This is the first part of the "The Divine Comedy". The poet Virgil is sent by Beatrice to rescue Dante, a soul lost in the gloomy wood of spiritual torment. Dante's journey is the journey of "this our life". The reading is supplemented by Renaissance dance music and Gregorian chant.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From AudioFile
There are two difficulties with any reading of The Inferno from Dante's Divine Comedy. First, the work contains a vast number of Christian, classical and Italian references, which make the reader depend upon copious footnotes and put the listener at a disadvantage. However, Naxos has provided a booklet with some notes to accompany the reading. Second, to understand the Divine Comedy fully, one must know the whole work; here we have only The Inferno--without The Purgatorio or Paradiso. These difficulties aside, this is a wonderful reading of a truly great work. Williams brings this text to life through a clear, forceful reading and the versatile characterization of more than twenty characters. M.L.C. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to the
Audio Cassette
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!,
By MikeJ "M H" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Inferno: From the Divine Comedy (Audio CD)
I had trouble with some of Dantes english translations of the book when I was reading them. And some parts were hard to understand. But this audio book is the absolute best I have heard. I can easily understand and the special effects of the people in hell talking and the demons are wonderful. At the begining of each canto there is a musical theme that sets the person in the mood before the canto starts. Heathcote Williams voice is a delight to hear because it is so articulate and scholastic. Wonderful audio book of The Divine Comedy who want to bring the book alive and suspensful. At times I was very emotionally effected by the certain sinners in hell and how they suffered. I myself am a Catholic(which Dante was a devout Catholic), and I could see where some people would disagree with parts of the book (In the Inferno if you are not baptized you have no chance to goto heaven according to Dante, but the unbaptized don't suffer the way worse sinners would). But it the same time it shows the importance of Baptism, which some Christians today seem to ignore and just take as a "symbol". Either way for christians and non-christians alike this audio book is wonderful.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Translation & Reading,
By
This review is from: Inferno: From the Divine Comedy (Audio CD)
I have the entire set of this reading of THE DIVINE COMEDY, and I am extremely impressed. I was dubious, at first, as I had never heard of the translator, Benedict Flynn, and so I compared the text to that of the Durling/Martinez volume from Oxford and the Hollander volume from Doubleday. I was impressed. This is an excellent translation, smooth and poetic. I have a slight prejudice in that I prefer British voices in poetic readings, and thus I am very pleased with Heathcote Williams' fine performance of the text. He dramatizes the text with certain vocal inflections, but he does so in a way that does not, for me, distract from the actual beauty of Dante's poetry. I like his soft and at time breathy vocal tones, which add a subtle emotionalism to much of the text.
The booklet that accompanies the discs is fabulous. An opening Note by Roger Marsh is followed by Notes discussing aspect of the text, thus: "CANTO III The Poets arrive at the door of Hell and pass through to the antechamber. Within are shades who achieved neither praise nor blame in life, rejected by Heaven and Hell. Charon, who ferries the souls of the damned to Hades, refuses to ferry the living souls across the Acheron. Dante falls unconscious. good of intellect: souls who lost sight of the 'Supreme Truth' of God. great refusal: either Pontius Pilate or Celestine V who abdicated in favour of Boniface VIII." The booklet is infused with a gallery of the majestic Gustave Dore illustrations for THE DIVINE COMEDY. I love this audio set and highly recommend it.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Needs better voume leveling,
By
This review is from: Inferno: From the Divine Comedy (Audio CD)
There are many positives to this product; good transitions between cantos, clear articulation, and excellent liner notes. For me though, there is one huge negative that out-weighs them. When the reader takes the role of the cast of tormented souls, he yells. The difference in volume between the narrator and these characters is so great that I have to keep adjusting the volume. And being damned creatures, the yelling is very harsh and guttural. Constant volume adjustments while driving is not enjoyable.
I have stopped listening and am looking for another version to continue.
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