Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus op. 43a

Beethoven composed the music for The Creatures of Prometheus 1800 following a commission from Salvatore Viganò, ballet master at the Vienna Court Theatre, who asked Beethoven to write a score for the ballet of the same name. The shortened piano arrangement of the ballet music was dedicated to Princess Maria Christine Lichnowsky, née Countess of Thun-Hohenstein. Her husband, Prince Karl Lichnowsky, was a supporter of Beethoven, and owned the house at Alser Strasse 10, where Beethoven lived for a time.

Of all the music in the original score, only the energetic overture has survived to take its place in the modern concert repertoire as a distinct work independent of the ballet. This audio sample presents a performance conducted by Felix Weingartner (1863–1942), one of the first conductors whose work is documented by an extensive back-catalogue of recordings. He was also the first conductor in history to record all of Beethoven's symphonies. He held numerous high-profile roles in the world of opera during his career, not least conducting the Vienna Court Opera from 1908 to 1911 and again 1935-1936, and taking charge of the Vienna Volksoper from 1919 to 1924. His precise handling of the baton made his reputation as the epitome of the elegant conductor.
(Constanze Köhn)