On this blog, we have been exploring iconic pieces of music that have inspired numerous cover versions and cross-genre reinterpretations. Maurice Ravel’s Boléro stands out as a particularly rich and fascinating work—one that continues to captivate musicians, dancers, and fans. What so special about it ?
It is 15 minutes, two melodies, one crescendo—Ravel’s boldest experiment in minimalism.
By the way, additional to the embedded Youtube videos, you can also listen to all the music via a Spotify playlist at the end of this post.
Composed in 1928, commissioned by a dancer, Ida Rubinstein, Boléro was conceived not as a symphonic composition, but as a choreographic experiment. Over its 15-minute span, two melodies alternate over a steady Spanish bolero rhythm, escalating through dynamic changes and instrumental color until a final, dramatic key shift. The bolero rhythm is a minimalist, mechanically repeating 3/4 dance rhythm with little variation—almost hypnotic.
The original staging with Ida Rubinstein set the tone, but later interpretations like Maurice Béjart’s version was sensual and modern. We included a short excerpt of a performance by Béjart Ballet Lausanne here since Maurice Béjart founded the ballet company in Lausanne where we lived for many years. The full version below features a male main dancer.
The limited melodic material and constant rhythm provides a framework for creating variations within repetition, and invites experimentation by generations of musicians. Benny Goodman adapted it to show off his jazz virtuosity.
Our favorite version of Bolero is arranged by Pink Martini in their first album, Sympathique.
The pop world readily adapted the piece. Frank Zappa recorded a version using a brass section of an orchestra to perform it.
Jeff Beck adapted and performed the piece with modern guitars, turning it into a psychedelic trip.
I first heard Boléro in Blake Edwards’ 1979 film 10, where its hypnotic rhythm accompanied a now-iconic seduction scene. A neurologist opined that the repetition triggers a trance-like engagement, while the gradual crescendo simulates emotional climax.
A very short segment of Bolero is used in the film- “Red”, one of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colour trilogy. Music is adapted by Zbigniew Preisner.
The crescendo of the music was also used in a 2025 Japanese horror movie, Exit 8 – in which a man and a child are trapped in an anomalies-filled underground station in Umeda, Osaka.
Chris (I) have a vinyl album by Isao Tomita who recreated many classical pieces by using synthesizers of the late 20th century, Bolero being one of them.
We found recently an album of Boléro variations by DJ Luciano; the songs are very catchy and typical of 2025. To show off the original’s timeless versatility, we include two tracks here, the first one is EDM with vocals and the second is a reggae version.
If you are interested in a very informative and entertaining exposition of this piece of music, watch this.
Spotify is another way to enjoy the music but it does not have all the live versions. Although a subscription is required to listen to the full length of each tune, you can play a sample without a subscription.
Click ▶ to play