Dante, Pt I “Inferno”

1. Abandon Hope–  

As shocking as ice, cruel as fire.

Abandon hope, thy fate is dire.

2. The Selfish–stung by wasps

Shock! And Jump! No glory in you.

 God, and Satan, bid Adieu.

3. The Ferryman

Slow and sly, in a murk of dark

From the bleak shores go, disembark.

4. Pavan of the Souls in Limbo–

Flow, and turn in garbs of purple.

The great minds churn in empty circles.

5. Paolo and Francesca–the endless whirlwind

Round and round goes eternal love

Blissful and bleak, angry, beloved.  

6. The Gluttons–in slime

Dirt; grainy, thick and squirming

Wide eyes search for sky, never emerging

7. The Suicides–the bleeding trees

Horror, branches dripping and sobbing

Flesh trapped and torn by Harpies robbing

8. The Deviants–on burning sand–

Sprinting, chattering with soles boiling through.

Dancing on sunlike sand clinging as if glue

9. The Fortune-tellers–facing both ways

Walking in reverse, cruel crying clowns

Lacking humor, crying anguished sounds

10. The Pope’s Adagio–heads first–

Oh unfortunate Pope, dare you offend

Now into black rock with burning soles you descend

11. The Hypocrites–in coats of lead

Crumple and crush with the weight of a whale

Impossible to feel or grasp, your body is your jail

12. The Thieves–devoured by reptiles

Racing as a heart attack, no escape from metamorphosis.

Demons roar and laugh, your terror forms a circus.

13. Satan–in the lake of ice

Tears freeze

Humanity rots.

Thomas Adés orchestral composition was first performed in 2022 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. It is split into the three canticles of the Divine Comedy; ‘Inferno,’ ‘Purgatorio,’ and ‘Paradiso.’ Adés’ ‘Inferno,’ has thirteen sections which represent key moments of the Inferno such as the nine circles and significant figures.

This is not the first time an orchestral composition about the Divine Comedy was composed. In the 19th century Franz Liszt wrote ‘A Dante Symphony.’ According to the New York Times, Adés wrote ‘Inferno’ as a love letter to Liszt, whom he referred to as ‘my Virgil.’

The composition uses a multitude of textures and colors to create the atmosphere of hell, illustrating the suffering, anguish and brutality that is experienced. I decided to write a short poem about each of the thirteen sections in order to add another layer with which to experience the music. I chose a simple rhyming couplet for each stanza so as to not take away from the music, but to make a short interjection. The thirteenth stanza purposefully does not rhyme to illustrate the simplicity and ultimate suffering that the souls of the ninth circle experience.

Caleb Anderson

Works Cited:

1. Barone, Joshua. “Review: Thomas Adés Charts a Journey through Hell and Heaven.” The New York Times, 9 Apr. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/04/29/arts/music/ades-dante-la-phil-review.html.
2. Adés, Thomas. Dante. New York, New York: Nonesuch Records, 2023
3. Symphony, Dante. “Dante Symphony, S.109 / Franz Liszt [Notated Music].” Performing Arts Databases, 2022, memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.music.ismn.52342/#:~:text=Composed%20in%201855%2D56%2C%20Liszt’s,colors%20and%20daring%20harmonic%20schemes.