Ravel's Greatest Hit - The Ultimate Bolero

Special thanks to Impact Acoustics for this review

Ravel's Bolero is a composition that rose from the depths of nonchalant dismissal by Ravel's contemporaries to being one of the few truly recognizable melodies in classical music. Sadly, you rarely seem to see it on the concert bill these days. Perhaps it's too disciplined for today's classical conductors who struggle to maintain their freedom of self-expression while they pander to a diminishing audience of aging donors.

I first was exposed to this melody when we had a family outing in the late 1970s. I was 12 years old or so, and followed my sister and parents to the Peaches Record Store in south St. Louis. Remember Peaches? Before there was Best Buy or Amazon to crush the independents, there was Peaches. They were famous for their wooden record crates and provided a huge selection of albums with serious discounts on popular favorites. I think my sister (in high school) satisfied her urge for a Bee Gees album, while my dad indulged himself in an album called Everything You Always Wanted to Hear on the Moog created by Andrew Kadzin and Thomas Z. Shepard. (Reference: http://fatbaron.com/everything/ and http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,3513802,00.html).

The whole of the second side of the LP was the reason for Dad's purchase. It had only one song, "Ravel's Bolero". 100% synthesized, it was devoid of the coughs and rustlings you'd hear at a live concert. There was even electronic applause at the end, the synthesizer music equivalent of a sitcom's laugh track! When my dad would listen to this, we all had to be quiet so he could close his eyes and savor the dramatic crescendo. From hearing it many times, I grew to really like this piece. Maybe I'm just sentimental about growing up with it…

A few years ago, I was excited to read in the paper that the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra was to present Ravel's Bolero at a weekend concert. My wife was kind enough to join me for what I thought would be a great evening of entertainment. Unfortunately I was extremely disappointed.

Bolero is a tone poem that relies on the methodical construction of a dense tapestry of sound through the repetition of two simple, and beautiful, melodic figures. The opening bars are intentionally Spartan, capturing the listener's attention through a soft, pure and tuneful delivery. Those important first notes were played by a nervous musician whose vibrato was not intended. From the very beginning this performance was destined to mediocrity.

Secondly, and really the true crime of this performance, was the arrangement. One unlucky gentleman (being the only one I guess who could play those two instruments sufficiently) was forced to play back-to-back melodies. He played on his oboe? (I don't quite remember), and then after finishing the last note, instantly switched to his alto sax (that had been laying on his knees) to start the next melody. What an awkward situation, and an unreasonable expectation of even a professional musician. Any decent arranger could have accommodated him, and wouldn't have let the integrity of the music suffer (i.e. trimming the last note of the melody so he had time to switch instruments and play the first note of the next melody).

Finally, the pace was rushed at the end. None other than Ravel himself chided the great conductor Toscanini, in 1930, for exactly this same blunder! But the audience (were they really listening or did they just wake up?) did the obligatory standing ovation regardless of the actual performance.

When I learned about this BMG Classics CD I was intrigued. I purchased a copy and had a good listen. If you like Bolero, you'll appreciate the drastic differences and interpretations among these 10 versions. If you don't, then consider it a musical fruitcake to give at Christmas time.

The Subjective CD Review

The first track of Ravel's Greatest Hit - The Ultimate Bolero is a traditional, yet recent, performance from the Boston Symphony with Charles Munch conducting. It is almost 14 minutes long, aspiring to Ravel's ideal of a near 15 minute piece. This first version is nice and deliberate. The snare drums in the background did an excellent job of maintaining an even pace, far from the rushing acceleration often experienced with inferior performances.

The background syncopation also reinforced that even pace, with a "we'll get there when we get there" attitude. Very near, and including the climax, I can hear the trumpets distinctively. I have mixed feelings about whether I want to hear them separately or, if like a good recipe, all the ingredients should blend together into one sound. This song is a test of discipline and patience, and this performance easily matched the test. It is an overall fine version.

The second track is a hypnotic version from the Japanese composer Isao Tomita, who used his synthesizer to employ a whole range of "amusement park" and other creative sounds to deliver his interpretation of Bolero. The notes come from non-symphony "instruments" as he proudly showed the range of what a modern synthesizer can do. While letting the machine precisely measure the cadence, to keep an even beat, he made sure to have fun with the track. After nine minutes, he just let the song fade and dance deliriously to obscurity.

Next are two complementary pianos played by Fray and Braggiotti, a prominent piano duo from the late 30s and early 40s. As you would expect, one piano provided the background rhythm for the other piano to shine. While interesting to hear pianos attempt Bolero, there is not too much here. Not that there can be with a 3-1/2 minute version! Classically fine, with some added flourishes, this is an executive summary.

The next version comes from Nat Shilkret, an American composer and conductor. He led his orchestra to an unmistakably upbeat version that had some big band stylings yet also contrasted that with percussion not typical of a big band. This version is even shorter, a mere three minutes.

From the first note of the next track, you know it's Benny Goodman, leading a 1939 version "inspired" by Ravel's Bolero. Perhaps I should say it's a "based on a true story" version. Very danceable (never thought I would say that about Bolero), this was arranged to be a dialogue back and forth between Goodman's clarinet and the woodwinds, and then between the woodwinds and brass. Much liberty was taken with the melody to deliver a wonderfully pleasant and upbeat rendition. My toes were happily tapping for a little over 2-1/2 minutes.

Following the swing, comes Arthur Fiedler and his Boston Pops. A relatively fast interpretation (but still precise and without the feeling of being rushed), this is an excellent short version of Bolero. I think the fast pace was suitable for Pops, and makes Bolero more palatable for the average listener (basically what Pops generally does for classical music). Though eliminating the intended deliberative pace of the symphonic composition, this is very much a quality, enjoyable version.

The next track is a 3-1/2 minute solo piano performance by Morton Gould, a child prodigy who played the piano at age 4 and later received many awards including the Kennedy Center Honors. His is an earnest and passionate attempt with plenty of additional Liberace-like flourishes to create a melodramatic work. The ending is quite striking in that he banged so loudly on the keyboard, one might wonder if he was jumping on the keys!

The Canadian Brass, an ensemble founded in 1970, follows with a 4-minute interpretation that maximizes what can come from a handful of individuals. The sincerity of each individual instrument comes forth in a pleasing, modest piece; each instrument can be isolated by the ear. It is fun to hear the tuba set the pace in its own way. One disappointment is the unexpected trigger into the final stanza; I was anticipating a few more minutes. But perhaps they didn't want to be greedy, and take too many turns!

Next is from Scottish percussionist, Dame Evelyn Glennie. Glennie, profoundly deaf from age 12, is quite a fascinating individual as you will find from a little research on Google. She produced a wonderfully, laid-back 6-minute rendition that enthusiastically shows the range of percussion – bells, xylophones, marimba and much more. Unlike other editions of Bolero, hers did not exude the pressure of being loud (and sometimes cacophonous) at the end. Instead, she chose to just have the song fade away.

The final track comes from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra with Eduardo Mata conducting. It begins soothing and relaxing, infusing peace. Then follows the expected buildup to complete an almost 15-minute version. While the other tracks were entertaining and enjoyable, this traditional version is an excellent performance that delivers, true to Ravel's original intentions.

Overall, this is a wonderful album for Bolero fans, and intriguing for classical music fans. You will enjoy listening to this selectively – it admittedly is hard to digest the same song 10 times in a row. So select what you like for your iPod, and enjoy at will.

Special thanks to Impact Acoustics for this review