French court to rule on whether Bolero was Ravel’s work alone

Decision in favour of claimants, backed by Ravel’s estate, would put Bolero back under copyright until 2039

A French court is due to rule on whether Bolero, one of the best-known classical music pieces in the world, was written by Maurice Ravel alone, in a decision with big financial stakes.

Ravel first performed Bolero at the Paris Opera in 1928 and it was an immediate sensation. He died 10 years later and his heirs earned millions of dollars until the copyright ran out in 2016 and the work passed into the public domain.

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