Boléro

In the opening scene, Maurice Ravel brings Ida Rubinstein into a factory and argues that the machine noises can be music. The moment sets a motif of modernity and industrial sound as a creative trigger. Ida listens with curiosity, hinting at their collaborative energy.

We flash back to 1903 when Ravel fails his scholarship application and is drawn to an oriental melody outside the building. In a fateful moment, he falls from a window, injuring himself and beginning his lifelong struggle with self-doubt.

During a 1927 reception, Ravel meets Ida Rubinstein who declares he will soon write ballet music for her. She signals the start of a high-profile collaboration that will shape much of his later work.

Ravel is joined by influential women like Marguerite Long and Misia Sert, who offer support and inspiration. Misia, married and entangled in her own life, takes a particular interest in Ravel, fueling a professional and personal dynamic.

Before the American tour, Ida Rubinstein nudges Ravel toward orchestrating Albéniz's Iberia for her ballet. The move foreshadows his evolving approach to orchestration and collaboration.

In America, Ravel encounters jazz and expresses a growing interest in incorporating its rhythms. He discusses how certain ideas can mature over years before he begins composing.

Upon returning, Ida urges him to write the ballet, but he battles writer's block. To break through, he retreats to the seaside and spends time with Lisia, seeking inspiration away from Paris.

Ravel learns he cannot orchestrate Iberia because the copyright belongs to conductor Arbós, forcing a shift. In Paris, Ida briefly considers Stravinsky, but they finally settle on a 17-minute ballet length.

Ravel finds the right theme for the new ballet, deciding to repeat a one-minute idea 17 times. He presents Boléro to Ida in the factory, calling it an ode to modernity and a metaphor for the modern world.

During rehearsals, Ida downplays the factory concept by infusing the dance with eroticism, which unsettles Ravel. The tension tests their collaboration and foreshadows how performance choices shape the music's reception.

Ravel recalls his wartime leave, visits his ailing mother, and learns of her death. He also remembers childhood scenes and his five defeats at the Prix de Rome, framing his personal history against his artistic ambitions.

Boléro premieres to enormous acclaim, and Ravel confesses to Ida that the piece might contain an erotic element he hadn't realized. The success cements Boléro's place in music history and deepens Ravel's self-awareness.