Repetitive, sexual music of \u2018Bol\u00e9ro\u2019 in Surrey concert by VSO<\/p>\n
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, February 19, 2026<\/p>\n
The pulsing, iconic beat of \u201cBol\u00e9ro\u201d is showcased in Surrey by Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, March 1.<\/p>\n
The afternoon concert will feature Scottish virtuoso percussionist Colin Currie and VSO musicians conducted by Naomi Woo, 3:30 p.m. start at the Sullivan Heights theatre.<\/p>\n
Haydn\u2019s \u201cDrumroll\u201d Symphony (No. 103) kicks off the Surrey Sundays series concert, alongside Nicole Liz\u00e9e\u2019s \u201cBlurr is the Colour of My True Love\u2019s Eyes\u201d and then Maurice Ravel\u2019s \u201cBol\u00e9ro,\u201d which boasts a driving snare drum and one of the most unforgettable climaxes in classical music.<\/p>\n
The 15-minute \u201cBol\u00e9ro\u201d is among the sexiest of classical compositions thanks to 10, the 1979 Blake Edward film where the music was played during a sex scene involving lead actors Bo Derek and Dudley Moore. \u201cThe piece began appearing in sensual contexts in the 1970s, when it soundtracked a documentary about gay erotica,\u201d says a post on yourclassical.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n The repetitive composition finds a drummer playing the same two-bar rhythm 170 times, \u201cturning into an orchestral automaton,\u201d notes classical-music.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only changes in the piece comes from how Ravel orchestrates the two tunes, the way he structures the piece as a single, gigantic crescendo, and the surprise modulation at its end. Ravel\u2019s \u2018Bol\u00e9ro\u2019 might be a warhorse. But it\u2019s the single most experimental piece of orchestral music in the classical-pops canon in the way its melodies and its rhythms hammer their way into your brain.\u201d<\/p>\n