Fanfare (from La Péri)

This amazing fanfare comes from Paul Dukas' ballet "La Péri", or "The Flower of Immortality". It is a 1912 ballet in one act by French composer Paul Dukas, about a man's search for immortality and encounter with a mythological Peri.

According to Persian mythology, the péris are fairies and elves who are descended from fallen angels. They cannot regain paradise until penance has been done. Dukas' tale concerns a youth, Iskender, who has been roving the world looking for the lotus, the flower of immortality. At last, he finds it in the possession of a lovely péri. She is asleep. He steals it but cannot tear himself away from her for he has fallen in love. She awakens and dances to play upon his desire. Iskender, bewitched, returns the flower and both it and the péri melt into the golden light of sunset, leaving Iskender alone and desolate and recognizing that he is doomed.

This arrangement is by Robert Gower, and comes from the excellent collection, "Ceremonial Music for Organ", published by Oxford.

It surprises me the so little attention seems to have been given to the organ of the Esztergom Basilica. Though "incomplete," you can hear for yourself the sonic spectacular, complemented of course by the 10 (or is it 11?) seconds of echo!

The organ is a little "pitchy" here and there, which sort of adds to the "realism," and I had to tune one of the 3 32' reeds to use in this piece... ;-)