Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (L'Apprenti sorcier)

Leonard Bernstein talks, plays the piano, leads his New York Philharmonic and even sings to present his view of 'Humor in Music'.

The Yuja Wang album that everyone has been waiting for wows with musical miniatures that are short, sweet, and huge in impact. These encore pieces by Scriabin, Gluck, Rachmaninov, Chopin and others will enthrall Yuja Wang’s fans with challenging technical demands and the bravura precision of her execution. The variety of styles – which includes neo-Classical, Impressionist, Romantic, jazz - in addition to the quality of the arrangements of pieces that are adaptations, provides a welcome and yet unique listening experience.

Bringing magic and music together in a fun, interactive collection this compilation encourages children to explore their imaginations, expand their minds with fun facts and stories and listen to some of the world’s greatest Classical Music. The collection features Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Flight of the Bumble Bee and many other well-loved favourites. Children will be invited to see how sorcerers, magical toys, wondrous heroes and fantastical creatures come to life in Classical Music.

A fully illustrated 32 page booklet presents a mystical journey through magical music encouraging the young ready to hear, see and recreate as much as possible. The text is designed to be read either by an older child of 5 or 6 or with an adult for the younger children. The writer is Sarah Breeden noted for the fun and informative programmes she has written for the BBC Children’s Proms.

Paul Dukas (1865-1935) was extremely critical of his own work and destroyed a great deal. This accounts for the fact that he left a remarkably small catalogue of works. Aside from the incredibly popular Sorcerer's Apprentice most of his work remains relatively little-known to the majority of music lovers. The Symphony in C is a particularly fine work that will appeal to anyone familar with the symphonies of Franck, Chausson and d'Indy, and the Piano Sonata is a substantial work that rewards repeated listening. La Péri of 1912 was Dukas' last major work; for the remainder of his life he remained, like Sibelius, almost silent as a composer, concentrating on his work as a composition teacher at the Paris Conservatoire. It was at the Conservatoire that his pupils included a new generation of 20th century composers, among them Maurice Duruflé, Olivier Messiaen, Jean Langlais, Carlos Chavez and Joaquín Rodrigo.

A disc of popular orchestral works by Paul Dukas performed by veteran French conductor, Jean Fournet, who enjoyed a 20-year association with Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. This recording receives a Penguin Guide Top Recommendation.

‘The Fournet recording is amongst the best ever……… this is second to none. Given the marvellously expansive yet well-focused recording, this deserves a strong recommendation’ Penguin Guide

From Roussel's delightful tribute to the animal kingdom in Le festin de l'araignee via two of Dukas' symphonic masterpieces (The Sorcerer's Apprentice in state-of-the-art sound) to Chausson's powerful and massive Symphony in B flat, this generous anthology in the Decca Ansermet Legacy features the conductor in music he knew intimately and performed inimitably.

A delightful programme of French music for two pianos and four hands from Onyx artist Pascal Rogé and his wife Ami. The music is a mix of the urbane, witty, tender, passionate and dramatic – from Saint-Saëns’ sparkling ‘Wedding Cake’ Caprice, to the passion and eroticism of Ravel’s ‘La Valse’,the drama of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Dukas and the gentle and sophisticated romanticism of Faure’s Dolly Suite.

Paul Chihara’s ‘Ami Suite’ was written for Pascal and Ami, and here receives its world premiere recording.