Inspired by the Greek myth of Prometheus – who angered the gods by stealing their fire and giving it to humanity – the “allegorical ballet” reimagines the figure based on Enlightenment ideals.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus (The Creatures of Prometheus), op. 43
Selections—
Overture. Adagio – Allegro molto e con brio
Introduzione. La Tempesta. Allegro non troppo
I. Poco Adagio – Allegro con brio
II. Adagio – Allegro con brio
III. Allegro vivace
IV. Maestoso – Andante
V. Adagio – Andante quasi Allegretto
VIII. Marcia. Allegro con brio –Presto
X. Pastorale. Allegro
XI. Coro di Gioja. Andante
XII. Solo di Gioja. Maestoso –Adagio – Allegro
XIII. Terzettino – Grotteschi. Allegro – Comodo
XV. Coro, Solo di Viganò. Andantino – Adagio – Allegro
XVI. Finale. Allegretto – Allegro molto – Presto
The scurrying strings in the Overture to Ludwig van Beethoven’s ballet Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus (The Creatures of Prometheus), op. 43, sound almost Mozartean. Beethoven was working on his Second Symphony when the Italian-born dancer and choreographer Salvatore Viganò approached him about providing music for a ballet he was creating for the Viennese court. Beethoven had tried his hand at ballet music ten years earlier with his Ritterballet in Bonn, but The Creatures of Prometheus would be his only full-length ballet. Keen to establish his name in Vienna and excited by the subject matter, he brought a lightness to this music in keeping with audience expectations of the form.
Inspired by the Greek myth of Prometheus – who angered the gods by stealing their fire
and giving it to humanity – the “allegorical ballet” reimagines the figure based on Enlightenment ideals. As the playbill from the first performance puts it, Prometheus was “a lofty spirit who, finding the human beings of his time in a state of ignorance, refined them through art and knowledge and gave them laws of right conduct.”
Viganò tells the story with pantomime through a series of tableaux or scenes. While the original scenario was lost, we have a summary from the playbill, contemporary accounts and a description by Viganò’s biographer Carlo Ritorni. Essentially, Prometheus brings two statues to life (Viganò himself danced the male statue), before calling upon a line-up of gods to instruct them in art and beauty.
While the music may have a surprising delicacy compared with Beethoven’s overall output, it was still deemed “too learned for a ballet” by a critic in Vienna when it premiered in 1801. The Overture, however, has enjoyed a long life in the concert hall.
Overture. Adagio – Allegro molto e con brio
Following bold, curtain-raising chords and a hymn-like melody, the strings of the Allegro are sunny, with an effervescence that recalls Mozart’s Overture for The Marriage of Figaro.
Introduzione. La Tempesta. Allegro non troppo
The skies darken with shivering low strings as Prometheus, with the gods’ fire, is pursued by Zeus.
Act I
I. Poco Adagio – Allegro con brio
Prometheus is overjoyed as the fire brings the statues to life – they become a man and a woman and take their first steps.
II. Adagio – Allegro con brio
To Prometheus’ frustration, the humans are capable of neither thought nor feeling.
III. Allegro vivace
Prometheus resolves to bring the humans to Apollo, to have them educated in the arts.
Act II
IV. Maestoso – Andante
Prometheus presents the humans to Apollo on Mount Parnassus.
V. Adagio – Andante quasi Allegretto
Beethoven rarely used the harp in his music, but he brought it out here for the humans’ first music lesson – from the gods Amphion, Euterpe, Orpheus and Arion – the beauty of which awakens feeling in them.
VIII. Marcia. Allegro con brio – Presto
With drums and winds, the god Mars inspires in the humans a desire for military glory in a rousing march.
X. Pastorale. Allegro
In a foreshadowing of Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, this pastoral movement is a shepherd’s dance, led by Pan.
XI. Coro di Gioja. Andante
XII. Solo di Gioja. Maestoso –Adagio – Allegro
Ferdinando Gioja danced the role of Dionysus, the god of wine, and the 11th and 12th numbers in the ballet were a chance for him to take the spotlight.
XIII. Terzettino – Grotteschi. Allegro – Comodo
By this point in the ballet, the main ‘plot’ has given way to a series of showcase dances – such as this trio of ‘grotesques’, or comic dances.
XV. Coro, Solo di Viganò. Andantino – Adagio – Allegro
Viganò himself takes centre stage with a solo as the male statue/human.
XVI. Finale. Allegretto – Allegro molto – Presto
According to Ritorni, “the fable ends in festive dancing.” Beethoven revisited this movement’s main theme on several occasions, including in the Finale of his Symphony No. 3, ‘Eroica’.
© Angus McPherson, 2023