Ludwig van Beethoven could not have bequeathed us a more exhilarating final movement for his Seventh Symphony. Richard Wagner saw it as the «apotheosis of dance». Hector Berlioz also had an opinion about this milestone in Beethoven’s symphonic work, comparing the opening movement to a «ronde de paysans», a «peasant dance». Berlioz himself excelled as a melodist with his «Nuits d´été». And the overture to Beethoven’s only major ballet music has now become part of the orchestra’s standard repertoire: «The Creatures of Prometheus» was, like the Seventh Symphony, premiered to enormous acclaim in Vienna.