Kreisler-Rachmaninoff : Liebesleid & Liebesfreud / Jorge Bolet

From Smith Square, London recital 1987

[@MrFrapado]

Jorge, you are forever in our hearts ❤️❤️❤️

[@peterkrauss6962]

This stuff is SO difficult and he is AMAZING bravo maestro!!!❤❤❤

[@johnschlesinger2009]

Divine pianism - glorious sound!

[@michaeloleary1867]

Beautiful!

[@salt_cots]

Monday, 2 February 1987, St John, Smith Square, London at 1pm. Grieg, Ballade in G minor, Op 24 Rachmaninoff, Four Preludes; Polka de W. R. (apparently this was not played); Kreisler, transcribed Rachmaninoff, Liebesleid; Liebesfreud. I taped this performance in very poor radio reception at the time. How wonderful to have this far better recording here, which really does recall the great magic of Jorge Bolet's playing.

[@davidrehak3539]

Fritz Kreisler:Liebesleid és Liebesfreud 1. Liebesleid (Szerelmi szenvedés) 00:00 2. Liebesfreud (Szerelem öröme) 04:56 Jorge Bolet-zongora

[@dadofrob]

Great - thanks for putting this up

[@PeterLunowPL]

In Liebesleid there are other pianists just as great ,but in my opinion in Liebesfreud he is unequalled(with the exception of Rachmaninoff himself maybe...)

[@mr.hashundredsofprivatepla3711]

0:00 Liebesleid (Love’s Sorrow) 4:56 Liebesfreud (Love’s Joy)

[@NOSEhow2LIV]

I was there! I remember the Polka de WR was programmed but he didn't play it.This gives his clear warm sound,(Bechstein)in StJohn's SSq spacious acoustic.It wasn't the best period of Bolet;he'd stiffened &tended towards caution(even then with stunning inaccuracies!),but this is better than i remember,with some elegant touches.Pity he cuts out a good bit from Liebesfreud... His Bech treble is out of tune by the end,their modern pianos less resistant than the dominant rival(unmentionable to JB!).

[@salt_cots]

I think he was wise to edit Liebesfreud - there's some tedious stuff in it and it can outstay its welcome! I do not find these performances stiff - treasurable, in fact.

[@OE1FEU]

This is not a modern Bechstein, it is a 280 EN which still has the traditional Bechstein way of stringing, i.e. leading the strings through agraffes up to the top treble notes. Today's Bechsteins have a capo bar and a duplex scale for the treble section. Incidentally since this season Bechstein is actually offering a recital series in the StJohn's SSq, so there is your chance to hear a modern D 282 concert grand.

[@nosehow2liv525]

@@OE1FEU Thank you for the extra info. I won't be able to get to St JSSq (will anyone this season?) but have since heard some contemporary Bechsteins.

[@j.vonhogen9650]

@@OE1FEU - My 1889 Lipp grand piano has the same kind of high quality stringing (i.e. with agraffes all the way to the top note). It actually prevents my piano from going out of tune easily. Lipp and Bechstein grand pianos were very similar in a lot of ways.

[@789armstrong]

Jorge Bolet owned these two masterpieces. Nobody else even comes close.

[@conchitabetancourt3321]

He was truly the best, sorry for those who don’t have good ear for a great pianist and perfect reasoning for his pianism, no doubt about it.

[@deannahowe9603]

Listen to Larry Graham...

[@driemaaldrommels]

Great upload!! Do you have the whole recital? And if so....will you be uploading also? :)

[@WhatTheHelicopter98]

Where's the third one?! Wasn't this a three piece compilation called Viennese dances or something?

[@Neotenico]

The set is called Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen. The final piece is Schon Rosmarin. Dunno why it's not in here, but these three pieces are individual and not actually part of a suite, so you would normally hear them seperately.

[@SindarinElealar]

It's because this is Rachmaninoff's solo piano transcription, which only includes Liebesleid and Liebesfreud. Kreisler's original is for a piano and a violin.

[@user-cj6um3st2w]

The third piece is schon rosmarin. Rachmaninoff did not arrange this piece for solo piano

[@musical_lolu4811]

4:46

[@salt_cots]

JB's own addition!

[@cynic150]

Liebesleid: Too slow and melancholy at the start, for me. The gentle giant. Very good later! Oh. That was naughty. He changed the penultimate chord! Is that an ossia? Beautifully controlled and stylish. Rare these days. I think he preferred Bechsteins. In my score it is entitled:"Liebeslied" which would mean Love's Song. But frankly, I think this piece is more happy than sad! So "Song" seems more appropriate. the correct title consensus is "Liebesleid", Love's Suffering/Pain. Oh well. The audio gain is rather low, but the quality is good.

[@paulkimmel1307]

It's not Liebeslied which would be love's song. It's Liebesleid which is Love's Sorrow. Lied and Leid are 2 different words in German.

[@cynic150]

@@paulkimmel1307 Yes, but which is the CORRECT TITLE?

[@paulkimmel3381]

Correct title is Liebesleid, Love's Sorrow. It's the counterpart of Love's Joy.

[@salt_cots]

JB did occasionally tinker with the score in small ways! I suspect it's his own chord (someone with perfect pitch showed me what it was). I recently heard him on a tape say that he employed a few extra notes of Josef Hofmann in the 12th Hungarian Rhapsody of Liszt. He changes the ending of Schulz-Evler's piano transcription of Johann Strauss II's Blue Danube Waltz: Arabesques on "An der schönen blauen Donau" to much better effect.