Almost 90 years after its premiere, the popular orchestral work is now free to perform.

After a lengthy and complex legal battle, Maurice Ravel’s Bolero has become public domain, meaning that it is available to be performed for free almost 90 years since its first performance. The work has been performed almost continuously since its premiere in 1928, and thanks to its ubiquity it has become one of the most recognisable classical pieces ever penned. It has featured in countless films, television programmes and advertising campaigns, but perhaps most famously, it was used as the soundtrack to British figure skaters Torvill and Dean’s perfect scoring routine at the 1984 Winter Olympics. 

Making an estimated €50 million in royalties since 1960, Ravel’s short orchestral piece, which obsessively explores a simple but enigmatic melody over a hypnotically repeating rhythm, is one of classical music’s most regularly programmed pieces. However, it was received as both a work of genius and a “monstrosity” by Ravel’s contemporaries following its first performance. Mr. Laurent Petitgirard from France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers said: “We are accustomed to saying that a performance of Bolero begins every 10 minutes in the world. As the work...