Ludwig van Beethoven The Creatures of Prometheus op. 43

Ludwig van Beethoven's ballet music The Creatures of Prometheus or The Power of Music and Dance (actually Gli uomini di Prometeo) was created in 1800/01 for Salvatore Viganò, the ballet master at the Vienna Court Theatre. Beethoven had become a European celebrity, which is reflected in the fact that Prometheus is the only ballet of Viganò's whose music was entrusted to a single composer. The original libretto has been lost, but the plot can be reconstructed from reports and reviews. The theme resonated with Beethoven. He felt a kinship with the ancient Greek Titan who revolts against the gods and brings fire, and thus culture, to mankind. Furthermore, he was drawn to the storyline in which humans become educated beings through engagement with art and science. Friedrich Schiller's treatise On the Aesthetic Education of Man (1795), which demands precisely this, surely won his approval – and remains pressing relevant to this day.