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Ravel's Bolero

Watch now • 16m

A hypnotic slow burn

This is perhaps one of the most instantly recognisable pieces in classical music. You might have heard it anywhere from Torvill and Dean skating to it at the 1984 Winter Olympics, to Baz Luhrman’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge, or even used to comedic effect on Saturday Night Live.

Composed in 1928 by French composer Maurice Ravel as a ballet, he called it an ‘orchestral experiment’. He wanted to see what would happen if he kept the music mechanical and repetitive but used orchestration to create interest and momentum.

Ravel himself said, "It’s a piece that makes no attempt at musical development, but it's a crescendo from beginning to end."

Bolero is hypnotic and trance-like, with a snare drum heartbeat that never stops. Don’t worry though, you’ll be pulled from your trance with the iconic, explosive ending.

PROGRAM
Ravel Bolero

MUSICIANS
Conductor Eivind Aadland
musicians from the Australian National Academy of Music
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

Federation Concert Hall, Nipaluna / Hobart

Tags
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, orchestra, TSO, Hobart, Tasmania, Norway, Classical, Orchestral, violin, brass, strings, concerto, ravel

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