Few of Jorge Bolet’s later studio recordings hint at the poetic impulse, communicative immediacy, and scintillation revealed in these previously unpublished live Chopin performances dating from 1963 to 1978. Here the F-sharp, D-flat, and F minor Nocturnes progress in more flexible arcs, with inner voices rising more decisively to the surface. Like his mentor Josef Hofmann, Bolet points up the Andante Spianato e Grande Polonaise’s decorative conceits through rhythmic acuity and refined articulation rather than tempo modification. By contrast, the pianist makes rather freely with the Polonaises and the Barcarolle, yet even his more extravagant rubatos never go slack. The Scherzos are vintage Bolet, fusing excitement and aristocratic repose into a three-dimensional whole.
The B minor sonata adds a major work to Bolet’s recorded repertoire, and to my ears constitutes this collection’s prize. Like Gilels and Arrau, Bolet takes his time unraveling the first movement’s rich polyphony, yet he continuously maintains sight of the music’s brooding drama. From the feathery yet amply projected Scherzo Bolet immediately launches into the steady and eloquently sustained Largo. And unlike countless young hotshots who speed through the Finale’s introductory chords, Bolet proudly reigns them in and maintains a steadily cumulating pace until the end. Forget about little fingerslips–this is one of the noblest and most seasoned interpretations of the B minor sonata on disc. Because the material stems from tapes that range from professional archival quality to stealth audience recordings, sonics vary–yet Bolet’s wonderful tone and powers of projection never fail to come across. This is an essential purchase for Bolet fans, and it’s excellently annotated too. [8/10/2004]
