Bolérois a 1928 orchestral work by Maurice Ravel, and it’s one of the most recognizable pieces in classical music history.
Commissioned by: Ida Rubinstein, a Russian dancer and patronPremiere: 22 November 1928 at the Paris Opéra
Structure: A single movement built on one repeating melody and one repeating rhythm. Famous for: Starting very softly and ending as loudly as possible (Ravel’s instruction). The piece is essentially one long crescendo. The melody never changes — only the orchestration does. Ravel himself once joked that a woman who shouted “A madman!” at the premiere had “understood the piece”.
