Boléro de Ravel / Requiem de Mozart

Mozart's Requiem & Ravel's Boléro

Presentation of the work

RAVEL'S BOLERO

The Boléro is the most frequently performed classical music work in the world with a performance every 15 minutes. At the time of its premiere, the composer had given the copyright to his gardener without anticipating its massive public success.

This work is the archetype of the ostinato. The melody is taken up in turn by the various instruments of the orchestra over a rhythmic pattern in the percussion.

MOZART'S REQUIEM

The peculiar circumstances surrounding the commissioning of this work, and the tragic conditions of its composition on the author's deathbed, feed into its legend. In July 1791, Count Walsegg-Stuppach, under the seal of secrecy, commissioned a Requiem from Mozart for his wife, who had died in February. The work was postponed until October, due to the composer being overworked with La clemenza di Tito and The Magic Flute.

At Mozart's death, the Requiem remained unfinished. In the final phase of his illness, Mozart had written the entirety of the « Requiem aeternam » : from the Kyrie to the Confutatis, only the vocal parts and the basso continuo were written. For the Lacrimosa, only the first eight bars of the vocal part and the first two bars of the violin and viola parts. Sketches of additional movements were lost. While bedridden, friends came to sing the parts of the Requiem at his bedside.

Hélios

Dynamic and eclectic, the Orchestre Hélios has established itself since its creation in 2014.

Its artistic director, Paul Savalle, promotes the professional integration of young musicians through orchestral practice. Thus, young graduates join orchestra musicians, experienced conductors and soloists under optimal working conditions.

From Baroque to contemporary music, the programs are diverse. As for the repertoire, it is both symphonic and choral, with the orchestra collaborating with departmental and regional choirs.

Thanks to collaborations with various conductors, the musicians tackle a rich repertoire while expanding their interpretive palette. They all hail from prestigious French conservatories, some belonging to a national orchestra.

From string quartet to symphonic orchestra, as well as brass ensemble, the orchestra constantly broadens its audience by modulating its lineup. The "strings" ensemble performs in picturesque venues that cannot accommodate a symphonic orchestra, allowing the public to discover a rich architectural heritage.

In short, thanks to its variable geometry formation, the Orchestre Hélios approaches the broadest repertoire with passionate curiosity.