A little history first!<\/p>\n
The Bol\u00e9ro 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 Ang\u00e8le and married her at the age of 69. They have no descendants, but cousins in Switzerland. In 1954, Edouard and Ang\u00e8le 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. Ang\u00e8le died two years later, and the Tavernes moved in with Edouard in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. <\/p>\n
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 Bol\u00e9ro is protected. Find out more below: <\/p>\n
On May1,<\/sup> 2016, the Bol\u00e9ro fell into the public domain, but this is being contested by the heirs of Alexandre Benois, decorator of the ballet \u201cBol\u00e9ro de Ravel\u201d, who believe that Alexandre is a co-author of the work. If this action is successful, the Bol\u00e9ro could fall back into the private domain until 2039. Apart from the orchestral version, Maurice Ravel himself composed two piano reductions of his Bol\u00e9ro, one for two hands and the other for four. There are also many popular arrangements, including one by the Lab\u00e8que sisters<\/a>, who recorded a version for two pianos and Basque percussion in 2006. Also worthy of note is the beautiful version by Beninese singer Ang\u00e9lique Kidjo<\/a>. <\/p>\n Of course, we also offer many versions of Bol\u00e9ro on the Riponne site. While you’re waiting for the BCUL to reopen, get your borrowing list<\/a> ready! Medici.tv<\/a> allows you to view several concerts, as well as two documentaries and the B\u00e9jart Ballet version (available remotely to UNIL members via Crypto VPN).<\/a> <\/p>\n Some useful links :<\/p>\n Maurice B\u00e9jart’s Bol\u00e9ro choreographed by Maya Plisetskaya.<\/p>\n\n
The answer is expected by the end of 2020, so stay tuned! <\/p>\n\n