Bolero at La Monnaie

After his brilliant debut at La Monnaie in Cendrillon, Alain Altinoglu continues to browse through the French repertoire. Like some of Ernest Chausson’s other compositions, his only symphony, composed in 1889, is an undervalued gem. It confirms Chausson’s key position in the evolution of French symphonic music: building on the legacy of Franck and Wagner, he pointed the way forward to the burgeoning impressionism in music. Several years later Fauré composed music for Maeterlinck’s play Pelléas et Mélisande, from which he distilled a concert suite that is his symphonic masterpiece. The big hit by Ravel that is also on the programme was equally inspired by the performing arts. In 1927 Ida Rubinstein asked him to write the music for a ballet. Ravel based his composition on the bolero, because of the melodic simplicity and repetitive rhythm of this Spanish dance. It is no exaggeration to say that this Boléro immediately found its way onto the concert platform and has stayed there ever since.