Inferno

About

Premiered in 1857, Franz Liszt’s Dante Symphony was originally conceived as an immersive spectacle, with projected images and mechanical effects, a vision now reimagined by artist Mat Collishaw. Drawing on historical depictions of Dante’s Divine Comedy and imagery of man‑made climate change, Collishaw’s film reframes the 14th‑century warning through scenes of environmental destruction. Across the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer and auditorium, projections, sound and live orchestral performance pull the audience into a multi‑dimensional underworld, confronting open‑pit mining, deforestation, melting ice and human displacement. The evening also places Liszt alongside works by Hildegard of Bingen, Couperin and Messiaen, plus the world premiere of Fiona Brice’s My Precious Fool with lyrics by TaliaBle. Inferno is commissioned and produced by the Southbank Centre and BBC Concert Orchestra in the UK, with Insula Orchestra, Paris, and Pont Neuf.