Bolet - Chopin Sonata No. 3, 1st mvmt

[Tdymex]

MY goodness! So rich!

[tonyakhbeis]

I love the way George played the music lines and showed the impressions of the componist

[muzeinview08]

my teacher's teacher :-)

this is a powerful performance.

[muzeinview08]

my teacher's teacher :-)

[AldenHardaway]

Simply exemplary. The only performance on the same grandiose scale is Lipatti's... both are powerful and affecting, though they take rather different approaches.Beautiful Baldwin D as well -- not entirely unlike my own instrument!

[CaradhrasAiguo49]

05:35 is quite remarkable. Few others highlight the change from the LH to RH in the way Bolet does. there is always a great variation in tiny details like that.

[Will84ABA]

hahaha Bolet and a mistake? come on people this is Bolet! One of the best pianist with the best technique!!

[gleetooth]

is it because this piece is Roberto, that's why different pianists play it differently?

[AkaMouTinn]

either the piano has a typewriter inside or this guy has no talent. People who insist that this pianist is good they must understand that his fingers do not follow the music spirit. He is using his brain too much and he thinks too much for chopin. Chopin is spontaneous. Chopin is all about heart. This guy should be a bad example for pianists. Music does not need so much research. It needs technique and intuition and feelings. this guy sounds like a silent movie. background music.

[xiangyik]

@AkaMouTinn Chopin is not all about heart, and he would be very disappointed to hear you assert that. If you've read anything about Chopin you'll know that his music was very intellectual -- he said so himself, and he spent weeks at a time just figuring out the structure of a particular passage. That Bolet gives the music the respect it deserves, rather than blithely slipping it off his cuffs like any second-rate pianist, is to be admired.

[AkaMouTinn]

@xiangyik read my text and you will see that i said about heart + many other things. Ofcourse his music is intellectual too as a lot of other things. but the major part is improvisation and feelings. total feelings expressed with the new harmony and patterns he invented. You cant play chopin like bach or betthoven. You have to make the piano sound like a human voice thus play a LOT more freely like katsaris is playing. Bolet plays like a robot because he lucks the technique of better pianists.

[AkaMouTinn]

@xiangyik "blithely slipping" ??? i can find 100 mistakes on bolets playing and 0 on katsaris playing. So you are only making yourself a second rate commentator because at some point you were in love with bolet. Go on and discover new realities. Even I play this sonata better than bolet.

[xiangyik]

@AkaMouTinn That's ironic, because the most frequent criticism of Bolet (read early reviews) was his focus on virtuosic technique. If you judge technique better than a professional critic, maybe I'll believe you. And besides, this is not at all full of mistakes --it's been pointed out that this is a rare edition he is playing.

[xiangyik]

@AkaMouTinn Your assertion about how Chopin should be played is, again, unfounded. Haven't you heard that he angrily told Liszt to stop adding to his music when Liszt started modifying tempi and improvising? Chopin is not "feelings and improvisation". For Rubinstein, it was poise and elegance. Chopin played in a strict classical style too -- the style of beethoven -- where he refrained from any stylization. Also, please do not personally attack me -- it does not aid your argument.

[Haeronthegreat]

Such clarity in the counterpoint of this work, absolutely wonderful.

[zamyrabyrd]

This Sonata is a Sphinx like so many of Chopin's works. Instead of running at breakneck speed, the solution is frequently to slow down and smell the flowers. Bolet's interpretations surely are causing a rethink of so much that was troublesome. In the masterclass of the Rachmaninoff 3rd PC, he said himself that he solved the problem of the opening of the 4th Ballade by "doing nothing". This of course is a simplification. Only when you have so much musicality is this possible.

[berlinzerberus]

well played but not exceptional.

he has neither the colours of horowitz nor the technique of ivo pogorelich,his version i prefer much more and i think it´s the best one of all.

the second theme seems to be played a bit boring,i think bolet´s piano playing or better said his person doesnt have much charisma at all!

[2898paula]

Go Bolet! How long it must take to perfect playing at that level!

[paulostroff99]

Bolet is a genius of te piano.One person wrote how he loved his Liszt. I adore it and most of what he plays-period. His sonata in B is a treasure for the ages as is his Wagner Tannhauser.

[uhartchristian]

lol, yes miracles like 3:40 happen in a live recital. Bolet has a nice sound but it looks a bit fabricated when he plays, much less natural than Argerich for example or Rubinstein. But a great musician , thats sure and respects the intentions of Chopin. much more than Katsaris does....

[ExVash]

3:33 isn't a goof, it's the 1845 Meissonier Edition.

[rufescens75]

Thanks for that! I was wondering about that.

[lamorlayefrance]

Bolet is still, overall, very musical. This is an enjoyable listen, even forgoing the poor audio and inadequate piano (Baldwin).

[Irelandlass7789]

he has such a distinct sound especially with the slower parts. I just fell in love with his Liszt playing and this is fabulous as well!

[yeahweiting]

3:40 = =...

[fabio0077]

...variations :-)

[Grigor99]

It's definitely a momentary slip that was covered by some miraculous means. It shows Bolet's true genius!

[mdoub]

the flaws in the performance do no detract from the beauty or enjoyment of the music, which is quite amazing, simply because there are many mistakes

[Raokenx]

The music that Chopin left us pretty much kicks ass, plain and simple.

[Cancrizans]

If you look back just ONE page in the comments, you can see that it is not an improvisation but the notation in the 1845 Meissonier Edition. Some believe this notation is closer to Chopin's final intentions. They are both beautiful, glad some pianists choose to go another way.

[goateedguy]

Hi Leopianogirl.  I think you're right; 3:33 is not in the music, unless there is an edition somewhere out there I've never seen. In any case, whether he created an "ossia" deliberately or by error I think it's pretty ingenious, as is his playing.

[mdoub]

considering he played it well and diligently at 9:09 i have reason to believe he goofed beautifully at 3:33

[acorntechnique]

You're correct - I learned this piece when i was 18. I'm now 52. I have seen many different edits and variations as no doubt you have - but i have never heard it played as he did at 3:33

A monumental cockup that went on for a couple bars or more, and which he recovered from beautifully.

[acorntechnique]

Ok.

He's playing the Meissonier Edition from 1845 hence the 3:33 curiosity.

[LeoPianogirl]

very beautiful!!but i can't understand 3:33 ...!!!is it a mistake??or a different version of him???

[mdoub]

in a parallel universe, jorge bolet would give up the piano at the age of 17 and become one of the world's most notorious drug dealers

[soami2u]

I am speechless, but I'll try....I love the way he shapes a phrase, and he always knows where the phrase is going....that limpid singing tone! I also like his omission of the repeat. Chopin was only following a convention there and I think repeating the exposition weakens the piece somewhat and makes the movement too long (same as 1st mvmt in Sonata #2). Bolet was truly to the manner born....there is no one like him today

[CaradhrasAiguo49]

@soami2u: I think, save for a time-limit, there is NO excuse to not do the repeat. That is what got Perahia into a conversation backstage with Richter at a concert.

[mdoub]

it sounds so beautiful.

[kelleypb2008]

The opening d# of the bel canto melody is simply heavenly--as is the rest of the performance!

[mdoub]

there is so much passion in this performance. i love it

[koobird]

he's musically sound

[pianowendy]

wow the sound he made at the beginning of this movement is amazing!!!!!!

[concerto35]

George Bolet is a fantastic pianist. Does anybody remember seeing the motion picture "Song Without End:" the life story of Franz Liszt? He provided the piano music for this film. It was very dazzling and I think Liszt would have liked it. That is how good George Bolet was in his heyday. He comes from Cuba and has wonderful recordings of his music. He was one of the super-virtuosi of his time. When he was alive I remember having two conversations with him in the early "80's

[andrevazpereira1980]

In 3:33 Claudio Arrau does a similar version of this... I do the other.

[janraffaello]

I love Bolet!! such a clear and refined sound, musical without overdoing the thing; he's really "chic"!

[sab3156]

You guys are so annoying... if you think Jorge Bolet is deserving of insults and criticism, just realize one thing... that his rubato is rivaled only by Artur Rubinstein. His Chopin and Liszt was on an entirely different plateau. You guys need to get past puberty before you make idiotic comments.

[ibclappin]

unfiddled-with; absolutely beautiful. he listens to Chopin and delivers innocently. i feel sorry for people thinking this is too self-conscious. the fact is pure delivery like this takes courage and conscientious ease-of-mind.

[jsthorne24]

actually, one thing I noticed was that it clearly is fiddled with at 3:33-3:40 for example. but that doesn't detract from its value! very nice!

[rolipoli]

The episode from 3:33 to 3:40 is not fiddled with! It's the 1845 Meissonier Edition, which shows changes in Chopin's hand that might as well represent his final version.

[carmantione]

Great pianist, clean and with big musicality, very expressive touch. With admirable sense of proportions!

[scottbos68]

i love george bolet

[lourak]

Typical Bolet - a bit too clean and a bit too elegant and a bit too deliberate and a bit too self-conscious. Otherwise, an exemplary performance!

[xiangyik]

You are a supremely illogical person. Please explain what you mean by "too elegant", "too deliberate" (would you prefer "too accidental"?), and most of all "too self-conscious?

[medpiano]

Too deliberate--much like your comment. Otherwise, an exemplary observation!

[keeskogel3291]

I find this interpretation fantastic! Everything in the music is felt and realized, and it's a pleasure to finally hear someone playing this masterpiece by Chopin by giving it clarity!

[marcelmombeekeigen]

wrong interpreation like always with bolet, he NEVER understood dramatic music. The first part is dramatic, every child knows this, except for bolet. But, also like always, one of the most beautifull tones I ever heard, but then, it could also be the piano who sounds good...

[xiangyik]

Funny, but I happen to think that the first part is more dramatic than usual because of the slower speed, more pronounced bass, and the alternating piano-forte undulations that only Bolet plays this sonata with.

[johnnydavis23]

"wrong interpretation"?? Bolet "NEVER understood dramatic music"??

I would think the majority of music lovers will not take such a comment seriously. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but if you want to criticize an artist of Bolet's caliber, maybe you should choose your words more wisely.

[rhadamanthes82]

Bolet had J.Hofmann and M.Rosenthal for Masters, witch have had Anton Rubinstein and F.Liszt, and a Chopin pupil for Master. Can anybody on youtube can claim a such heritage. Bolet is great.

[torontochopin]

Bolet did not study with Hoffmann and Rosenthal - he only got coaching from them, and we don't even know how many times. Bolet's primary teacher was David Saperton, an equally great pianist.

[tlin741332]

He adds notes to what Chopin wrote, like 7'23", not completely convinced by it yet...

[FlorestanEusebius]

I heard Bolet a couple of times live in The Netherlands - always with the occasional small memory lapses (like here at 3:33 and 8:45), but still these concerts remain exceptional musical remembrances for me.

[rolipoli]

The episode at 3:33 is not a memory lapse, but the version offered by the 1845 Meissonier Edition.

[jsthorne24]

thanks! he did seem pretty sure of himself, so I thought maybe it was his own improvisation.

[acorntechnique]

Is that correct?

well well - Ive never that edition.

[shela2]

Jorg Bolet must have been comfortable with this make of Piano...and helped him to be on the list of The Great Pianists....

[Hofmann1937]

Wonderful and a lesson to all in great piano playing

[FlorestanEusebius]

I would say a lesson in great Chopin-playing...

[jjp009]

Hey, I get the first comment! What a first rate pianist Bolet was. Love his interpretation of this, imperfections and all! Just wish he had better taste in pianos, though. Why he chose a Baldwin over a Steinway at this period in time is a mystery to me still.

[Hofmann1937]

Probably the same reason as Earl Wild; the Baldwin SD-10 suits their tone & technique. In Europe Bolet played Bechstein