Ravel’s Bolero: Hypnotic and Powerful

Maurice Ravel’s Bolero is one of the most famous pieces of music ever written. Its insistent ostinato rhythm… 

 …endlessly repeated over a simple, wistful, evocative melody while section after section of the orchestra overlays increasingly hypnotic and ornate variations in ever-greater climaxes – is instantly recognizable and has been used in countless movies, TV shows, commercials and parodies. Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, British ice dancers, skated to a specially commissioned version of the work at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, a performance that resulted in the highest-scoring Gold Medal ever. Watch their remarkable performance at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc-0BCSyWtc

Bolero premiered in Paris to great acclaim in 1928 as a ballet choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska, the sister of the famous dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. The orchestral score is approximately 17 minutes long, and as Ravel said, consisted solely of “one very long, gradual crescendo. There are no contrasts, and practically no invention except the plan and the manner of execution…I have written a masterpiece. Unfortunately there is no music in it.”

Despite Ravel’s apparent lack of enthusiasm, over the 85 years since its composition the piece has enthralled millions of listeners.

Bolero is just one of the works in the first concert of the Evanston Symphony Orchestra's 2013-2014 season. Don’t miss Evanston 150! Sunday, November 10 at 2:30 PM at Pick-Staiger Auditorium. Our performance opens with Evanston Fanfare, composed for the ESO by Mark Gresham, plus Carnival of the Animals and Pictures at an Exhibition.

Save more than 30% off at the door pricing with a subscription to our 2013-2014 season and celebrate Evanston's 150th anniversary with the Evanston Symphony Orchestra!