PAUL DUKAS Fanfare to Precede La Péri
“ Music necessarily has to express something .” – Dukas
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Born 1865 in Paris , France ; died 1935 in Paris , France
• Born into a Jewish family in Paris , Dukas studied the piano growing up but didn ’ t show great musical talent until he began to compose while recovering from an illness in his teens .
• After graduating from the Paris Conservatory , Dukas maintained a dual career as a composer and storied music critic .
• As a composer , Dukas was a notorious perfectionist who destroyed many of his pieces with which he was dissatisfied . As a result , few of his works remain . His most well-known work , The Sorcerer ’ s Apprentice , reached such great heights that it eclipsed many of the composer ’ s other works and became a source of irritation to Dukas .
• Although Dukas subscribed to neither the polarizing progressive nor conservative movements in France at the time , he managed to earn the respect of both camps throughout his career .
FUN FACT
Olivier Messiaen was one of Dukas ’ students at the Paris Conservatory .
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
1912
MUSIC Gustav Mahler ’ s Symphony No . 9 is premiered
ART Henri Matisse ’ s The Conversation
HISTORY The sinking of the Titanic
ABOUT THE PIECE
• Written in 1912 , this brass-heavy fanfare was the opening to a oneact ballet .
• The piece depicts a young prince who travels to the ends of the Earth in a quest to find the lotus flower of immortality .
• La Péri was the last major piece Dukas ever wrote and , though not as famous as The Sorcerer ’ s Apprentice , is considered his most sophisticated work .
LITERATURE Franz Kafka ’ s “ The Judgement ”
OTHER Girl Scouts of the USA is founded
6 BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA