Chopin - 4 Ballades [Bolet] There's one thing about the 'older' guys of the piano, they certainly have a long lifetime of experience, and their interpretation has matured over many decades, Jorge Bolet recorded this disc at 72, four years before he died, but he certainly isn't some bumbling old Grandfather, there's a fleetness and alertness aplenty, and i prefer his Ballades to Perahia any day.
Jorge Bolet was a Cuban Pianist, born in 1914, and died in 1990, this disc is reissued, but i believe the 4 Ballades are split up on two different discs, this is a rare original disc, i see this is available on Amazon for £30, i got mine in a second-hand shop in London for £9, snap this up if you see one going cheap.
I enjoyed this disc walking on the way home from Church today, there's something about a winters day which was damp but quite mild, and the walking was as therapeutic as the music, i certainly enjoyed all of these Ballades, but if i had to put my finger on it, it would be Ballades 1 & 4 that i was especially thrilled with, the last Ballade has always been my favourite,
Here's Jorge Bolet playing Ballade 4 on YouTube.
