Jorge Bolet
Desert Island Discs
BBC
4.3 • 14.3K Ratings
🗓️ 2 March 1985
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The pianist Jorge Bolet, who was born in Havana, Cuba, was given lessons first by his sister. He went on to study at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is now hailed particularly for his interpretation of the music of Liszt. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his long career, which includes conducting the first performance of The Mikado in Tokyo.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: Piano Concerto No 2 in F Minor by Frédéric Chopin Book: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Luxury: Camera
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, I'm Kirstie Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. |
| 0:05.0 | For Wright's reasons, we've had to shorten the music. |
| 0:08.0 | The program was originally broadcast in 1985, and the presenter was Roy Plumlee. This week are cast away as the celebrated concert pianist George Borlett. |
| 0:35.0 | Mr. Borlett, we're taking you away from cities and civilizations and concert halls. |
| 0:41.0 | How well could you endure loneliness? |
| 0:43.0 | I think I wouldn't do too badly. |
| 0:47.0 | I am not allergic to solitude. |
| 0:50.0 | Do you play discs a lot? |
| 0:52.0 | Records. |
| 0:53.0 | A big collection? |
| 0:54.0 | Did you start a decade? |
| 0:55.0 | No, I don't have a big collection. |
| 0:58.0 | I have a collection of records that I dearly love |
| 1:02.0 | and that I like to listen to frequently. |
| 1:05.6 | Now we've got to ask you to cut that collection down to just eight that would have to |
| 1:10.0 | last possibly a long, long time on a desert island. What's the first one? |
| 1:15.8 | The first would be the second piano concert of Chopin by Joseph Hoffman. |
| 1:20.4 | Why do you choose that? |
| 1:21.4 | Well, as you probably know, I grew up hearing all the great, great pianists of the century. |
| 1:29.0 | Hoffman, Rachman, you know, Levine, Corto, Mosevich, Friedman. |
| 1:34.4 | That's a very impressive list. |
| 1:38.2 | And I always had really two gods, you might say. |
... |
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