Composed in 1984 - 85, this unique dramatic and philosophical work of over two hours duration is written for recorded and live singing and speaking voices, chorus (at times acapella), four orchestral groups, and many solo instruments including tuned glasses. It is intended as a "dramma in musica" (a drama in music) and uses electronic sound - projection techniques (amplification, distribution, reverberation, echo, etc.) to enhance the acoustic space. Nono pointed out that his previous "azione scenica" (scenic action) entitled Al gran sole carico d'amore, a lavish stage spectacle about failed revolutions of the twentieth century, was a "monster of resources, of everything. It's unbelievably limited". With Prometeo, he went the other direction and avoided all historical references and theatricality. "I needed to rethink my whole work and my whole existence not only as a musician but as an intellectual in today's society."

"We must learn to live with the plurality of times and spaces, with multiplicities and with differences" (Massimo Cacciari, librettist for "Prometeo" and philosopher). Prometheus is thus a wanderer in this world. The texts of Prometeo are fragments from Greek, Italian and German classics, modern philosophy, poetry and mythology. Often even these incomplete texts are further dissolved into sound by Nono's compositional techniques, and are no longer recognizable as words. Instrumental doublings of vocal pitches also give the illusion of the voices as textures. The work is organized into a Prologue with five Islands, "Hölderlin (Mythologia)", "Io - Prometheus", "First and Second Stasimon", "First and Second Interlude", and "Tre Voci" (Three Voices). An unremitting atmosphere of mystery and spiritual transparency pervades the continuously evolving invention of the work. This invites the listener to return again, perhaps to reconsider what is meant by the experience of being a listener.

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