| Posted Spring 1999 |
Copyright © 1993-2001 by S. A. Joyce. | Edited 17 Oct 2001 |
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B O L
É R O
| The restaurant is silent and dark. The manager, the cook, the waiters and the kitchen help have long since left. Even the old man who sweeps the floor and locks the doors has gone home. Still, the unmistakable bouquet of cooking spices lingers in the air, mingled with a hint of wine and perfume. Somewhere in the shadows a clock breaks the silence briefly as it softly chimes twice. | |
| In the dim light filtering through the window, a man and a woman can be seen sitting at a table, gazing intently into each others' eyes. Gradually the slow beat of a distant snare drum intrudes upon their consciousness. Perhaps the drum is real, perhaps only imagined; but both of them hear it, and it begins to weave a spell. | |
| Variation 1: flute |
The insistent rhythm hypnotizes the couple. Hands meet, fingers intertwine. |
| Variation 2: clarinet |
Hands never parting, they rise from the table. They draw close and embrace. |
| Variation 3: bassoon |
As they begin to sway gently, their feet move in a slow, graceful pattern. |
| Variation 4: clarinet |
Their lips meet, and their kiss, like their dance, is slow and sweet. |
| Variation 5: cor anglais |
She nestles her head against his chest as they continue their slow dance. |
| Variation 6: flute and muted trumpet |
She turns and faces away from him; his arms are about her waist, his hands clasped gently upon her abdomen. As the spell grows, their swaying gradually increases. |
| Variation 7: tenor saxophone |
He raises his arms slightly and draws her closer to himself; his arms gently cradle the softness of her breast. She rests the back of her head against his shoulder. Desire begins to smolder within them. |
| Variation 8: soprano saxophone |
While one of his arms still embraces her bosom, the other sweeps slowly downward, his searching hand finally reaching the lower border of her abdomen. |
| Variation 9: horn, flute, and piccolo |
She presses her body forward against his hand, and her stance widens invitingly. |
| Variation 10: oboe and cor anglais |
His fingers explore her, searching, probing, caressing. In response, a sigh escapes her parted lips. |
| Variation 11: trombone |
Their bodies, moving in harmony, glide sensuously against each other. |
| Variation 12: woodwinds and horn |
She turns to face him once again. She puts her arms about his neck; he drapes his about her waist. |
| Variation 13: first violins |
They gaze longingly at each other. Her hands explore him, and find him ablaze with desire. |
| Variation 14: first and second violins |
The lovers' mouths fuse in a searing kiss, and their tongues swirl and dance. |
| Variation 15: strings |
Magically, he feels himself engulfed by her spirit; and she senses his passion burning deep within her. |
| Variation 16: strings and horns |
Their gliding dance takes on a sensuous, thrusting quality. |
| Variation 17: trumpets |
The lovers cling to each other. As the mood intensifies, their erotic movement becomes more and more pronounced. |
| Variation 18: brass |
A sense of urgency pervades the pair. In great excitement they passionately thrust themselves together and clasp each other in a desperate embrace. |
| Coda: tutti |
The intense power of the spell is inescapable. The churning, animated dance, once so graceful, has become wild and erratic. The dancers' seething passion can no longer be contained, and bursts forth in a torrent. They are overwhelmed, and fall, ecstatic and exhausted, to the floor! |
FOOTNOTE It was not until a year or two after I wrote my "Boléro" that I came across a description of the original choreography of Ravel's musical work for ballerina Ida Rubinstein. Although the situation in that instance — a lone woman enchanting a group of young men with her provocative dance upon a tabletop — was quite different from the intimate encounter I had envisioned, I was struck by the similarity in sexual energy evoked by the music in minds half a world and three generations apart. =SAJ= |
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