A VERY UNIQUE Piece | Ravel: Boléro (Barenboim) | Classical Music Reaction

Reaction to Ravel: Boléro - BBC Proms 2014 conducted by Daniel Barenboim
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[@skillbomb8823]

Fun fact at 6:50, Ravel actually manipulates something known as overtones to create a sort of "new instrument", by combining 2 piccolo flutes, a horn and a celeste. This is (I think) why you looked confused at 7:15; the use of overtones combines the instruments sounds in such a way that you actually don't really hear them as separate instruments, so you couldn't hear the celeste outright.

[@MisterPathetique]

This one of my favorite orchestration tidbits by Ravel, it literally sounds like a pipe organ! Who knows how Ravel came up with this particular combination of instruments, it's just genius.

[@dukedex5043]

Boléro was given its first performance at the Paris Opéra on November 20, 1928. The premiere was acclaimed by a shouting, stamping, cheering audience in the midst of which a woman was heard screaming: “Au fou, au fou!” (“The madman! The madman!”). When Ravel was told of this, he reportedly replied: “That lady… she understood.”

[@Moisha695]

I heard somewhere that that melody stuck in Ravel's head and was so annoying that he decided to make a whole piece out of it

[@andrewhcit]

At the first performance of this piece, while the audience was applauding, a woman in the audience was heard screaming that Ravel was a madman. When told about this, Ravel reportedly said, "That lady... she understood."

[@FirstGentleman1]

My grandparents loved this work. They always used to say "Ravel hat die Instrumente gequält."

[@DaGuys470]

A quite famous quote from Ravel: "I've written only one masterpiece - Boléro. Unfortunately, there's no music in it." I find it ironic, because Ravel is kinda right. A piece with hardly any modulation or shift in mood, dull were it not for what Ravel is best known for: orchestration. Ravel is being a genius in this piece, because he tells the listener: "Look, I can loop the same 16 bars in C major for 15 minutes and you will listen to it, because of how I good I am at manipulating the different tone colors of the orchestra." I believe many people misunderstand the comment as hate, but I don't believe he truly hated Boléro. It's an experiment, it's meta, it transcends what people at the time and even now understood to be music. In my opinion this piece is a big trail blazer for modern movie scoring and composers such as Hans Zimmer. It puts such an emphasis on tone color and how that can outshine melody itself. What Stravinsky's "Le sacre" is for rhythm, this one is for tone color.

[@philipadams5386]

Hypnotic piece. And there is no backstory; it's just a dance. BTW, I’m so glad we’re slowly getting around to the standard repertoire. It’s standard for a reason 😊

[@barneymiller3925]

You should hear Sheku Kanneh-Mason playing Shostakovich's cello concerto. This young man is just brilliant and inspirational. The concerto is too!

[@lisys511]

I love the english horn part because it sounds like someone singing :3

[@noelleone1305]

One of my all time favorite "classical" compositions. Great reaction brother. You get it.

[@culbycove4963]

The fact that the conductor did very little conducting is a testament to how strongly in tune this orchestra was with each other. Phenomenal work. I remember hearing this for the first time in the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics when it was hosted in Athens (I think it was 2002?), I’m sure there’s archive footage on YT of it - blew my mind as a kid.

[@whocares_bear]

Ravel as a KZbin Partner: What happens when an orchestra crescendos for 16 minutes? #musicchallenge 😱🎻🥁🎺🤯

[@marygifford9379]

I have always imagined that we, the listeners, are in a town somewhere in the Middle East or India, and are expecting the sultan to arrive. Off in the distance, we start the hear the music from the sultan's great caravan comprising of four or five hundred people, camels, horses, and elephants. It gets louder and louder as it gets closer, until as they pass under the city gates the elephants announce their arrival.

[@jennifermorris6848]

This takes a ton of concentration and control to play . . . Especially for the repetitive people at the beginning. Knowing when to build and when you actually get phrase before falling back into the rhythm.

[@jeffy5482]

It’s a study on melody in different instruments and building sound basically by just adding more instruments. I love Bolero.

[@patricktulher]

This piece is an orchestration masterclass in itself. Perfection!

[@jacquisampson-marat5277]

The thing I most remember about this piece.....6.0/6.0/6.0/6.0. etc. Torvill and Dean 1984 Winter Olympics.

[@dennis12dec]

This classical piece of music reminds me when I watched the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final at the Stade de France in July 12, 1998 before the finale between Brazil and France, it was used during the Yves Saint Laurent 40th Anniversary fashion show and 300 gorgeous models strutted down the covered football pitch with this music, it was the most unforgettable moment we had at that time.

[@pierfrancescopeperoni]

Now that you know Bolero it's time for Shostakovich's symphony no. 7.

[@telephilia]

Said symphony has always received mixed reviews. At over an hour, while it has some exciting music (especially, like Bolero, the part with the rave up) there are long sections that can put someone to sleep.

[@pierfrancescopeperoni]

@@telephilia Slow parts are also enjoyable unless you are in a rush. And there's always an interesting atmosphere in that symphony. It might be hard to focus on such a long symphony, but he has definitely listened to more boring symphonies.

[@edacio255]

Yessss!!!! I've been asking for that piece so much ❤

[@edacio255]

And I Would recommend Klaus mäkelä version.

[@Audra1964]

You’re right, the star of this show is the snare drum because he sets the rhythm for the whole piece and continues the same rhythm, same tempo, to the end. The bassoon is not normally a sexy instrument but it’s solo turn is sexy in this one! It’s in the very high ranges of the instrument and not easy to play. (Wasn’t easy for me, anyway.) Dutch conductor André Rieu does what’s essentially a cover of this; it’s shorter and the instrumentation builds more quickly. On his YT channel you can find a recording of his version of Bolero filmed in a beautiful large open square in Maastricht with an audience of 11,000. There’s fireworks! 🎇 Rieu is a showman and his orchestra is more pop than classical (he’s often panned in classical circles) but he’s introduced a lot of people to all kinds of music they would not have heard otherwise. He conducts, plays, and interacts with the audience in the ‘standing violinist’ tradition of Johann Strauss, Jr. I love classical music and orchestras, but when I want some lighter orchestral fare I go hang out at André’s place.

[@patticrichton1135]

I LOVE LOVE Andre Rieu!!!

[@egapnala65]

You are now ready to confront the first movement of Shostakovitch's 7th Symphony.

[@edacio255]

Yessss!!!❤

[@JDogg1971]

Love it! Great reaction!!

[@whocares_bear]

This piece makes me picture an ancient Civilization in it's infancy (0:55) building itself up brick by brick. Like the building of the Egyptian pyramids or especially the Maya Civilization with their pyramids and architecture. The Civilization builds until they're at their golden height 14:06 only to collapse 14:27 (the Spanish landing in South America like the end of the film Apocalypto, or the Assyrians and Persians invading Egypt)

[@Walter_Arrecis_Letona]

Usted está narrando algo similar a lo que sucede con esta melodía en la película Allegro Non Troppo, solo que allí es la creación del mundo, le recomiendo que vea esa película. Saludos desde Ciudad de Guatemala en Centro América.

[@craigbennett9275]

This piece of music was actually written as an orchestra warm up piece.

[@artbagley1406]

And/Or a ballet exercise.

[@gregoryams]

Hello from The Netherlands, thank you Sir.

[@Walter_Arrecis_Letona]

Gracias por la reacción a esta estupenda melodía, y también por los subtítulos. Saludos desde Ciudad de Guatemala en Centro América.

[@JennyColwell-tb6cm]

Sorry if anyone else has already mentioned this, but this piece was used to great affect in the 1979 film 'Ten' with Dudley Moore and Bo Derek... I won't try to describe here in what context it was used, but back in the day everyone had heard Bolero 🙂

[@lagwulf1637]

Some people claim the final breakdown could be heard as perhaps the only orgasm composed in classical music after a a sensitive, seductive dance getting more and more exciting. At least you can think of a an interesting piece of music of a composer who has the one question: Can I entertain you by repeating over and over again? Yes, he can - there are other parameters of music like colour, dynamic, timbre etc.

[@ftumschk]

Wagner's "Liebestod" at the end of Tristan & Isolde comes close, and the Prelude from the same opera is pretty orgasmic.

[@alans98989]

It's hardly the only one. Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth has a literal depiction of an orgasm featuring trombone glissandos. A lot of Scriabin's music like the climaxes of Poem of Ecstasy and Vers la Flamme has a orgasm-like quality. The slow movement of Rachmaninoff's 2nd symphony is another. But, weirdly enough, the best depiction of an orgasm I've heard is the very end of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time.

[@ftumschk]

@@alans98989 Before Shostakovich, Richard Strauss used "Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!" glissandos to depict ejaculation in the Act One prelude to _Der Rosenkavalier._

[@alans98989]

@@ftumschk That's interesting. I never listened to it before.

[@lagwulf1637]

@@alans98989 Ok, I should hear the Shostakovich again, but I didn't claim that it is only orgasm in classical music, perhaps I put words wrong - I meant that some say, it is the only piece music which a dance getting more and more intense like sex and then(!) an orgasm. For me it is just a wonderful piece of music and an interesting musical experiment. ;)

[@m44p25]

Bolero is such an experience! I would recommend listening Ravel’s La Valse. It is another 10ish minute symphonic poem. Personally i like it much more than Bolero, even though I do love this piece.

[@philipadams5386]

Gidi reacted to La Valse quite a while ago.

[@m44p25]

@@philipadams5386 ahh, awesome! I must have missed it then.

[@ftumschk]

A good follow-up piece to listen to would be "La Valse", also by Ravel.

[@dennisyou4092]

He has already reacted to it kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnq9mpKXbZxgaZosi=wkBGWJpE3uuN9Adp

[@davidvanmersbergen5335]

I was introduced to this pieces as many were.....thru the movie 10... It works better for a 'can you recognize this instrument? ' for music appreciation class. Or theme & variations with key changes Ravel had better piano music.

[@lipby]

My sister went to a music conservatory, and she says that Ravel was a genius at instrumentation. This piece is unique because, generally speaking, classical music is about theme and development--and usually excels at complexity--but this is a straight melodic line repeated over and over again: simplicity rather than virtuosity. Try some Bach, the greatest musical creator in history.

[@071949]

Hi Robert, I agree w/ your sister about Ravel, and w/ you about Bach. I would suggest that another master of instrumentation was Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. RogerC 1/25/24

[@miriamepage6991]

You should try the 1986 recording of the Bolero by Riccardo Chailly and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. It's the best recording IMHO. Paavo Järvi and Pierre Boulez's interpretations of the Bolero are quite interesting (and very different). If you haven't already, try Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit for piano.

[@user-pf2wp1ly5v]

Maybe you'll love the Ravel transcription for orchestra of Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at An Exhibition' or Schumann's 'Carnaval', Violin Sonata Op. Posthume, 'Tzigane', and 'Le Tombeau de Couperin'. Just suggestion, feel free to ignore or accept it.

[@ayethein7681]

Gidi mate, two pieces you have to do (remember how you blamed us for not telling you about Sheherezade) Is Copeland Appalachian spring and Janacek sinfonietta.

[@rojavida]

Bartók - concerto for orchestra. Dutoit diid a very good recording.

[@brucefelger4015]

there is a story that said some critic of Ravel claimed he didn't know how to orchestrate music. this is apparently his response.

[@DaGuys470]

How could one say such a thing??? If anyone asked me who the best orchestrator was, Ravel would be one of the first names coming to my mind.

[@brucefelger4015]

A Critic, of course

[@eliplayer2122]

Please listen to the 4 memphisto waltzes by liszt. I think you listened to the first one but it was by a KZbin pianist and not a concert one.

[@giovannib27]

Ya while traum is amazing, it would be great for him to react to Khatia Buniatishvilis, Nicolas Economou, or Daniil Trifonovs version. Lucas DeBarge also played it extremely well.

[@eliplayer2122]

@@giovannib27 My favorite are Trifonov, yuchan lim, and berezovsky

[@giovannib27]

@@eliplayer2122 I forgot yuchan's, he is very good. Never heard berezovsky.

[@mgman6000]

Watch the movie 10 with Bo Derek for another perspective on this piece 😊

[@thethikboy]

GIDI picked the one piece by Ravel that the composer hated and so do I. It's a crowd-pleasure though.

[@robertjaget5742]

Stl la chanson et... maintenant... de gilbert becaux surprise

[@Haselius00]

In a way, Bolero could be considered a predecessor to Trance Music.

[@santapaws4945]

Please react to some kapustin! (Either piano concerto 2/4 or his 8 concert études which are my favourite)

[@Silviola824]

He has reacted to all 3 of those pieces already. The 8 concert etudes was just 2 weeks ago, just look up "gidi kapustin" and you'll find them

[@philipadams5386]

Gidi has reacted to at least two pieces by Kapustin.

[@santapaws4945]

@@philipadams5386 okay, thanks for letting me know

[@alekpoko2655]

Alexander Scriabin - Symphony No.3 ?

[@daniloapostolov-dacatv1536]

Well i could play whole thing on a drums 😂

[@richard7crowley]

Thanks, Gidi. I hope you will do a reaction to one of the most exciting classical works: Mendelssohn Octet in 3-flat Major Op. 20 There is an epic video on youtube at kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3u3eWeQma-WoM0 A commenter said: "The presto is straight out metal!"

[@audreywalker9025]

I remember my Dad taking me to this concert and telling me the music went from pppp. to. ffff.