Ravel's Bolero and orchestral tales

Ravels Bolero

The Bolero is a timeless classic in which Ravel slowly builds tension with one great crescendo to a gigantic climax. Ravel called it "a one-time experiment in which there is only orchestral texture and no music. The success of his experiment never ceased to amaze Ravel. But those who hear the Bolero live understand it all too well: the music is mysterious, compelling and addictive.

Orchestral stories

Stravinsky and Khachaturyan tell stories with colorful ballet music. Stravinsky's The Firebird is based on an old Russian fairy tale, in which Prince Ivan, with the help of the magical and immortal firebird he has captured, rescues a beautiful princess from the hands of an evil sorcerer. Stravinsky's enchanting music points ahead to the later successful work Le sacre du printemps, but at the same time is rooted in the Russian romantic tradition. In the ballet Spartacus, Aram Khachaturyan tells the story of Spartacus, the leader of a slave revolt in ancient Rome, who meets his end through betrayal. The Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia is world famous and immediately evokes associations with love.