Boléro is a one-movement orchestral piece by the French composer
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937). Originally composed as a
ballet commissioned by Russian actress and dancer
Ida Rubinstein, the piece, which premiered in 1928, is Ravel's most famous musical composition. Before
Boléro, Ravel had composed large scale ballets (such as
Daphnis et Chloé, composed for the
Ballets Russes 1909–1912),
suites for the ballet (such as the second orchestral version of
Ma mère l'oye, 1912), and one-movement dance pieces (such as
La valse, 1906–1920). Apart from such compositions intended for a staged dance performance, Ravel had demonstrated an interest in composing re-styled dances, from his earliest successes – the 1895
Menuet and the 1899
Pavane – to his more mature works like
Le tombeau de Couperin, which takes the format of a
dance suite.