolet always gives focus to the melody, or some inner phrase. He makes it sound as though there are hardly any notes at all. Having watched his Master Class episodes, I find it interesting in many places he still plays the piece following his own advice. It's really a remarkable performance.

I will never understand people who derive the quality of an interpretation from speed alone. Bolet's tempo is decent here and very appropriate to Rachmaninoff's music . It is one of the very noble interpretations.

Bolet was one of the, hand full, or less greatest pianist of the 20th century. His career was so amazing and his personality and the way of understanding music so... Bolet, that without any doubts he was one of the greatest pianist of all times. He was a real musician, he was a unique and revolutionary pianist. Bravo Sr Bolet

I heard Mr. Bolet play this concerto under the baton of Tibor Kozma, at Indiana University around 1970, having just stepped off the plane from a European tour. He was, at that time, in prime health. Make no mistake that despite the passing of years and his understandably weakened physical condition, this performance is absolutely still "vintage Bolet". I studied with the man and heard him play everything. Have you heard him play Bach? I did. If you wish to consider Beethoven, I heard him play Op. 110 BEFORE playing all twelve of the Liszt Trancendental Etudes on one recital. His Op. 110 was staggering, and to think his heart was fully engaged in that Beethoven before playing the entire Liszt set is mind boggling. He had rearranged the order of the etudes, and ended with Wilde Jagd, at which time the (Steinway) concert grand jumped away from him a good six inches. (It was NOT sitting on a dolly, either.) Anyway, that is not the focus of my story. Many of those in the know are quick to give Horowitz a pass on this or that autumnal performance of his. This late-in-life performance from Bolet is very fine, and much stronger than many late Horowitz performances. The music world is stronger and more beautiful because of all Mr. Bolet gave us--even late in his life. Thank God for Jorge Bolet. By the way, if one wants to find criticism for this document, whoever it is who decides what camera shots to use needs to have their head examined.

One of the pianists from the golden era... beyond technique, beyond show offs, beyond anything we see nowadays, this is music beyond what our eyes can see and what our hearts can feel.

41:32 those chords 🥺 I felt every single one…I felt like time stopped for those seconds… Also, the Chopin Nocturne was just wonderful! Such gorgeous cantabile tone and control of touch- what an incredible performance of pianism and musicianship

This performance is sublime My desert island choice definitely.

So calm, relaxed and wonderful! A great noble man is playing!!!

ボレット氏の なんと多彩で美しい音色と表現力！ アンコールの余韻まで 世界観の全てが素晴らしい！

Masterful performance with strong melodic flavor almost never utilized by pianists. This is the way it should be performed.

What beautiful videography! This is a masterpiece live recording. There will never be another Bolet.

One of the all-time great virtuosos!

watch the masterclass he gave off the Rachmaninoff 3 for the BBC and you know that he knows all the ins and outs of this demanding masterpiece

And the Chopin encore was a thing of ineffable beauty...so moving...

What a precious document! Bolet's way how to play tells of wisdom and many decades of experience and sensibility! No young pianist, even though having magnificent skills, can match with this lifelong familiarity. Also the encore (Nocturne f sharp major by Chopin) is just a revelation....

Bolet’s sound is so rich that during the cadenza it sounds as if the orchestra is still playing.

OMG its so different than nowadays interpretations Maybe it is slower but we can really feel the SOUL in this interpretation and even the orchestra is good. Also i think this unusual piano brand bring more magic to it

What a tremendous pianist he was, with a burnished tone at any tempo, a beautiful legato, and an effortless command of touch and color. I heard him in recital several times and had an inspiring lesson with him on "Kreisleriana." No, he didn't die of "complications from brain surgery." It was AIDS.

El más grande y artístico pianista que he oído jamás en directo. Málaga, diciembre de 1975. Y creo haber oído a muchos de los más grandes, pero la emoción y perfección de Bolet era inigualable. Qué Bach-Bussoni, qué Tanhauser Wagner-Listz.

Growing up in Philadelphia PA during the 1970s and 80s and having very little money in those days and inspired to listen to classical piano geniuses like Earl Wild, Budura Skoda, Glen Gould, Vladamir Horowitz, and Arthur Rubinstein. I decided to buy some recording of my own. So I went to Broad and Girard Avenue back then to a nearby Thrift store and Purchased several George Bollet Recordings in 1981. Later during the late 1980s and early 90s, I was able to go to the old Tower Music classical Annex, and I purchased several of his CD's. It was a great time to be alive and to listen and enjoy.

For me it is: Horowitz for “force of nature” thrill, Janis for utter clarity and excitement, and Bolet for tonal depth and sublime architectural phrasing. Here, Bolet did choose slower, but the phrasing is always soooo thoughtful.

His depth of tone, lyricism and sheer pianistic artistry is mesmerizing to watch. I had the privilege of attending one of his full length piano recitals years ago at Illinois State University where I was studying piano performance. He performed five full works by memory as an encore. A mostly Romantic repertoire, with a good amount of Liszt and Beethoven. Wow! He is also very tall and was a totally charismatic personality on stage.

A genius! Absolutely fantastic musician and pianist, my great favorite!

Deeply moved and in awe, divine musical communication.

I really love his art. Definitely one of the greatest artist at last century. At South Korea, a famous classical radio jockey plays his performance frequently some specific piece.. So I heard his art, and love his art.

Had the great pleasure of hearing Mr.Bolet play this concerto in 1985 with the Cincinatti Symphony while still in college. He wore a tuxedo, black top hat and patent leather shoes. Still the best rendering I've ever heard, thank you Mr. Bolet!

I always listen to Bolet's CD and really loved his Liszt pieces. I love Baldwin piano sounds. Salute to you Mr. Bolet 😊

Absolutely sublime! I've heard Bolet play this piece in the 50's, 60's, 70's, early 80's and now this. He's played super fast tempos and more moderate like this and for musicianship I'll take this anyday. This is the way I want to hear this piece. All the profound yearning Rachmaninoff strived for is here. You can feel Rachmaninoff's soul in this rendition. Bolet is so great. He's in my top 5 for sure. Thank you piano 345 for putting this up. I can't thank you enough.

I like this performance. The encore - Chopin's Nocturne in F# - is sublime.

A MMM - Monumental Musical Moment, he left all his feelings and heart despite the human pain... F. Herzfeld (We and the Music) wrote "Rachmaninoff´s Nr.3 has to be "song" with the keys "crying out their pain" rather than flying to open air, although sometimes the temptation to do it is not to be set aside" - Mr. Bolet did it ! Greetings from Portugal. J. Alexandre Costa

What an extraordinary interpretation

The conducting was intimate, professional, and respectful. You’ll never hear the chordal structures of the Rach 3 as clearly played by anyone so slower isn’t just slower here. Take the time to actually listen to how intelligent Bolet’s reading is and you’ll how beautiful and lyrical Rachmaninov’s writing truly is.

For me Bolet gives the definitive version of this masterpiece on his cd with the LSO (and a most magnificent Bechstein) and this is so close to that. It may not be note perfect but it's playing from the heart and for me that impresses more. Contrary to some commentators I Admire the way he resists the temptation to speed up the finale just for effect but keeps the whole lyrical quality to the end. Magnificent.

I saw Jorge perform this symphony in Perth (Australia) in about 1976 - I was in the choir stalls with a very good view of both soloist and conductor (Elyakum Shapirra). The performance was elctrifying and i have been a Bolet fan ever since.

I love Stephen Hough's exciting fireworks,but this performance has great dignity and gets to the heart of the piece with such strength of genuine emotion...there's real poetry in this work which is often overlooked in favour of showy virtuosity...one of the best performances I've ever heard.

Beautiful, and lyrical, as only Bolet could manage at HIS tempo choice. I urge all whom love Rachmaninoff's piano/orchestral creations, to listen to this...more than once. You will hear things you may not have heard on more "energetic"..or frenetic performances. Bolet was a MASTER "Rachmanovian." Unabashed romanticism was called "out of style" when Rachmaninoff was composing this, and other pieces. We know better. Maestro Atherton and the orchestra contribute excellent, loving support. The video may be a bit out of sync, but Bolet not so.

The music speaketh!

The consumate showman. A master of the piano and the music. He's in another world when he does Rac3.

Fantastic performance!

Un authentique poète au piano ! Sa façon de concevoir le lyrisme comme une sinuosité du réel, les ombres de la lumière, la douceur de la force, la simplicité du complexe, c'est probablement ce qui donne ce sentiment d' une vie sans cesse naissante, sans cesse nouvelle (somptueux 2me mouvement !) Une interprétation géniale et, peut-être, à jamais inégalée !

Many of today's pianists would benefit from a close study of this and other performances by Jorge Bolet. Many thanks for sharing this concert.

I spent time with Mac and Mr. Bolet. I was a young pianist about to play a Tully Hall. We had some great meals at NYAC. He advised me not to Schumann Fantasy. He was right.

Incomparable Bolet!

Amazing. Touching. Thank you so much for sharing.

Though I haven't yet studied this particular recorded performance I don't think we need to offer any excuses for him as I believe his rendition of Rach's 3 is by far the most musical of any recorded. His 1982 London recording with the LSO which I do know, though even then not note perfect still conveys something above all others I've heard. Very difficult to put into words, musicality comes from the heart and not the head, and that of course comes from Rachmaninoff himself as well.

I have just listened to this again, after a year. An astonishing performance. This concerto usually sounds terribly "notey", but here the melodic lines dominate. Bolet's cantabile is incredibly penetrating, and with a piano that is beautifully voiced, his sound never has even a hint of harshness, and yet resounds above the orchestra even at the end: Horowitz had his piano voiced to breaking point for his golden jubilee performance, so much so that Franz Mohr went to the head of Steinway to express his concern. And much credit should go to the conductor, who balances the orchestra with such care.

First time I’ve ever heard the triplet at 44:43 played the way I hear it in my head.

I am adicted to Bolet's art and am fascinated by his personality. He is one of my (let's say top 5) piano heros. Thank you for this wonderful and precious upload - I was aware only of the CD version of this concert and did not know that the video has survived.

Meraviglioso ! Splendido limpido e cristallino

He is such a veteran 🙏🏼🙏🏼 legacy lives on. Miss you Bolet

voor mij een van de grootste leraren in muziek een uitstekend pianist een goed pedagoog en een uitstekend historicus in zijn vak en vergeet niet zijn mooie toon die hij op de piano kon zingen een leraar en musicus pur Sang

По - своему гениально. Что - то, безусловно, есть в этих медленных темпах

Bravooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Maestro.

Thank you for sharing this. I listened his live performance of the same piece including the encore in Seoul. I think it was 1986 with KBS orchestra under the direction of Korean conductor named Won Kyoung-Su. This was the 1st time I heard Rachmaninov Pf concerto 3 and it became my most favorite pf concerto afterwards. He played the whole time almost motionless. However, the sound filled the whole concert hall with various layer of tones. He was so tall that he was even taller that the conductor who stood on the podium.

Jorge Bolet paid a third visit to Japan in 1988 (previously 1946 and 1976). He gave a recital on Wednesday 2 November, 1988 in Suntory Hall, Tokyo (of which there exists an audience recording). The concert was arranged by Kanbara Music, Asakasa,, Tokyo, and was sponsored by the newspaper Asahi Shimbun and Polydor. He played: Liszt: Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude, S.173 No.3 (from Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses), Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178, Six Consolations, S.172 and Réminiscences de Norma (Bellini), S.394 A week later, Jorge performed this Rachmaninoff 3 in Tokyo on 9 November with the NHK Symphony under David Atherton. It appears he was staying at the Imperial Hotel (founded 1890), overlooking the Imperial Palace, Moat and Hibiya Park. In an interview at this time, he mentions a former Japanese pupil, Makoto Ueno from Hokkaido (b.1966). He studied with JB at Curtis aged 16, and this was then followed by a period of study at the Salzburg Mozarteum. (Along with Kathryn Stott, he shared the masterclass study of the first movement of Rachmaninov 2 with JB in July 1984, first broadcast on 10 November 1985 on BBC 2.) This concert also included Berlioz's overture Les Francs-juges Op. 3 and Messiaen's Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum. Messiaen's work commemorated the dead of the two World Wars. Marcel Grilli in The Japan Times (27 November) states that the Rachmaninoff was 'sensitively shaped and phrased', which might be a generous way of saying Jorge was not on best form. He doesn't look well in this video (and indeed he was ill). He looks exhausted as he approaches the conductor to take bows with him, and seems genuinely grateful that David Atherton was "there for him".

Many thanks for this upload!

Tan guapo el Sr Bolet ,le ponen pesimas fotografias. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Quelle interprétation soutenue et pleine couleurs

Al fin tiene cara el 😃 director 😁 y las de la orquesta. Estaban. en el anonimato. siendo grandes músicos.

Wow, just wow

beautiful. poetic, unusual

Inmensa. Orquesta. Bavisimo.

If you enjoy my videos please subscribe to my page - thanks.

A true virtuoso.

Jorge does indeed look thin and ill here. But this is still a fine performance, slower than most, but also more musically beautiful than most. From the same 1988 also come Bolet's famous live "Norma", the slowest and by far the finest on record, and his only officially released "Appassionata", another slow but exquisite (and powerful for that matter) performance. Nor do I share the general negativity about his late recordings of Debussy, Schubert and the Chopin Concertos. There is a lot to enjoy and very little to complain about in them.

People tend to forget how hard this concerto is. Playing slow means we hear every single note more clear, so mistakes are more "noticeable". It's way "harder" to play it slow than fast. Also, as a pianist myself, I know how hard it is to play something slow after you've played it fast many times.

Is there anyone else cried the whole time?

Well, I think this was a terrific performance (and what inaccuracies are people whinging about ? A handful of dirty notes amongst thousands). I don’t think the tempos are anything to do with health. These were his musical choices. If he was so exhausted he wouldn’t have played an encore. And I think it’s pretty reasonable to be a bit tired after playing that, at any age! I followed along with the score - his melodic line and articulation brought great clarity to this work. Tell me when it was too slow or dragging… I never found it so, but I often find the opposite with many performances. I was lucky to hear him in recital in the 70s.

Even if parts which are supposed to catch fire, don't, this performance certainly brings a lump to the throat, as of course this music should.

Encore. ? Que amable 😃 es Jorje. Bolet.

39:25, sublime

Looks like Jorge brought his own Baldwin all the way to Japan.

I. Allegro ma non tanto [0:34 - 18:38] II. Intermezzo (Adagio) [19:14 - 31:14] III. Finale (Alla breve) [31:14 - 48:05]

Muchas gracias que hermoso

Aplausos.

Fantastic performance very very different from all others I ever heard. Very Interesting also his choice for a Baldwin piano instead of the universally preferred Steinway.

Diep voor deze meester die het werk van binnen en van buiten kent

Pone mucho de su propia inventiva,pero no dejo de reconocer que es un buen pianista

Regarding the comments here…okay, he was gay. So what? Truly one of the greatest pianists of all time, and this is a spectacular performance. Yes, a bit slower than he may have taken it before he got ill. Quite a few pianists kept playing until they were much older, with a loss of technique and power: Horowitz, Arrau, Bolet, de Larrocha - all supreme technicians. Rubinstein is the only one who really kept it all until he stoped close to 90. I heard Bolet perform the Schumann concerto closer to his death than this recording, and it was slower still, but quite beautiful. We all know that in his hey day he could play faster and louder than just about anyone…but often still chose moderation. A true musician. It's sad he died the way he did, and sadder still that he could have kept his performance legacy going longer had he not gotten ill.

Very Rich & Mature version aiming at highlighting the beauty of the inner voices of this Masterpiece! I noticed a modification in some parts of the Cadenza at 13:27, I dunno if you noticed that! Thank you for sharing!

Edd Gould 1988-2012😭

Per me una vera lezione di musica, si il tempo non è quello "canonico" ma la tenuta del tempo è perfetta. Magari tutti tenessero questi tempi nelle con il ritmo "standard" nelle esecuzioni moderne che io trovo troppo liriche. Parere e gusto personale ovviamente.

At his peak around 1970 he was a player of astonishing gifts. His pianism was quite on the level of the Lhevinnes and Rachmaninoffs in every way. This R3 is taken often at practice tempo and lacking the polish that he evinced in his heyday, but of course he was clearly old and ill.

Although I prefer faster tempo, his playing still amazing, full control, no mistake and interesting. Bravo Maestro 🙌

His notes sing

28:10 Este pasaje está muy bien balanceado y equilibrado. Probablemente esté tocando mas lento el concierto debido a que la energía disminuye con la edad. Si bien la juventud tiene bastante stamina, solo la edad y experiencia te forman un concepto avanzado de la obra y su ejecución. Bolet siempre será de los mejores pianistas de la vieja escuela.

Reminisensias de Norma.

i am happy finally a pianist who plays the better cadenza 12:04 (not ossia)

🇲🇽 🎶🎵🎶🎵. 🤩🙏

やっぱボレット拍手ハンパない

Durante la contingencia. ponen los conciertos. Por FACE. BOOK. Viernes en la noche. a la Orquesta Sinfónica. Acá. en Mérida. México. .

He had very large hands!

One may translate the Colleridge literary criticism concept of a "suspension of disbelief" into a musical criticism concept of a "suspension of physical time perception". Fast or slow are categories unbecoming in the domain of muscicanship, as the matter in wich a square is presented plays scarcely any role in respect to its geometrical nature.

What do you mean by "challenging" in the desc.? You say that word if there is someone to challange. But I don't think there is someone in music history who can challange this. (Rachmaninoff can tho xD)

Great pianist. This performance is a true gem. 'Tis a pity the clarinets are out of tune, especially the solo after the cadanza was painful.

Bolet is my favorite 20th century pianist. Currently the Rachmaninoff great imo is Ekaterina Mechetena.

Nice. Too bad about his health. Really. He was an elegant musician in many many ways. The encore was lovely. You rarely hear this Nocturne. Bolet was a pianist Titan in many ways. His musicianship was too, although strange, even unmusical, at times. I think he was a psycho-emotionally complex man. But so was Horowitz. Rubenstein did the Nocturne beautifully.

En. Japón ?