Mozart's Requiem & Ravel's Boléro

Mozart's Requiem & Ravel's Boléro

Presentation of the work

RAVEL'S BOLERO

The Boléro is the most played piece of classical music in the world, with a performance every 15 minutes. At the time of its creation, the composer had given the copyright to his gardener without anticipating its success with the general public.

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

MOZART'S REQUIEM

The particular circumstances of the commission for this work, and the somewhat tragic conditions of its writing on the composer's deathbed, fuel 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. Work was delayed in October, due to the overwork the composer was experiencing with La Clemenza di Tito and The Magic Flute.
At the time of Mozart's death, the Requiem remained an unfinished work. 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 measures of the voice and the first two measures of the violin and viola parts. Sketches for additional pieces were lost. While he was bedridden, friends came to sing the parts of the Requiem at his bedside.

Hélios

Dynamic and eclectic, the Hélios orchestra 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 mingle with orchestra musicians, conductors, and experienced soloists in optimal working conditions.

From baroque music to contemporary music, the programs are varied. As for the repertoire, it is both symphonic and choral, with the orchestra partnering with departmental and regional choirs.

Thanks to the collaboration of different conductors, the musicians approach a very rich repertoire by broadening their palette of interpretation. They all come from major French conservatories, some belonging to a national orchestra.

From the string quartet to the symphony orchestra, including the brass ensemble, the orchestra is always expanding its audience by modulating its composition. The "strings" ensemble performs in picturesque places that could not accommodate a symphony orchestra, which allows the public to discover a very rich architectural heritage.
In short, thanks to its variable geometry formation, the Hélios orchestra approaches the broadest repertoire with passionate curiosity.