Beneath the Surface #2 – Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Cantate Velléda and Polyeucte

Composer: Paul Dukas (French, 1865-1935)

Works: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1897), Polyeucte (1891), Cantate Velléda (1888)

Performers: Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth

Label: Actes Sud Musicales

Background and Critical Reception

Paul Dukas was a French composer and critic, a man of few published works but one who is rightly regarded as one of the pioneers in his country’s abundance of fine composers in the twentieth-century. He has remained in the shadow of his more famous friend, Debussy, but in the little music he has left us there is clearly an accomplished mind at work.

Dukas was an intensely self-critical man, and a number of setbacks during his training at the Paris Conservatoire knocked his confidence. This means we only get to hear a very small proportion of his output, with just three works making it through to publication in the 1890s for instance. One of these, L’apprenti Sorcier (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice), by far his most successful work, enjoying prominence in his output at the expense of almost everything else. It was used by Disney for the Fantasia film in 1940, since when it has often been heard on television and adverts, and it makes a sparkling concert opener.

It is rare indeed for anything else by Dukas to be heard in the concert hall, which is a shame as there are a number of important works. His Symphony in C is highly regarded and has been recorded by conductors such as Charles Munch, Leonard Slatkin and Yan Pascal Tortelier, while his more descriptive music includes the single act ballet from 1912, La Péri. For the piano he wrote a formidable and unusual Piano Sonata in 1902, taking Beethoven as his inspiration in a work that lasts around 40 minutes, exerting massive technical demands on its performer.

Just one published opera survives in the Dukas output, the three-act Ariane et Barbe-bleue from 1907, adapted from a play by Maurice Maertelinck and admired the following year by Schoenberg, Berg and Webern. Like all of the composer’s music, however, it has not enjoyed the popularity of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.



This new disc from Les Siècles and François-Xavier Roth begins with that piece, but uses it cleverly as an overture for the main act, a first ever recording of the cantata Velléda. This is a piece Dukas submitted for the Prix de Rome in 1888, setting a prescribed text by Fernand Beissier. It secured him second place (the prize winner was Camille Erlanger) in a year that also included Debussy’s La Damoiselle élue.
Velléda tells the story of an impossible love affair between a Roman (Eudore) and a druidess (Velléda), who is driven to suicide by her own father. It is set as a cantata in a prelude and three substantial scenes, the whole work clocking in at roughly half an hour.

The disc ends with the overture Polyeucte, a response to Pierre Corneille’s tragic tale completed in 1891, when the composer’s confidence was at a particularly low ebb. However this piece was modelled on a template from the Prix de Rome itself, and is described in the booklet for this release as the ‘polar opposite’ of L’apprenti sorcier.

Thoughts

Often the best way to discover a composer’s less familiar side is to listen to a disc that contains one of their most popular works. This new release is ideal, for by beginning with L’Apprenti Sorcier it sets the scene perfectly. The thoroughbred receives a really enjoyable performance here, partly because Les Siècles are performing it on instruments of the period. With a little less vibrato but no compromise on instrumental colour, the slightly reduced forces give a sharply defined performance, operating at quite a quick tempo. Roth brings out the jauntiness of the bassoon theme and its repetitions elsewhere in the orchestra, while not losing the ability to make his audience jump with sudden loud dynamics, and the whole performance puts a smile on the face.

After this the prelude to Velléda feels like a luxury, with some lovely languid orchestral textures boosted by a softly swooning violin solo. As the music unfolds you can really get an idea of Dukas’ orchestral craft, as he creates some beautiful sounds.

It is at this point that the influence of Wagner reveals itself – and this was a key element for a large number of French composers, Debussy included, who were writing at the time. As Velléda progresses so it is clear Wagner’s penchant for long phrases and sumptuous textures is something Dukas also aspires to. Vocally he writes very well, and both soprano Chantal Santon and tenor Julian Dran, playing the lovers, benefit as they float above the orchestra.

The Polyeucte overture is a treat. It is also highly Wagnerian but does not become heavy going thanks to its lucid orchestration, which Roth brings out in this colourful performance. Most of it is slow, and though the underlying current is quite tragic, the music is poignant and largely warm hearted. The faster episodes are optimistic and supply energy where needed, but the piece ultimately subsides to a restful close.

Although these are live recordings they are very well reproduced.

Verdict

I’m not quite sure that Velléda is the best piece to start with for Dukas – the Symphony in C might be a better bet – but if you are not yet familiar with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice then I would endorse this beautifully documented disc without hesitation. Once you’ve heard Velléda a few times you ought to find it easier to get swept up in the drama, while Polyeucte is a thoroughly enjoyable and colourful postscript.

Further Listening

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Next week's listening tbc