Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! As promised, here is the direct link to the podcast of "Jorge Bolet: A Centenary Celebration" over WWFM. http://64.234.215.170/bolet2014.mp3 If that doesn't work, try this link, and click on the Bolet program. http://wwfm.org/webcasts.shtml Thanks. Best, Jon On Wed, Nov 12, 2014 at 1:04 AM, Jon Samuels <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > This November 15th marks the centenary of the great Cuban-American > pianist, Jorge Bolet's, birth. One of the last examples of a true Romantic > pianist, Bolet’s playing at his best was both unique and profound (the > great Russian pianist Emil Gilels once referred to him as “the greatest > pianist in the Western hemisphere.”) To celebrate this milestone, on > Wednesday, November 12 at 1 PM EST, over WWFM The Classical Network ( > wwfm.org), Jon M. Samuels and Joseph Patrych will host a two-hour special > tribute to Bolet (rebroadcast time November 19 at 11 PM EST. It will also > be available as a podcast on the website at some future date.) We will > discuss his recorded legacy, play both commercial and live recordings that > showcase his extraordinary artistry (including cuts taken from the upcoming > Marston set) and play interviews with Dr. Frank Cooper, Francis Crociata, > Ira Levin and Bolet himself. > > > Bolet was born in Havana, Cuba, and came to the United States at a young > age to study at the Curtis Institute of Music. He came by his romantic > temperament quite honestly; he studied with such piano luminaries as > Leopold Godowsky, Josef Hofmann, Moriz Rosenthal and David Saperton, and > later with Abram Chasins. In his twenties, he became Rudolf Serkin's > assistant, and many years later was the head of the piano department at > Curtis. > > Even though he won the coveted First Prize at the 1937 Naumburg > Competiton, and reviews of his concerts were consistently positive, Bolet's > career was slow in building, and he didn't achieve universal acclaim until > the 1970s. Among other things, we will discuss the trajectory of his career. > > > He was especially renowned for his playing of the music of Franz Liszt, > but as we'll demonstrate, he actually had a wide and varied repertoire, > playing such diverse composers as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Weber, > Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Godowsky, Debussy, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, > Reger and numerous others. He even conducted the Japanese première of > Gilbert and Sullivan's Mikado! > > Please join us for what should prove to be a very enjoyable program. > > >