Scherzo Frenetico

Scherzo Frenetico is the second movement of Daniel Basford's extended work, Symphony No.1 'Prometheus'. The Symphony was begun as pure music without a programme, but it soon became apparent that it took on parallels with another work he was planning about the well-known story of Prometheus and, although it is not an exact description of the Prometheus story, it became a commentary on it. The second movement, a wild scherzo, draws its inspiration from the text of Shelley's poem, Prometheus Unbound. The music is frantic and insistent, suggesting Zeus' anger at Prometheus and the loss of control caused by his theft of fire which he gifted to man who misused it.