This monumental work, lasting more than 45 minutes, represents more than half of the total duration of Dukas' piano output. The composer started to work on it in 1899, and completed it in 1901. Pierre Lalo wrote a rave review of the premiere, comparing the work favorably to Chopin's sonatas. In one of his critical essays, Debussy wrote: "The piece evokes a beauty comparable to the most perfect lines found in architecture." It is a sumptuous work in the tradition of Franck's Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue, which it in many ways resembles, especially in the spacious first movement, Modérément vif, written in a carefully blurred sonata form, with a relentless accompaniment. The slow second movement is based on a deliberately simple hymn-like melody that keeps recurring in different elaborations. The third movement is a scherzo in ABA form. The central section is a fugue, probably following the much-admired model of late Beethoven. In the words of Debussy, this movement "shows the art of controlling the emotional content at its best." The slow finale represents Dukas at his most Lisztian. It opens with a series of chords followed by a vanishing melody. Gradually, a forceful theme in minor takes shape. After extensive elaboration arrives a new, noble theme in major mode, accompanied by repeated chords. A long development follows, with ample opportunity for virtuosic display. The themes are recapitulated, leading to a beautiful coda.

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