“Prometheus” Symphonic Poem No.5 – Franz Liszt

Budapest Symphony Orchestra conducted by Árpád Joó.

I – Allegro energico ed agitato assai – Maestoso, un poco ritenuto il tempo – Andante (Recitativo) – Allegro molto appassionato – Ritenuto il tempo (quasi recitativo) – Allegro moderato – Poco a poco accelerando il tempo (sin’ al Allegro agitato assai) – Tempo I (Allegro energico ed agitato assai) – Andante (Recitativo) – Allegro molto appassionato – Stretto. Più animato – Poco a poco sempre più stringendo sin’ al fine: 0:00

Liszt’s “Prometheus” was composed in 1850, conceived as an overture followed by eight choruses with orchestral accompaniment for Johann Gottfried Herder’s “Prometheus Unbound”. Since Liszt had little experience composing for orchestral forces at the time, the piece was orchestrated by Joachim Raff, being premiered on August 24 of 1850 at the Herder Festival in Weimar. In 1855, Liszt revised the overture and transformed it into a symphonic poem, which was performed on October 18 of 1855.

Liszt’s inspiration for this short work was, naturally, the myth of Prometheus, a narrative that includes among its themes the endurance of pain and suffering for the sake of mankind’s enlightenment. The Greek myth tells of Prometheus being a Titan that had not only created man from clay, but stole fire from Zeus and gave it to man. As punishment, Prometheus was chained to a rock where every day an eagle came to eat his liver. It would regenerate back, and the eagle returned to consume it in a continuous cycle. Liszt explores heroic themes that represent Prometheus and enlightenment, as well as tumultuous struggles in a central fugal development.

The work opens with harsh, dissonant chords as an introduction. From these hammering chords, the main theme is introduced, which represents Prometheus himself, suffering in the chained rocks. As with the rest of Liszt’s symphonic poems, the whole work is derived from this single theme. It unfolds in form of a lament, reminiscent of Liszt’s “Tasso: Lament and Triumph”. A passionate outburst arrives and leads us to a more lyrical and hopeful variation of the main theme on the cellos, offering us contrast. A fugue then begins on the main theme, representing the struggles of the titan against adversity. It ends with the same hammering chords of the beginning, followed by a recapitulation of the lament material. The anguished main theme reappears in a new orchestral outburst, followed by the lyrical variation. A triumphal coda contrapuntally combines all the materials towards an exhilarating ending, representing the liberation of Prometheus by Heracles.

Picture: “Prometheus” (1868) by the French painter Gustave Moreau.

Musical analysis partially written by myself. Sources: https://t.ly/ERfTA and https://t.ly/azZmR

To check the score: https://t.ly/o4JLf