Jorge Bolet Rachmaninoff Concerto No.3 in D minor Op.30 Indianapolis SO Izler Solomon November 1973
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- Опубликовано: 30 мар 2023
- Jorge Bolet (1914-1990) - piano
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra cond. Izler Solomon
Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University Indianapolis November 9th 1973
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op.30:
I. Allegro ma non tanto [0:03]
II. Intermezzo: Adagio [16:17]
III. Finale: Alla breve [27:20]
piano: Baldwin SD-10
Jorge Bolet played the concerto in two subscription concerts on subsequent evenings, November 8th and 9th 1973. This audience recording was made by Gregor Benko on the second night (with Mr Bolet's permission). Grateful thanks to Mr Benko and also to Daniel Greenhouse for providing this new tape transfer.
Jorge Bolet was at this time at the crest of a wave of newfound appreciation and celebrity that had been spurred in large part by his appearance in the IPA Benefit Concert of October 1970 (his performances of two Liszt paraphrases from that occasion can be found elsewhere on youtube).
Bolet was interviewed in The Indianapolis News on November 8 1973, to coincide with the first of the two Rachmaninoff Concerto performances. Two reviews of his performance subsequently appeared; one in this same newspaper and another in The Indianapolis Star. A less public element of the aftermath of the second concert was also recorded in the News.....all four of these are transcribed below, continued in the Comments section.
The Indianapolis News feature/interview November 8 1973 -
'Virtuoso Bolet 'Familiar' with Rachmaninoff Work' (by Charles Staff)
Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto may be one of the most taxing and demanding in the entire repertoire, but it's in safe hands with virtuoso Jorge Bolet.
Bolet will appear as guest artist in concert with conductor Izler Solomon and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra tonight at 8 and tomorrow evening at 8:30 in Butler University's Clowes Hall in an all-romantic program which also includes Berlioz's "Corsairre" Overture and Brahms' Third Symphony.
In a brief conversation yesterday prior to a rehearsal, Bolet said, "I am rather familiar with the work. I learned it in 1929 when I was 14 years old and first played it publicly in 1937 with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy.
And, of course, I heard Rachmaninoff play it under Ormandy two or three times and with other conductors several times in News York prior to his death in 1943.
The concerto, the last of four Rachmaninoff works being done this season to mark the composer's centennial, was last performed with André Watts as soloist in March of 1971.
Watts, to whom the concerto was then relatively new, took cuts in all three movements and, frankly, dropped a number of notes in mishaps. Bolet explained that he takes a cut only in the finale, somewhat larger than Rachmaninoff's standard cut.
"All the music in the last movement in beautiful, but it is just too extended," he said.
"When I was younger, I took the so-called difficult cadenza in the first movement, but even Rachmaninoff never played this one. I think pianists tend to become enamoured of the alternate cadenza simply because it's so frighteningly difficult, but I don't think it projects well and the listeners probably are not interested in all its intricacies anyhow. Now I do the cadenza as the composer did it, which works much better.
"Also in public performance Rachmaninoff made a few slight changes from the printed material, not terribly significant but effective, and I follow his example."
Review published in The Indianapolis News November 9 1973 (by Charles Staff) -
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra audience lost its typical reserve last night and, springing collectively to its feet, exploded in prolonged, thundering applause and shouts of "bravo."
The occasion in Butler University's Clowes Hall was the appearance of pianist Jorge Bolet as soloist in Rachmaninoff's Third Concerto and the ovation, which dovetailed with the final notes, surpassed even that given Rudolph Firkusny two weeks ago and certainly that earned by Van Cliburn at the season's opening, even though the hall was sold out.
Rarely has a demonstration been more justified, for Bolet, with conductor Izler Solomon in full partnership, gave what must be called a definitive performance of this magnificently Russo-romantic work.
It goes without saying that Bolet has all the power and technique demanded by the concerto, which is considerable. He and his marvellous hands know the notes as old friends.
What brought the performance flying up and beyond most others was Bolet's extraordinary sensitivity to the work's needs, his use of rubato, his creation of long, singing lines, his refusal to attack certain passages, such as the piano's entrance in the second movement, in an obvious manner, his stunning authority, his ability to call upon deep reserves of strength to make the final pages, from the Vivace through the Vivacissimo to the end, a marvel of electrifying excitement.
[continued in Comments below]
SUPERB!
[Continued from Description box above. From The Indianapolis News November 9 1973 (by Charles Staff]]
His thoroughly and appropriately Romantic approach, with its many shifts in tempo, as in the C-major and later B-flat-major chord phrases of the finale, and his free ritards present a number of problems for the conductor, any conductor. Most, undoubtedly, would prefer a more straightforward style.
But Solomon, as if he were attached to Bolet's spirit by invisible threads, was with him every step of the way. And the instrumentalists, alive to both these men, performed as if honestly inspired.
In fact, throughout the program to be repeated tonight at 8:30 [this second night, November 9th, being the concert from which this recording of the Concerto is taken], the orchestra seemed to hit its stride for the first time this season.
The Indianapolis Star November 9 1973 (by Corbin Patrick) -
Jorge Bolet played Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto with Izler Solomon and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at Clowes Hall last night. Rachmaninoff would have been pleased.
The soaring romantic poetry and challenging technical difficulties he devised to display his own virtuosity were mastered brilliantly by Bolet, who is among the most formidable pianists in the world today.
The astonishing facility and blazing energy of his performance never blurred the passionate rhapsodic quality of Rachmaninoff's music, or the exquisite delicacy of its intricate detail. The audience gave him an ovation when it was concluded.
The breadth and scope of Bolet's style were perfectly in tune with both the charm of the slow movement, and intermezzo, and the surge of the grand finale, which brought the audience to a high state of excitement. His virtuosity encompassed the music's beauty as well as its power. Solomon and the orchestra supported him superbly.
The program is the last in a set of three commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rachmaninoff, the last of the great composer-pianists in the Liszt tradition. Bolet is virtually peerless in music of this school.
And finally, post-concert festivities attracted the attention of the Indianapolis News' 'Don't Quote Me' column (written by David Mannweiler), this entry published on November 13th 1973:
'Frank Cooper, the Butler University music professor, wrote his old friend Jorge Bolet long ago and offered to take him out to dinner after his performance with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra last Thursday. Bolet accepted and Cooper invited several people from the symphony and from the city's upper crust to join them at La Tour restaurant. After the pianist's outstanding concert, however, Bolet said he didn't want to go to La Tour. "Where do you want to go?" Cooper asked. Bolet made a suggestion that left blank expressions on the guests' faces, but finally they realized he was serious. And that's how a carload of people in full tuxedos and long gowns wound up at Steak-n-Shake drive-in on 38th Street, sipping strawberry milkshakes.'
10:27 cadenza
This an absolute gem. You have an extraordinary wealth of tapes of Jorge Bolet! The article too is fascinating. His comments on the cadenza and length maybe answer a question I have long had about why he never played the full cadenza in the Prokofiev 2nd piano concerto. Frankly I never minded the shorter version, but wondered why. My guess (but maybe you know) was that for him it was simply an artistic choice as the cadenza is quite long already, and the last few measures don't add anything to the piece in my opinion. Thanks again for posting!
Please forgive this being such a tardy response to your question regarding Bolet's cutting 10 bars from the end of the cadenza in the first movement of the Prokofiev 2nd Concerto. There are various speculative reasons put forward elsewhere on the web and I'd hoped to find a definitive answer via asking a number of people who'd known and worked with Bolet, including one of his leading students. As it turns out, my enquiries bore no fruit - none had discussed this concerto with Bolet or heard him referring to his reasoning.
How come Horowitz got so famous while George Bolet did not as much when Bolet could play as well as or even better than Horowitz playing this concerto?