Boléro: The Big Hit

It has been said that Ravel’s most famous piece is played somewhere on Earth every fifteen minutes — which means we’re truly living in the Boléro’s world. One of the best-known works ever composed, the hypnotic, Spanish-tinged Boléro is Ravel’s unequaled master class in orchestral texture, comprising a single repeated theme, jazzy and primitive, over an unchanging snare drum rhythm. All development takes place in the instrumentation, which begins with a solo flute, passes through various winds and strings, and ends with a wall of orchestral sound — and, when you least expect it, the sole key change and final punctuation mark. With slight changes in tempo or intensity, transcriptions for other instruments, or colorful ballet stagings, the Boléro can sound like a completely different piece… But we find it delectable in all its many flavors. Which one is your favorite?