Dante

About

The supplied material documents Benjamin Godard's opera as a historical work and an associated modern-edition recording and production. It does not describe a contemporary director-led staging, set design, costume design, lighting design, or choreographic concept. The production concept centers on Godard's musical treatment of Dante Alighieri's life and the Divine Comedy. It combines political material, including crowd scenes in Florence and the conflict between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, with medieval courtly love. A distinctive structural element is a large Vision synthesizing the Divine Comedy in music. Act III moves between imaginary Hell and Paradise, with Virgil, the damned, infernal turmoil, divine light, and the apotheosis of Beatrice. The associated Bru Zane recording features the Chorus of the Bavarian Radio, the Munich Radio Orchestra, and conductor Ulf Schirmer.