Looking back to Inferno/Purgatorio and Paradiso

[r4man]

I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed that this topic is mostly just a poll, with comments of the "I like this one, but not that one" variety. I think that Edgar's interpretation of Dante was a major work, very risky artistically and commercially. Few would have attempted such a project and even fewer could have pulled it off. Of course, we all have busy lives, and giving these albums the critical attention they deserve is time consuming and and difficult. In my case, I have not read any of "La Divina" and thus am ill equipped to comment on the faithfulness of the albums to the to the original works. I'm also not a musician or music critic, so I'm also ill equipped to do much more than say what I "like" or "dislike" with regard to the music. But back in 2006 I did attempt to review "Paradiso", and since this is a "looking back" topic, I thought I would reprint it here with a few additional comments:


I purchased Paradiso on the first day it went on sale. I've seen a few comments here, some positive and some very negative. Now that I've heard the entire album several times I thought I'd write my own review. For those interested, I'm reviewing the entire buying process, plus the music. ("here" being Tadream, Nov. 2006)

It was a bit upsetting that Paradiso and the Roadmap to Music special CD went on sale on different web sites. For some unknown reason Paradiso is for sale on Edgar's website and Roadmap to Music on the TDI web site. The trouble with this was that you had to pay for shipping separately for each and shipping to the USA is not cheap. I went ahead and purchased both anyway. To my surprise, they both arrived in the same envelope. I liked this because I had paid for the faster shipping for Paradiso and standard shipping for the Roadmap to music CD. On the other had it was a bit upsetting because I had been forced to pay for shipping twice. To my pleasant surprise, a few days later my shipping for Roadmap was refunded! (My dealings with Eastgate have remained excellent. I live in California and my orders usually arrive within a week or so after ordering.)

As for the CD's, they seemed to be well packaged and arrived in good shape, except the plastic CD case cover for Paradiso was cracked. The Roadmap CD is packaged in one of those CD envelopes. The Paradiso CD cover is very nice. The front cover is also the picture label on disk one and the back cover is the picture label on disk two. The booklet is 8 pages of pictures of the band and orchestra with one page of credits and one page of text briefly explaining the action in Paradiso. Sadly, like the previous Dante releases, there is no libretto included. I think this is a real shame as it would be nice for those of us who couldn't go to any of the shows to know who is singing what and what the words are. I think it would be appropriate to release, as a separate item, a libretto for the entire series. It would be nice to see this, perhaps along with DVDs of the live performances, as a special package. (I still have some hope that TD will release such a package, but those hopes are fading as time passes.)

One of the problems I've had lately with double CD cases is getting the CDs out. Getting these CDs out was particularly difficult and I feared breaking them. That would have been annoying! But I was finally able to get them out undamaged. (The way I deal with this problem now is to get a thick piece of paper, slide it under the edge of the CD, and use it to gain leverage in prying out the CD. Works pretty well.)

The way my life is nowadays, I'm rarely able to listen to an album all the way through. All the more difficult with Paradiso since it clocks at nearly 2.5 hours! Most of the time I listen to music in my car or on my ipod. I've already chronicled by experience with Paradiso on itunes. I've finally corrected the track names so at least I know what I'm listening to (at least I think I do).
(For a time, Paradiso was available in iTunes and Amazon as download. They had the incorrect track listings so if you thought you were buying one song, you were actually buying another. What a pain! Neither iTunes or Amazon currently have Paradiso available as a download, at least here in the USA. Can anyone here tell me if the Membran release corrects this)

Paradiso is truly a complex work and I suppose hearing all 2.5 hours of it for the first time live must have been a bit of a chore. There is a lot in it that has taken me more than one listening to get my head around. Some of it still seems a bit tedious, with what seems to be just opera type singing with incidental music. Not exactly my cup of tea. Still, some of the opera singing parts sound quite ambient (albeit with voices). La Grande Spirale sounds like ambient music played by an orchestra.

One of the reasons I haven't reviewed the album sooner is that the more
accessible "good parts" are so good that they are mostly what I've been listening to. In particular, I consider track 10, "Stars in Distance glow" to be an instant classic. I've listened to it dozens of times and have not gotten tired of it. I think that it works quite well as a stand alone song. (This track is now one of my all time favorite TD tunes. I listen to it frequently and wish there was some way it could be performed live in their current shows. Is that Iris singing the lead...dare I hope?)

Track 9, "La Fonza del Saturna" is an 18-minute track that starts as opera type singing with orchestra. The opera type singing continues but with sequencer background. Then around the 7-minute mark the sequencer speeds up and another singer is introduced. The music, with synthesized didgeridoo, is very ominous sounding. Very cool to listen to loud and at night. ( I've since learned that the "synthesized didgeridoo" is actually Linda playing the instrument live. How cool is that?)

Another track I really like is "No more birth, no more death". The background music on the first part of the track sounds, to me, like an in-tune mellotron. The second part of the song is a very nice piano solo. I have to say I really like the singing and arrangement in the song "Truth Beyond Thoughts". My other favorite tracks are Beyond Sodom and Gomorrha and Jupiter Lightning. If I were to separate my favorite tunes from Paradiso I would have well over an hour of music that I enjoy as much as any TD in my collection. (This is still mostly how I listen to the album. I rarely have the time to sit in front of my stereo for 2.5 hours. My "Best of Paradiso" playlist is played often on my commutes to and from work.)

It seems to me that Edgar has reached into the skills of his entire career to produce this album. I do have favorite parts that I listen to more often, but if you have the time, the entire album has a satisfying completeness to it. Since I live in the USA it looks like I will never be able to hear Paradiso or the other parts of the trilogy performed live. It doesn't seem like there is much chance these pieces, with their limited appeal and expensive staging, have much chance of even breaking even on a major tour. I would say that I consider those of you on this list who were able to see the live performances very lucky. I look forward to the DVD versions of these albums, but having attended many TD concerts I know that this will only give me a taste of what actually transpired at the event. TD music is truly at its best live and in person.

(Unfortunately DVD versions of Purgatorio and Paradiso have not been released. Problem here, as I see it, is just how prolific Edgar has been of late. Is it possible that TD has released 7 albums since Paradiso? And 5 videos of live shows? AND lots of other stuff? My guess is that returning to Dante would consume too much time and right now Edgar is just full of new ideas. No time to look back. Well...maybe this Christmas?)

[cantosis]

I have really enjoyed these albums. I am a bit ashamed of myself that I never gave them proper attetion before doing the raffle. Purgatorio really is an outstanding album with some very good vocals and different styles. I also enjoyed Paradiso very much and Inferno although my least favorite it still has some great stuff on it.

I will certainly play them again and not leave them on the bottom of my collection

[Thomas Mc Nulty]

Liked Them all equally well and very much. I think like a lot od TD CDs, they need repeated listens before picking a favourite. I think Paradiso in Brandenburg is the best of the three shows.

[jimbo]

All parts of the Dante trilogy have their merits IMHO but Purgatorio is by far my favorite part. I really enjoyed the show at the RFH and enjoy the album as much.

Yeah, I was there, too, so it kind of skews my preference a little bit.

[epsilon75]

All parts of the Dante trilogy have their merits IMHO but Purgatorio is by far my favorite part. I really enjoyed the show at the RFH and enjoy the album as much.

Yeah, I was there, too, so it kind of skews my preference a little bit.

I remember you well Jim,be nice to see you over thepond again

[bigmoog]

I enjoyed reading r4man's post, very nice indeed.


I approach the music on the dante trilogy the same way as listening to classical music, ie, as one piece, intended as a sweeping epic...the trilogy works musically for me occasionally..... its worth listening to

[Chris Monk]

Very fond of the Dante Trilogy myself. My hat's off to Edgar for being brave enough to give it a go. It certainly introduced me to something I would never have listened to before, mainly opera singing.

Over the last few years it's also taken on a bigger significance for me. It's proved a great confort in dark times.

As with most people on the forum I personally prefer Purgatorio. I loved the show at the RFH, I was so into the show I was totally surprised by the heckling at the end and completely oblivious to people leaving during the concert. Having said that I still listen to Inferno and Paradiso on a regular basis.

[alipaul]

I thought it was a bold venture & obviously a labour of love

my point of view parts of the trilogy worked extremely well others not

quite but as far as i'm concerned EF can do no wrong

[drmusicj]

I just spent the last part of my day listening to all of the in a row and I want to pose a question....an observation if you will

Is Purgatorio possibly a runaway favorite because it sounds more stylistically familiar than the previous more classically themed Inferno?

I love me some classical and I LIKE Inferno it just takes "getting comfortable"with.

[24db]

I like Purgatorio the most (although not all of it) and the RFH didn't put me off either

[GlynRichards]

I wish I could do this... I brought them into work to listen to after the raffle and someone has stolen them off my desk. All bl00dy three albums.

[timer]

Have seen these CDs in a new light after helping the Mrs with the recent Raffle ! Why didn't I put the answers in first !

[bigmoog]

±If one approaches Dante as a classical work, it works wonderfully,the scope and imagination is widescreen, it has its peaks and troughs though, but is becoming a very enjoyable piece±

[GlynRichards]

Have seen these CDs in a new light after helping the Mrs with the recent Raffle ! Why didn't I put the answers in first !

Getting them in first didn't help mate!!!!

[Rick O'Shea]

I quite like Inferno.

I found Purgatorio shockingly bad and had the misfortune of going to the live performance in London. Paradiso is mediocre...

Very few of TD's albums actually 'offend' me, but Purgatorio is one of them!

Rick