World premiere recording from The Royal Ballet

Dante’s epic is brought to the stage in a world premiere created in a world class collaboration between trailblazing forces of the contemporary arts scene.

Originally presented as part of the 700th anniversary celebrations of the poet’s death, Dante’s epic journey through the afterlife in The Divine Comedy, is realised in a major artistic collaboration between trailblazing forces of the contemporary arts scene. Wayne McGregor’s ground-breaking choreography comes together with a virtuosic new score by one of the most influential musicians of the 21st century, composer-conductor Thomas Adès, and designs by the renowned artist Tacita Dean, celebrated for her pioneering and poetic work across film and other mediums. Together they illuminate the extraordinary vision of Dante in this three-part work for the full Company. This world premiere recording also marks the final production starring acclaimed dancer Edward Watson as Royal Ballet Principal, after 27 years with the Company.

“The Dante Project is utterly thrilling ... It’s bold, beautiful, emotional and utterly engaging… The dancers perform as if liberated by the sheer excitement of it all… By the time he reaches Paradiso, the music is as radiant as the dancers, flitting and flying around the stage, all in white, like so many shiny celestial orbs. The mood is one of abstracted joy, deep but dazzling…” (The Guardian ★★★★★)

Genre ballet
Choreography by Wayne McGregor
TV Director Ross MacGibbon
Audio format LPCM 2.0 + DTS Digital Surround 5.1 (DVD) / LPCM 2.0 + DTS-HD Master Audio Surround (Blu-ray)
Sets Tacita Dean
Conductor Sergey Levitin
Soloist Edward Watson
Soloist Gary Avis
Soloist Sarah Lamb