Track 3 of Rhapsody & Luca Turilli’s Ascending to Infinity is titled “Dante’s Inferno”. —Luca Turilli, “Dante’s Inferno,” Wikipedia, June 22, 2012 (retrieved January 25, 2024).
“We Beheld Once Again the Stars (Riveder le Stelle)” by Z. Randall Stroope
“Dante Alighieri was born in Florence, Italy, in 1265 into a low-aristocracy family. Besides his mastery of philosophy, theology , and poetry, Dante also pursued a political career and held some important posts. His best known work as a literary figure is the Divine Commedia (Divine Comedy), a wonderful literary expression of medieval culture. This work is about the story of Pilgrim and their trials and tribulations as they journeyed from the Inferno (hero) on to Purgatory, and finally to Paradiso (heaven). The Pilgrim’s travel is full of danger and adventure but they are absolutely dedicated to reaching the “supreme light” (Paradiso). This work picks up the story where the Pilgrim has finally realized they have found the way to Paradise.
“The two choirs are separate units, and not mixed together. Further, they should be located adjacent or nearly so to each other so that the interplay of musical ideas can be realized effectively.” —Z. Randall Stroope, “We Beheld Once Again the Stars (Riveder le Stelle)”, ZRStroope, 2004 (retrieved January 25, 2024)
Watch and listen to a performance of “We Beheld Once Again the Stars (Riveder le Stelle)” here on YouTube
To preview, or purchase the score for $2.20: JWPepper
Dante’s Inferno Song, Whirlybird (2019)
On October 9, 2019, American band Whirlybird released their EP Hot Flashes which included a song called “Dante’s Inferno.” The lyrics make reference to Dante’s journey through Hell, stating: “Dante’s coming through the inferno”.
Listen to the song here.
View the full lyrics of “Dante’s Inferno” here.
Hexperos, “Midway Upon the Journey of Our Life” (2020)
Hexperos’ 2020 release, “Midway Upon the Journey of Our Life” draws inspiration from Canto I of the Inferno.
“‘Midway upon the journey of our life, we could found ourselves within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost.’ Never there was a sentence more apt to describe the disturbance we all feel at some point of our lives, when we feel lost, empty and we don’t know if the road that we have chosen, the journey of life undertaken, is actually the right one for us.
“The songs are stories of life, of sharing as well as in the Divine Comedy. As a matter of fact, who is in pain, often makes new encounters, shares their stories, through sharing and listening to the experiences of others we grow, we find a light in the darkness.” [. . .] — Alessandra Santovito, Hexperos
Listen to the song here.
Learn more about Hexperos on their website, here.
Album art by Nicolás Menay
Two essays by Lorenzo Coveri on Dante reception
For Andersen: Il Mensile di Letteratura e Illustrazione per il Mondo dell’Infanzia, Lorenzo Coveri wrote “Dante700: di tutto un pop” March 25, 2021, with many references to Dante’s reception in 20th century Italian culture.
For Mentelocale, he wrote “Dantedì 2021. Cantare Dante, da Petrolini a De André, da Jovanotti a Fedez, tra rock e poesia,” March 25, 2021.
