 Dukas's last major work was the sumptuous oriental ballet "La Péri" (1912).Described by the composer as a "poème dansé" it depicts a young Persian prince who travels to the ends of the Earth in a quest to find the lotus flower of immortality, coming across its guardian, the Péri (fairy).Because of the very quiet opening pages of the ballet score, the composer added a brief "Fanfare pour précéder "La Peri"" which gave the typically noisy audiences of the day time to settle in their seats before the work proper began.