Program Notes | Sept. 22, 2012 | Mozart’s Austria, Brahms’ Germany
Notes researched & written by Joan Olsson
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
1770 – 1827
Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43 - 1801
The year 1802 was a year of crisis for Beethoven. Only 32 years old, he realized his impaired hearing was incurable and sure to worsen. However, he came through this period with strengthened determination, thereby entering a new creative phase generally known as his "Middle Period." Previous writing styles (classicism-inspired) no longer interested him; his mind was always searching for new ways of expression in order to become a "musical liberator of mankind from sorrow."
The ancient legend of Prometheus took on a certain topicality in turn-of-the-century Europe because of the association of then-hero Napoleon with the god who "stole fire from Parnassus in order to enlighten mankind." In these pre-Eroica symphony years, Beethoven may have wanted to show his respect for the French general by producing this ballet and its subsequent instrumental overture.
Beethoven's characteristic tension, in the form of an expectation of something "big," appears in the very first measure. The electric opening chord initiates a lyrical introduction in slow tempo, but a bolder body of the overture follows without pause. The first theme is an energetic display of rushing scales propelled by a vibrant, rhythmic energy. The work's second theme is a more delicate melody that is entrusted to the piping flutes in a duet.