Compare performersMaurice Ravel
Boléro: Ravel (1930) and Fricsay
Boléro
Ravel and Fricsay each set a pulse for the crescendo from solo flute to the final brass and percussion.
Recordings in
this comparison
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Maurice Ravel, Lamoureux Orchestra
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux, Maurice Ravel
The composer conducted the Lamoureux Orchestra for Polydor in January 1930.
Ferenc Fricsay, Berlin Symphonic Orchestra
Berlin Symphonic Orchestra, Ferenc Fricsay
Fricsay conducts Berlin’s orchestra in a recording restored by Pablo Varela in 2015.
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A snare drum starts its two-bar pattern, and a flute begins the tune of Boléro. In 1930 Ravel recorded the long crescendo with the Lamoureux Orchestra; Fricsay conducts the Berlin orchestra in the second performance. The crescendo continues until the trombones and percussion play the ending.
Tempo map
Time taken compared with Ferenc Fricsay, Berlin Symphonic Orchestra: above 1×, the performer takes longer over the same music; below it, less time.
- Maurice Ravel, Lamoureux Orchestra, 1930
- Ferenc Fricsay, Berlin Symphonic Orchestra · reference
Passages compared
Each version plays in card order, for up to 12 seconds of reference music or until the next marked passage, whichever comes first.
- 01
Opening flute melody
0:13 in the referenceA solo flute plays the first tune above the snare drum and plucked strings. The bass alternates C and G.
- 02
First melody, oboe d’amore
3:10 in the referenceThe oboe d’amore brings back the first melody. The bassoons take over the drum’s rhythm and the strings continue pizzicato.
- 03
Horn, celesta and two piccolos
6:00 in the referenceA horn plays the tune beneath celesta and two piccolos. Their notes, at different pitches, sound as a single timbre.
- 04
Modulation to E major
12:50 in the referenceThe bass finally leaves C, and the orchestra moves to E major. The drum’s two-bar rhythm continues through the sudden change.
- 05
Return to C major and close
13:08 in the referenceC major returns with trombone slides. Bass drum, cymbals and tam-tam join the last six bars, and the orchestra brings the dance to a halt.
Length of each recording
- Maurice Ravel, Lamoureux Orchestra, 193015:52
- Ferenc Fricsay, Berlin Symphonic Orchestra13:26
These times include the lead-in and final fade. Cuts, repeats and disc-side breaks also affect a recording’s length.
Recording notes
Maurice Ravel, Lamoureux Orchestra, 1930
The composer conducted the Lamoureux Orchestra for Polydor in January 1930.
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux, Maurice Ravel
1930
Ferenc Fricsay, Berlin Symphonic Orchestra
Fricsay conducts Berlin’s orchestra in a recording restored by Pablo Varela in 2015.
Berlin Symphonic Orchestra, Ferenc Fricsay
Listening notes & recording detailsOriginal recording source ↗Further reading
- Wikimedia Commons — recording file
- Bibliothèque nationale de France — Polydor Boléro
- Commons — Fricsay source, Pablo Varela’s 2015 restoration credit and conflicting recording dates
- Fricsay reference — recording dossier
- Boléro — structure and the C–E–C harmonic break
- Cleveland Orchestra — Boléro
- Timbre and Orchestration Resource — Boléro’s sequence of soloists and instrumental combinations
How the recordings are matched
The matching follows sequences of pitches, using a method called dynamic time warping. Every recording is mapped to the reference, so switching between two versions goes through that shared clock. Where several reference times match one point, the middle time is used.
- Maurice Ravel, Lamoureux Orchestra, 1930: match score 0.923. Matched passages available.
Switching stays within the matched span, and trimmed recordings keep their original clock times. Match scores describe similarity in the sound.