König Stephan (King Stephen): Overture op. 117

“King Stephen or Hungary’s First Benefactor,” for reciting voice, chorus and orchestra, was part of a triptych of stage music for the opening of the German Theater in Pest. Having exhausted the inaugural circumstances, however, the music continued on its way. Thus of “König Stephan,” which began as a tribute to Stephen I, a symbolic figure for the Hungarian people, the magnificent Overture survived. More than just a theatrical prelude, the piece builds an epic aura around the ruler: the solemn introduction evokes the sacredness of his power, while the momentum of the subsequent themes reflects the image of an energetic and benevolent ruler. Between heroic strains and bright flickers of the woodwinds, Beethoven transforms the official dedication into a broader musical celebration, capable of speaking not only to local history but to the universal ideal of a community finding strength in its own identity.

Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus (The Creatures of Prometheus): Overture op. 43a

It is not immediate to associate Beethoven with dance. Yet in 1801 even the genius from Bonn allowed himself to be tempted by ballet for the first and last time, aided by the presence of the Neapolitan Salvatore Viganò as Maître de ballet in Vienna. The Creatures of Prometheus thus went down in history as Beethoven’s only choreographic score. The subject is based on the famous titan who shapes his creatures with clay, infusing them with life thanks to a lightning bolt stolen from the sky; disappointed by the absence of feelings and reasoning, Prometheus thinks of destroying them, but Pan convinces him to take the Creatures to Mount Parnassus to make them better through the Arts.

Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major op. 60

“A slender Greek maiden between two Nordic giants.” This is how Robert Schumann depicted Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony, “squeezed” between the imposing Eroica and the legendary Fifth. But even if in this Fourth Symphony Beethoven abandons experimentalism, it does not mean he lacks originality and inventiveness. The first movement, from the slow, mysterious introduction that flows into an enthralling Allegro, displays heights of imagination and fluidity of writing that are hard to match. Also noteworthy is the liveliness of timbre, with the kettledrum in evidence, dictating the impetuous buildup and release of energy. And another masterpiece is the Adagio, which Hector Berlioz called a dream of purity, tenderness and voluptuousness, “so perfect that it seems to have been written by a melancholy angel overlooking the Empyrean.”