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At the same moment, a 14-year-old adolescent was walking through the
gardens adjoining the Trocadéro. Maurice Ravel expected a crowd, so he
was early—although this was unnecessary, as nearly everyone was instead
gathered near the Eiffel Tower, on the Rue du Caire or around the Annamite
village. Before reaching the esplanade, Ravel stopped at the Compagnie
Générale Transatlantique’s Panorama, a polygon located on Avenue de
la Bourdonnais. With numerous geographical maps, the façade was an
evocative appeal to travel. Among the cities linked to the major French
ports was a dream destination: New York. At the time, he could not have
imagined that nearly 40 years later, he would board the“France” at Le Havre
and set sail to the American metropolis. This would be his first and only tour
in the United States, with success arriving after this trip. Immediately after
returning to France, he would compose one of his most highly acclaimed
works,
Bolero
. Was it the fulfillment of being at sea, the movement of the
waves and the unchanging dimension of time that inspired the repetitive
motifs in this score? No one can say for certain. But on this June day, he was
wandering on the promenade deck of the “Touraine”, dreaming of being on
the open seas.
TALICH QUARTET 21