Ravel’s bolero

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was a French composer of the 20th century. From his father, a Swiss engineer, he inherited perfectionism, and from his mother, of Basque origin, the attraction for the Spanish musical aesthetic. He composed some forty works for piano, vocal, chamber and symphonic music. The best known is the bolero, an order of the Russian dancer Ida Rubinstein. The melody is an ostinato, an obsessive reiteration, that many consider hypnotizing. A priori it should have been a failure but paradoxically it has become one of the most famous musical compositions in history. Most Western adults would know how to hum. But why do we find it so fascinating? And how does it not bore despite the repetitions? We analyze it following the Orquesta Sinfónica del Vallés.
The following spoke: James Ross, principal conductor of the Vallès Symphony Orchestra (OSV); Pau Montané and Dani Guisado percussionists of the OSV; Ivana Rossell acoustic engineer, Master Acoustics La Salle, URL; Jordi Jauset, Doctor in Communication, engineer and musician; Martí Cuní, sound technician of Catalunya Música, and Carles Lobo, musical producer of Catalunya Música.

The repercussion of percussion
Dani Guisado, percussionist of the Orquesta Sinfónica del Vallés, explains what elements make up a drum and what has been the role of percussion in symphonic orchestras over time.