RAVEL'S BOLÉRO

Maurice Ravel's "Boléro" is a 1928 work for large orchestra by the French composer, originally commissioned as a ballet by dancer Ida Rubinstein. It is one of Ravel's most famous compositions, known for its unchanging rhythm and melody, with variations derived solely from orchestration and a gradual crescendo. The piece builds hypnotically, with a single theme repeated over and over, each iteration adding layers of instrumentation and increasing in volume.