On December 20, Dan Ettinger leads the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra in a riveting program at Beethoven Hall, featuring four works by Ravel: La Valse, Valses nobles et sentimentales, Don Quixote à Dulcinée and, his famous Boléro.

A sultry slow-burn, Boléro had its genesis as a commission from the dancer Ida Rubinstein, who asked Ravel to make an orchestral transcription of six pieces from Isaac Albéniz’s set of piano pieces, Iberia. The composition was a sensational success and is now a staple in the repertoire of symphony orchestras around the world. The concert program opens with Andrè Schuen, whose “dark baritone is one of the most beautiful things you can currently experience.” With Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte, he sings of infinite longing and love that overcomes space and time.