One of the more morbid traditions of classical music is its focus on death anniversaries: 1991 was a big year for Mozart (particularly in the business of Requiems). The cancellation of so many #Beethoven250 concerts in 2020 was half–but only half–jokingly bright-sided by the fact that all of the programs could be resurrected for 2027.
The declaration of 2021 as a Year of Dante—in recognition of the 700th anniversary of the medieval poet and philosopher’s death—feels more right. This is, after all, the author who devoted three books to exploring souls in all three possible Catholic afterlives: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. This playlist comprises a comparatively paltry 432 years of music, but offers a tour through the musical receptions and revivals of one of literature’s most enduring figures, whose allegory for the human experience constantly re-circles into relevance.
A “Divine Comedy” Playlist
432 years of Dante’s musical influence
