Variations, Interlude and Finale on a Theme by Rameau


The Variations, Interlude and Finale on a Theme by Rameau were composed by Paul Dukas between 1899 and 1902. The work was first performed in Paris in 1903.

Structure

Reception

In an analysis of the work in The Musical Quarterly in 1928, the critic Irving Schwerké wrote:
In the first decade of the 20th century, following the immense success of his orchestral work The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Dukas completed two complex and technically demanding large-scale works for solo piano: the Piano Sonata, dedicated to Camille Saint-Saëns, and the Variations, Interlude and Finale on a Theme by Rameau. In Dukas's piano works critics have discerned the influence of Beethoven, or, "Beethoven as he was interpreted to the French mind by César Franck". Lockspeiser describes the Variations as "more developed and assured" than the Sonata: "Dukas infuses the conventional form with a new and powerful spirit." Both works were premiered by Édouard Risler, a celebrated pianist of the era.