The Foote Files: Maurice Ravel & Bolero

CBSDFW.COM — Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was a well-known French composer, pianist and conductor.

He was considered to be one of the most highly regarded composers internationally in the 1920s and 1930s. He wrote for piano, chamber music, two piano concertos, ballet music, and two operas, but no symphonies or church music.

One of his most well-known pieces is "Bolero" from 1928, a one-movement orchestral work.

It was originally composed as a ballet, commissioned by the Russian actress/dancer Ida Rubenstein, and it was one of his last pieces written before illness forced him to retire. It was originally called "Fandango" but later took on the name as it known today.

"Bolero" is written for woodwinds, brass, timpani, percussion, celesta, harp and strings. The piece premiered in the U.S. in Nov. 1929, with conductor Arturo Toscanini conducting the New York Philharmonic. It runs around 15 minutes.