In an analysis of the work in The Musical Quarterly in 1928, the critic Irving Schwerké wrote: Variations on a Theme by Rameau … was performed for the first time, by Édouard Risler, at the Société Nationale, March 23, 1903.
Sometimes the composer utilizes the merest portion of the theme, again he fits entirely new material into the thematic pattern.
Each variation reveals Paul Dukas' mastery of traditional forms, his virtuosity as a writer, and the poetic quality of his sensibility.
[1]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 (1902).
[2] Lockspeiser describes the Variations as "more developed and assured" than the Sonata: "Dukas infuses the conventional form with a new and powerful spirit.