Concerts Colonne
The première of the "Rapsodie" was given by the Orchestre des Concerts Colonne, conducted by Édouard Colonne, at the Théâtre du Châtelet on 15 March 1908. The critical reception was generally favourable. Dissenting voices were Pierre Lalo, who habitually disliked Ravel's music, and Gaston Carraud, who called the score "slender, inconsistent and fugitive". Otherwise there was much praise for the subtle and fresh orchestration and the picturesqueness of the music. The work was soon taken up internationally. Henry Wood gave the British premiere in October 1909 to a capacity audience at the Proms, and the following month the work was first given in New York.