Boléro

Would it be too far-fetched to view Ravel’s most popular piece as an early precursor to minimalism? Certainly Boléro’s continually repeating theme, with its modal shades of orientalism and insistent rhythms, shares something of the hypnotic quality of the music that grew out of the tape-loop experiments of Steve Reich and Terry Riley in 1960s California. And a love of the mechanical is never far away: for its first incarnation, as a ballet performed at the Paris Opera in 1928, Ravel had wanted to set the Spanish-flavoured dance against a factory backdrop. But this is a work steeped in his love of the orchestra, too, and with each statement of the theme, the music builds in volume and intensity. Danced by Ida Rubinstein, choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska, the ballet was a huge success from the outset and quickly took on an orchestral life of its own, premiering as a showpiece under the baton of Arturo Toscanini in 1929. A disagreement between composer and conductor over tempo (Ravel preferred a slower speed) only brought Boléro more publicity—and ultimately greater acclaim.