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Beethoven: "Creatures of Prometheus" Op. 43

DW staff (kjb)October 1, 2008

In 1800, the ballet master at Vienna's Hoftheater Salvatore Vigano asked Beethoven to compose the music for his new ballet about the cunning Greek god Prometheus, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals.

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Jonathan Nott
Jonathan Nott conductedImage: Priska Ketterer

The work became an instant success and was performed 29 times the following season. Unfortunately, neither Vigano's choreography nor the original libretto were preserved; Beethoven's Opus 43 is all that remains.

Under the direction of conductor Jonathan Nott, the Bamberger Symphoniker and Bayerische Staatsphilharmonie performed Beethoven's "Creatures of Prometheus" in a special version containing spoken texts by Hanns Zischler. The concert in Bonn brought the 2008 Beethovenfest to a close.