Ravel – Boléro and Ma Mère l’oye – Smillie NA 8032
WEB Album 2001 80 Songs
Sir Thomas Beecham was a musical giant of the generation born in the last quarter of the nineteenth century; his death in 1961 marked the end of an epoch. He was above all a compelling and magnetic performer who brought joy to many with his infectious enthusiasm and radiant energy.
The works on this disc provide two examples of his artistry – the 1951 recording of Ravel’s Boléro (spelled on this album cover ‘Bolero’ which was the composer’s original preference) and the 1955 recording of Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite (Ma Mère l’oye). The Boléro, a piece whose main attraction is a crescendo of immense and relentless power and energy, was composed in 1928 as a commission for the dancer Ida Rubenstein. Ravel described it as a ’choreographic poem’ and the only purpose of the music was to serve the needs of the dancer.
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