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*Description
<The Everest Original Master SACD Series Launches!>
Three LPs from the Everest Label featuring Jorge Bollet’s legendary performances of Liszt and Chopin have been compiled into a 2-disc set!
This is Nippon Columbia’s latest remastered reissue, remastered from the original analog master tapes in the artist’s home country!
[Track List]
The Best of Jorge Bolet
<DISC 1>
1. Franz Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, S. 124
2. Franz Liszt: Hungarian Fantasy
3. Franz Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor, S. 178
<DISC 2>
4. Franz Liszt: Poetic and Religious Melodies, S. 173, No. 7: Funeral March
5. Franz Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No. 1, S. 514
6. Frédéric Chopin:
Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53, “Heroic”
Waltz, Op. 64, No. 1 in D-flat major, “The Little Dog Waltz”
Fantasy Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66
Nocturne, Op. 9, No. 2 in E-flat major
Etude, Op. 10, No. 12 in C minor, “Revolution”
Polonaise, Op. 40, No. 1 in A major, “Military”
Étude, Op. 10, No. 3 in E major, “Farewell”
Waltz, Op. 64, No. 2 in C-sharp minor
Prelude, Op. 28, No. 15 in D-flat major, “Raindrop”
Étude, Op. 10, No. 5 in G-flat major, “Black Keys”[Performers]
Jorge Bollet (piano)
Symphony of the Air (1, 2)
Robert Irving (conductor) (1, 2)[Recording]
Unknown (1–5), 1960 / Bellock Record Studios (New York) (6)
Original Recording on 35 mm 3-track magnetic film[Original Recording]
Producer: Bert Whyte for Everest Records; Recording Engineer: Aaron Nathanson[Original Release]
EVEREST Records/Countdown Media GmbH, Licensed by Americana Songs, Inc., Japan[First LP Release]
SDBR3062 (1, 2, 5), SDBR3063 (3–5), SDBR3079 (6)
The Everest Label is renowned for its high sound quality, even in these early stereo recordings.
This collection brings together three LPs featuring masterful performances by Jorge Bolet, who has ties to Japan!
The exquisite performances by Bolet—considered a virtuoso of Liszt and Chopin—are vividly brought back to life.
Mastered in 2026.
The CD layer also uses the audio source from this mastering session.
Founded in 1958 by American inventor Harry Bellock, the Everest Label remains a legendary and unique entity to this day. Using a revolutionary recording method that employed 35mm magnetic tape—the same standard as Hollywood films (Everest Records used a recording medium specifically for sound known as “35mm magnetic film”)—it achieved astonishingly high sound quality for its time, and instantly captured the attention of audio enthusiasts around the world.
Among the recordings left behind during the label’s active period—which lasted less than four years under Harry Bellock’s leadership—are numerous precious recordings by renowned conductors and performers that can only be heard on this label.
Known for its exceptional recordings despite being from the early days of stereo, this label was highly praised by the late Tetsuo Nagaoka, who introduced many of its albums.
Later, during the CD era, SACDs were released on several labels—primarily the Omega label—but these are now difficult to obtain, and their second-hand prices have been rising.
To revive the Everest Label—renowned not only for its recordings but also for its performances—we have launched a select series of SACD hybrid reissues using the technology of Nippon Columbia, the label’s distributor in Japan.
This series will continue on an irregular basis.
The liner notes have been completely revised; the musical commentary features a foreword by Atsushi Suzuki, while the technical commentary includes a foreword by Akira Sumiyama.
All track notes are new and feature contributions from multiple authors.
Additionally, as reference material, we have included the English text from the original LP back-cover notes (LP back cover), with the exception of a few sections.
Please enjoy the high-quality sound achieved through the latest mastering techniques.
The Bollet recordings available here capture performances from what might be called his “prime”—a period preceding his recordings as a master musician who later signed with DECCA and went on to produce numerous classic recordings, including works by Liszt, toward the end of his career.
It is said that the recordings for Everest were originally inspired by the biographical film *My Love Is Over* (released in 1960), which featured Liszt as the protagonist. The Everest label contacted Bolet, who had played the piano in the film, and this series of recordings was realized (details are provided by Atsushi Suzuki in the liner notes for this release).
Although Bolet was in his mid-40s at the time, he would not achieve worldwide fame as a pianist until his 1974 recital at Carnegie Hall.
After that, he made numerous recordings for RCA (though he had recorded for them previously as well) and then for DECCA.
From a historical perspective, these few recordings for Everest are invaluable for understanding Bollett’s career prior to 1974, and some listeners even consider this period to be the peak of his career.
Indeed, the piano playing by Bollet heard here is less like his later rich, expansive, and grand-scale performances; rather, it is dynamic, even more robust—including in the strength of his touch—and his intensely concentrated playing leaves an impression so powerful that it is virtually unmatched.
Furthermore, thanks to the Everest label’s exceptional recording quality, the sound quality of these recordings is superb.
Needless to say, this is evident in his specialty—Liszt—but it’s also clear from his performances of Chopin’s well-known works that his technique was terrifyingly sharp.
In that sense, this is a precious recording, and its release on SACD will further bring Borlett’s true value to life for modern audiences.
Note that while the exact recording dates and locations for the five Liszt pieces are not officially known, they are believed to have been recorded around 1960.
This is an exceptional stereo recording.
For this reissue, we used remastered data—originally derived from Everest’s 35mm three-track magnetic tape, digitized by Everest at 96 kHz/24-bit and mixed into a two-channel format—which was then mastered using the latest technology at Nippon Columbia.
Once again, we have mastered this release with the latest technology and a musical perspective; we encourage you to compare it with previous editions to experience the sound quality for yourself.
We strive to achieve the best possible mastering while respecting the original master.
Please enjoy the even more magnificent sound quality through this SA-CD release.
In addition, the booklet includes new liner notes.
Furthermore, the original English liner notes from the initial release (printed on the back of the LP) are included as reference material, with the exception of a few sections.
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