Album insights
Beethoven composed his first ballet, the "Ritterballett," in Bonn in 1791 for Count Waldstein, who himself claimed authorship but was a rather modest creation. Ten years later, he received a commission for a more impressive project—a pantomimic ballet on the theme of Prometheus. The plot and choreography were crafted by Salvatore Viganó, a renowned Italian dancer and composer, a protégé of Boccherini.
During Emperor Leopold II's reign, ballet had become a popular form of entertainment in Vienna, thanks to the efforts of the French dancer Jean-Georges Noverre. His reforms replaced the refined Italian style with a simpler, less extravagant form of dance that utilized the drama of the narrative.
No copy of the original Prometheus creature's program has survived, so the planned story for each musical part cannot be definitively determined. According to a biography by Carlo Ritorni, during the introduction to "La Tempesta," Prometheus is depicted as being chased through the forest by the wrath of the heavens, in a loud musical prelude scenario.
Beethoven provided an overture and sixteen numbers, most lacking titles beyond tempo instructions. Noteworthy details include Beethoven's emphasis on the harp in the "Adagio—Andante quasi allegretto," an instrument he rarely used, and solo passages for the basset horn, unusual for him, in the "Solo della Casentini." Mlle Casentini, Beethoven's Prima ballerina, was featured in this piece.
The main theme's Allegro section was later used in the Overture to "The Consecration of the House," Op. 124, and the "Grand Finale" references two contredanses as well as the theme later utilized by Beethoven in variations for piano in Op. 35 and in the last movement of the "Eroica" Symphony.
Through blending three ancient myths—Pygmalion, Orpheus, and Prometheus—the ballet portrays humanity's place in the universe. Beethoven might have seen it as a secular counterpart to Haydn's oratorio "The Creation." In later years, he expressed the belief that music must ignite a fire within people, considering it a powerful force.
Did Beethoven see himself in the depiction of Prometheus, the bearer of spiritual fire to humanity? The music for The Creatures of Prometheus marked a turning point in Beethoven's career, transitioning from the Classical to the Romantic era. His subsequent works like the "Eroica," Fidelio, and the Violin Concerto explored this new realm after completing the ballet.
By the end of the 18th century, composers were often servants of the nobility, fulfilling duties for the church or royal court. Upon leaving Bonn in 1792, Beethoven never held a permanent position as a musician again. His deafness isolated him from society while his genius elevated him above his peers. Beethoven became an independent creator, operating by his own standards, viewed by many as divine and beyond mortal constraints—a titan akin to Prometheus himself.