If you remember the 1980s, you remember Ravel’s “Boléro.” Although the work became a fixture on orchestral programs shortly after its premiere in 1928, the ’80s was arguably the decade of peak “Boléro” saturation, bookended by the soundtrack for the 1979 Dudley Moore comedy, “10,” and Frank Zappa’s 1991 album, “The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life.” At the zenith between these two points, British ice-dancing superstars Torvill and Dean won a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics with a routine that became the highest-scoring figure-skating program of all time. Its music? “Boléro.” At the time, I was three years old and lived in Australia, but I remember the mania for both the performance and the music. That endless melody triple-lutzed in my head from a young age.
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Philadelphia-based composer Melissa Dunphy specializes in political, vocal, and theatrical music. Her notable works include the Gonzales Cantata, featured on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” song... More by Melissa Dunphy
