Ravel’s Bolero: the rights soap opera
A little history first!
The Boléro was commissioned by dancer Ida Rubinstein on the theme of the Spanish ballet. Maurice Ravel composed it in 1928, and the work was an immediate success. When Maurice died in 1937, his brother Edouard inherited his estate and the composer’s rights. He fell in love with Angèle and married her at the age of 69. They have no descendants, but cousins in Switzerland. In 1954, Edouard and Angèle were involved in a serious car accident. Their state of health required constant care. They hired Jeanne Taverne, a masseuse, and her husband Alexandre, a chauffeur-gardener. Angèle died two years later, and the Tavernes moved in with Edouard in Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
In 1958, after promising to bequeath 80% of his rights to the City of Paris, Edouard changed his mind and bequeathed his entire estate to Jeanne Taverne, whom he wished to marry. He died shortly afterwards in 1960. Maurice Ravel’s second cousins in Switzerland came forward, while in Paris, a certain Jean-Jacques Lemoine contacted the Taverne couple. Alexandre Taverne won the case brought by Maurice Ravel’s second cousins, and found himself at the head of an immense fortune. His lawyer is the former legal director of SACEM, Jean-Jacques Lemoine. The Boléro is protected. Find out more below:
On May1, 2016, the Boléro fell into the public domain, but this is being contested by the heirs of Alexandre Benois, decorator of the ballet “Boléro de Ravel”, who believe that Alexandre is a co-author of the work. If this action is successful, the Boléro could fall back into the private domain until 2039.
The answer is expected by the end of 2020, so stay tuned!
Apart from the orchestral version, Maurice Ravel himself composed two piano reductions of his Boléro, one for two hands and the other for four. There are also many popular arrangements, including one by the Labèque sisters, who recorded a version for two pianos and Basque percussion in 2006. Also worthy of note is the beautiful version by Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo.
Of course, we also offer many versions of Boléro on the Riponne site. While you’re waiting for the BCUL to reopen, get your borrowing list ready! Medici.tv allows you to view several concerts, as well as two documentaries and the Béjart Ballet version (available remotely to UNIL members via Crypto VPN).
Some useful links :
- Who stole Ravel’s Bolero? A fascinating investigation into the world’s most performed work(Francetvinfo Nouvelle Aquitaine)
- “Boléro”, the chorus of the world: Maurice Ravel, pioneer of techno(Le nouvel Obs)
- Bolero – Maurice Ravel(Philharmonie de Paris)
- Autograph manuscript(Gallica BNF)
Maurice Béjart’s Boléro choreographed by Maya Plisetskaya.
