Paul Dukas is famed for his brilliant, meticulously scored symphonic scherzo The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, first performed in 1897, which almost immediately entered the international repertoire. It was subsequently the focus of a ballet and later Walt Disney’s film Fantasia. Magical scoring is also a feature of La péri, a poème dansé of great imaginative verve. The delightful, colourful Symphony in C was composed mid-way between these works. For this recording, manuscript sources for the three works were consulted, including the hitherto private proofs of the first edition of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, ensuring rigorously faithful performances.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is one of the great orchestral showpieces and internationally famous. It was used in the Disney film, Fantasia. La Péri is less well-known but delightfully orchestrated and full of interest. The Symphony in C is not as often performed as it should be for so colourful a score - but it has attracted on disc conductors such as Yan-Pascal Tortelier, Jean Fournet, Jean Martinon, Walter Weller, Leonard Slatkin and a number of others. For this recording the original manuscript sources for all three works have been consulted, ensuring that the composer’s intentions are honoured.