Latest news with #Boléro
Qatar Tribune
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Qatar Tribune
QPO set to celebrate French composers at Katara concert
Tribune News Network Doha The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) will pay tribute to the rich legacy of French classical music in a captivating performance on Monday, May 12, at 7:30 pm at the Katara Opera House. The concert, conducted by the distinguished Elias Grandy, will present a programme that journeys through evocative soundscapes, fairy-tale imagination and rhythmic brilliance. The evening opens with Georges Bizet's L'Arlésienne Suite No. 2, a vibrant selection drawn from his incidental music for Alphonse Daudet's 1872 play L'Arlésienne. Although the play closed after only 21 performances, Bizet's music gained lasting popularity. The suite, especially the spirited 'Farandole', showcases Bizet's gift for melody and his deft use of polyphonic textures, illustrating the emotional turmoil of a young man caught between love and betrayal. Next, the Philharmonic will perform Paul Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a symphonic scherzo inspired by Goethe's 1797 poem. The work, premiered in Paris in 1897 under Dukas' own direction, narrates the comical and chaotic adventure of a young apprentice who unwittingly unleashes a magical disaster. This piece gained global fame after being featured in Walt Disney's 1940 film 'Fantasia', and remains a favourite for its dramatic tension and playful orchestration. After the intermission, audiences will be transported into a world of fairy tales with Maurice Ravel's Mother Goose Suite (Ma mère l'Oye). Originally composed as a set of piano duets for children in 1910 and later orchestrated, the suite draws inspiration from classic stories including Sleeping Beauty, Tom Thumb, and Beauty and the Beast. With delicate textures and imaginative instrumentation, Ravel's music paints a whimsical and enchanting soundscape that appeals to both children and adults alike. The concert will culminate in Ravel's Boléro, one of the most recognisable and hypnotic compositions of the 20th century. Characterised by its persistent rhythm and gradual crescendo, Boléro builds a powerful sense of anticipation that ultimately erupts in a triumphant finale. Originally composed as a ballet in 1928, it has since become a staple of orchestral repertoire and a testament to Ravel's ingenuity. With its thoughtfully curated programme and masterful performances, this Qatar Philharmonic concert promises an unforgettable evening that celebrates the timeless beauty and storytelling power of French music.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fear and Gibson eye worlds breakthrough as Chock and Bates chase ice dance history
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson won bronze at the European championships in January. Photograph: John Walton/PA More than four decades have come and gone since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean enamoured the world with their epochal Boléro routine at the 1984 Winter Olympics, collecting a slew of perfect 6.0s from the judges and a permanent place in British sporting lore. Their names remain shorthand for excellence in figure skating – especially in the UK, where the sport has long since faded from the spotlight. This week in Boston, however, another British ice dance duo are quietly building on a legacy of their own. When Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson take the TD Garden ice for the rhythm dance on Friday afternoon, they will do so as genuine medal contenders. After finishing fourth at the last two world championships, the pair arrive in Massachusetts in form: winners of both their Grand Prix assignments, bronze medallists at the Grand Prix final, and holders of seven national titles – the same number Torvill and Dean hauled in during their glittering career. Advertisement Related: 'Frozen in time': figure skating world unites in grief and tribute at Boston world championships Fear and Gibson are the highest-profile British ice dancers in a generation and, while the comparisons with their predecessors are inevitable, they have long since carved out a style and trajectory that is unmistakably their own. 'It's a huge honour, I think, to be even in that sentence,' Fear told Sky Sports last month. 'It's crazy for us – especially given Lewis's start to the sport was watching Torvill and Dean on Dancing on Ice. Just the legacy they've had in Great Britain and in ice dance, it's lasting to this day. It's extremely kind to be in that sentence and it's something that we don't take lightly.' The comparison is not lost on Gibson either. 'The impact that they had on the sport and in British history, just getting people engaged with figure skating and ice skating back then – we really want that for the UK again,' he said. 'And if we can make that happen, that is a success in itself.' Advertisement That connection could grow stronger if they reach the podium in Boston – something no British team has done at a world championships or an Olympics since Torvill and Dean returned to win bronze at the 1994 Lillehammer Games. For Fear and Gibson, who train at the Ice Academy of Montreal alongside many of their top rivals, the final step is consistency. Their bronze medal at January's European championships marked their third straight podium finish at the event – but also came with a tinge of disappointment. They now expect, and demand, more. Schedule All times EST. Wed 26 Mar • Women's Short, 12.05pm (Peacock) Advertisement • Women's Short, 3pm (USA Network) • Remembrance Ceremony, 6.15pm (Peacock) • Pairs' Short, 6.45pm (Peacock) Thu 27 Mar • Men's Short, 11.05am (Peacock) • Men's Short, 3pm (USA Network) • Pairs' Free, 6.15pm (Peacock) • Pairs' Free, 8pm (USA Network) Fri 28 Mar • Rhythm Dance, 11.15am (Peacock) • Rhythm Dance, 3pm (USA Network) • Women's Free, 6pm (Peacock) • Women's Free, 8pm (NBC/Peacock) Sat 29 Mar • Free Dance, 1.30pm (Peacock) • Free Dance, 3pm (USA Network) • Men's Free, 6pm (Peacock) • Men's Free, 8pm (NBC/Peacock) Sun 30 Mar • Exhibition Gala, 2pm (Peacock) How to watch outside the US United Kingdom As of last year, Premier Sports holds the broadcasting rights for the World Figure Skating Championships in the UK, with coverage extending until 2028. To watch the championships, you'll need a subscription to Premier Sports, which offers live coverage of the events. You can subscribe through their official website or via certain TV providers that include Premier Sports in their packages. Advertisement Australia SBS provides live and free coverage of the World Figure Skating Championships in Australia through SBS On Demand. Their free dance to a string of Beyoncé hits has been one of the biggest crowd-pleasers on this circuit this season and will be given an industrial-grade tableau on Saturday, when the 17,850-seat arena is expected to be at near capacity with the biggest turnout of the week. Standing in their way are the three teams who shared last year's world podium and have dominated the discipline for the past two seasons. Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States, partners on the ice from 2011 and married since last year, are seeking to become the first team in 28 years to win three consecutive world titles. The six-time US champions first won medals at the world championships in 2016 and their innovative, genre-bending programmes this season – taking in everything from Jive Bunny to the Bee Gees to Miles Davis – have once again made them favourites. Advertisement But Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, silver medallists in Montreal a year ago, have shown they are more than capable of toppling them. The Canadians won the free dance at last year's worlds and edged out Chock and Bates at Four Continents in February by just half a point. A mistake in the Grand Prix final cost them a higher placement, but their momentum appears to be returning at just the right time. Italy's Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri, meanwhile, are the most experienced pair in the 36-team field, making their 13th world championship appearance. The reigning European champions and Grand Prix final runners-up are seeking their third straight world medal as they build toward a home Olympics in Milan in 11 months. All three teams – Chock and Bates, Gilles and Poirier, and Guignard and Fabbri – also competed at the 2016 worlds in Boston, when Chock and Bates won bronze. Now, they return as the clear frontrunners but, in a discipline known for infinitesimal margins, the door remains open. Behind them, a new generation is pressing upward. Canada's Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha finished just outside the medals at the Grand Prix final and Four Continents. From the US, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko are hoping to make an impact on home ice. France's Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud, Finland's Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis, and Spain's Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck all arrive in strong form after the European season. For now, though, all eyes will be on the battle at the top. And on whether Fear and Gibson can finally deliver the result that has been just out of reach. 'It's exciting, and it's pressure,' Fear said. 'But this is what we've worked for.'
The Guardian
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Fear and Gibson eye worlds breakthrough as Chock and Bates chase ice dance history
More than four decades have come and gone since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean enamoured the world with their epochal Boléro routine at the 1984 Winter Olympics, collecting a slew of perfect 6.0s from the judges and a permanent place in British sporting lore. Their names remain shorthand for excellence in figure skating – especially in the UK, where the sport has long since faded from the spotlight. This week in Boston, however, another British ice dance duo are quietly building on a legacy of their own. When Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson take the TD Garden ice for the rhythm dance on Friday afternoon, they will do so as genuine medal contenders. After finishing fourth at the last two world championships, the pair arrive in Massachusetts in form: winners of both their Grand Prix assignments, bronze medallists at the Grand Prix final, and holders of seven national titles – the same number Torvill and Dean hauled in during their glittering career. Fear and Gibson are the highest-profile British ice dancers in a generation and, while the comparisons with their predecessors are inevitable, they have long since carved out a style and trajectory that is unmistakably their own. 'It's a huge honour, I think, to be even in that sentence,' Fear told Sky Sports last month. 'It's crazy for us – especially given Lewis's start to the sport was watching Torvill and Dean on Dancing on Ice. Just the legacy they've had in Great Britain and in ice dance, it's lasting to this day. It's extremely kind to be in that sentence and it's something that we don't take lightly.' The comparison is not lost on Gibson either. 'The impact that they had on the sport and in British history, just getting people engaged with figure skating and ice skating back then – we really want that for the UK again,' he said. 'And if we can make that happen, that is a success in itself.' That connection could grow stronger if they reach the podium in Boston – something no British team has done at a world championships or an Olympics since Torvill and Dean returned to win bronze at the 1994 Lillehammer Games. For Fear and Gibson, who train at the Ice Academy of Montreal alongside many of their top rivals, the final step is consistency. Their bronze medal at January's European championships marked their third straight podium finish at the event – but also came with a tinge of disappointment. They now expect, and demand, more. Schedule All times EST. Wed 26 Mar • Women's Short, 12.05pm (Peacock) • Women's Short, 3pm (USA Network) • Remembrance Ceremony, 6.15pm (Peacock) • Pairs' Short, 6.45pm (Peacock) Thu 27 Mar • Men's Short, 11.05am (Peacock) • Men's Short, 3pm (USA Network) • Pairs' Free, 6.15pm (Peacock) • Pairs' Free, 8pm (USA Network) Fri 28 Mar • Rhythm Dance, 11.15am (Peacock) • Rhythm Dance, 3pm (USA Network) • Women's Free, 6pm (Peacock) • Women's Free, 8pm (NBC/Peacock) Sat 29 Mar • Free Dance, 1.30pm (Peacock) • Free Dance, 3pm (USA Network) • Men's Free, 6pm (Peacock) • Men's Free, 8pm (NBC/Peacock) Sun 30 Mar • Exhibition Gala, 2pm (Peacock) How to watch outside the US United Kingdom As of last year, Premier Sports holds the broadcasting rights for the World Figure Skating Championships in the UK, with coverage extending until 2028. To watch the championships, you'll need a subscription to Premier Sports, which offers live coverage of the events. You can subscribe through their official website or via certain TV providers that include Premier Sports in their packages. Australia SBS provides live and free coverage of the World Figure Skating Championships in Australia through SBS On Demand. Their free dance to a string of Beyoncé hits has been one of the biggest crowd-pleasers on this circuit this season and will be given an industrial-grade tableau on Saturday, when the 17,850-seat arena is expected to be at near capacity with the biggest turnout of the week. Standing in their way are the three teams who shared last year's world podium and have dominated the discipline for the past two seasons. Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States, partners on the ice from 2011 and married since last year, are seeking to become the first team in 28 years to win three consecutive world titles. The six-time US champions first won medals at the world championships in 2016 and their innovative, genre-bending programmes this season – taking in everything from Jive Bunny to the Bee Gees to Miles Davis – have once again made them favourites. But Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, silver medallists in Montreal a year ago, have shown they are more than capable of toppling them. The Canadians won the free dance at last year's worlds and edged out Chock and Bates at Four Continents in February by just half a point. A mistake in the Grand Prix final cost them a higher placement, but their momentum appears to be returning at just the right time. Italy's Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri, meanwhile, are the most experienced pair in the 36-team field, making their 13th world championship appearance. The reigning European champions and Grand Prix final runners-up are seeking their third straight world medal as they build toward a home Olympics in Milan in 11 months. All three teams – Chock and Bates, Gilles and Poirier, and Guignard and Fabbri – also competed at the 2016 worlds in Boston, when Chock and Bates won bronze. Now, they return as the clear frontrunners but, in a discipline known for infinitesimal margins, the door remains open. Behind them, a new generation is pressing upward. Canada's Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha finished just outside the medals at the Grand Prix final and Four Continents. From the US, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko are hoping to make an impact on home ice. France's Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud, Finland's Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis, and Spain's Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck all arrive in strong form after the European season. For now, though, all eyes will be on the battle at the top. And on whether Fear and Gibson can finally deliver the result that has been just out of reach. 'It's exciting, and it's pressure,' Fear said. 'But this is what we've worked for.'
Axios
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Comedy icons, local cinema and other weekend events
🤣 Laugh along with comedy icons Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan at Nationwide Arena. 7:30pm Friday. $55+. 🎵 Hear the mesmerizing "Boléro" and other classical favorites performed by the Columbus Symphony. 7:30pm Friday and Saturday, Ohio Theatre. $38+. 😻 Embrace your inner Japanophile during Anime Night, with cosplay contests and a tribute band. 8pm Friday, Skully's, 1151 N. High St. $25. 🎥 Celebrate local cinema at Picture Lock 2025, featuring films created at or with the help of the Wexner Center for the Arts. Showtimes through Saturday, 1871 N. High St. $5-10 per screening. 🐦🧠 Flaunt your knowledge at a "Birds & Brews" trivia fundraiser benefitting the Grange Insurance Audubon Center.
New York Times
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
After Nearly 125 Years, a Lost Jewel by Ravel Gets Its Premiere
The conductor Gustavo Dudamel has premiered dozens of pieces in his career. But the score that he was giddily studying on a recent afternoon at Lincoln Center was different: a nearly 125-year-old piece by the French composer Maurice Ravel that had only recently surfaced in a Paris library. 'Imagine more than 100 years later discovering a small, beautiful jewel,' Dudamel, the incoming music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic, said in an interview at David Geffen Hall. 'It's precious.' On Thursday, Dudamel and the Philharmonic will give the world premiere of the five-minute piece as part of a program celebrating the 150th birthday of Ravel, one of the leading composers of the 20th century, whose works include 'Boléro,' 'Le Tombeau de Couperin' and 'La Valse.' The newly found piece, 'Sémiramis: Prélude et Danse,' was written sometime between 1900 and 1902, when Ravel was in his late 20s and sparring with administrators at the Paris Conservatory, where he studied piano and composition. The work, from an unfinished cantata about the Babylonian queen Semiramis, reveals a young musician still honing his voice and looking to others, like the Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov, for inspiration. 'Sémiramis' lacks some of the lush textures and rich harmonies for which Ravel would become known — he was a master of blending French impressionism, Spanish melodies, baroque, jazz and other music — though there are hints of his unconventional style. The manuscript, more than 40 pages long, includes an aria for tenor and orchestra that the Philharmonic will not perform; the Orchestre de Paris will premiere that section, alongside the prelude and dance, in December under the baton of Alain Altinoglu. 'Sémiramis' is a coup for the New York Philharmonic, which is gearing up for the start of Dudamel's tenure in fall 2026. It is rare to uncover unpublished works by major composers, and Ravel, who died in 1937 at 62, wrote only about 80 pieces in his life, fewer than many of his peers. Dudamel said the Philharmonic would do its best to capture Ravel's intentions. The manuscript lacks a tempo marking at the start, and there appear to be some missing notes, including in the harp line. 'It's more pressure,' Dudamel said. 'The only thing I can hope for is that he will send a message to me secretly through my dreams.' The discovery has energized the Philharmonic's players, who with no recordings or scholarly notes to turn to, have consulted each other in recent days about dynamics and phrasing. 'It's a pretty vulnerable moment for Ravel,' said Julian Gonzalez, the associate principal bassoon. 'He's not going to be at the rehearsals. He can't change anything. It will be up to us to get it right.' 'Sémiramis' had been sitting in the archives of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France since 2000, when the library acquired it in an auction of Ravel memorabilia. But the manuscript was brought to light only recently, when researchers were looking for new works that could be performed to mark Ravel's 150th birthday. François Dru, the editorial director of the Ravel Edition publishing house, came across an image of the score while searching the library's digital archives several years ago. He knew the name of the piece because it appeared in a catalog of Ravel's works; the manuscript had been marked as 'not traced.' 'It was very easy to find,' Dru said. 'It wasn't some of kind of adventure or mystery like Indiana Jones excavating something from the ground. I'm a bit amazed that nobody spotted it.' Dru mentioned the score to Gabryel Smith, the director of the New York Philharmonic's archives, when the two ran into each other at an exhibition about the Ballets Russes at the Morgan Library & Museum last year. But before bringing it to Dudamel, the Philharmonic wanted to be sure 'Sémiramis' was authentic — the manuscript was unsigned and there were no references to public performances. It was possible, although unlikely, that Ravel had copied somebody else's work as an academic exercise. Verification came in the form of a diary from the Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes, a close friend and collaborator of Ravel's. In the diary, Viñes meticulously documented events at the Paris Conservatory and interactions with revered figures like the French flutist Paul Taffanel and the composer Gabriel Fauré, Ravel's composition teacher and mentor. Viñes wrote about the first read-through of the piece, which took place on April 7, 1902, during an orchestra class at the conservatory: The 'Sémiramis' manuscript has certain Ravel hallmarks. The neat musical notation matches his penmanship, as does the handwriting, down to the 'a' in 'Danse,' which he wrote like the first letter of the Greek alphabet. And the musical style, heavily influenced by Russian masters, is consistent with some of the composer's other early works, including his 'Shéhérazade' pieces inspired by 'The Arabian Nights.' By the early 1900s, Ravel was already making his name as a composer, producing the beloved piano work 'Pavane Pour une Infante Défunte' (1899) and other classics. Just two days before the 'Sémiramis' reading at the conservatory, Viñes had given the premiere of 'Jeux d'eau,' another cherished piano piece. But despite his success, Ravel was an outsider at the conservatory, frequently clashing with its more traditionally minded professors. He repeatedly lost out on prizes, which were essential for survival at the conservatory. He was dismissed from the school several times for his lack of awards, only to return as an auditor in Fauré's class. Around this time, he and his friends, including Viñes, formed Les Apaches, a society of writers, artists and musicians. They met weekly, sharing art and ideas, and greeting each other by whistling the opening melody from Alexander Borodin's Symphony No. 2. Ravel, who was born in France in 1875 to a Spanish mother and a Swiss father, might have written 'Sémiramis' with the hope that it would be his prizewinning piece: The orchestration and style is notably conservative. But he appears to have abandoned the idea of a sweeping work; he left behind only the prelude, dance and aria. Arbie Orenstein, a leading Ravel scholar, first came across a mention of 'Sémiramis' in the 1970s, when he conducted research and interviews for his seminal biography, 'Ravel: Man and Musician' (1975), He had found manuscripts of other unpublished Ravel works — including six that premiered for the composer's centenary in 1975 — but had been unable to locate 'Sémiramis.' Orenstein said the work showed the composer's early mastery of orchestration. 'He had already composed masterpieces, but he is still finding his way as a student,' he said. 'On his way, he's already there, in a sense.' In the days before the premiere of 'Sémiramis,' Dudamel and the Philharmonic's players have been poring over the score, looking for connections to other Ravel works and for hints on questions of tone and timbre. Dudamel said he could hear early evidence of Ravel's genius and echoes of later works like the 'Ma Mère l'Oye' ('Mother Goose') suite. 'Ravel creates perfumes of colors,' he said. 'He is a colorist. He was creating such a beautiful and deep sensuality in music. I don't think other composers have that touch.' Dudamel said that while premiering 'Sémiramis' was daunting, it was also an opportunity to shape Ravel's music in an unexpectedly intimate way. 'The piece is still a mystery,' he said. 'It is like an empty book for the imagination.'
