Franco Ricordi, the salvation of Paradise is not only in the hereafter, but above all in the hereafter
In the shadow of the Dome, the philosopher-actor recites the third cantica of the Divine Comedy. The integral reading of the 100 cantos is planned
Key points
The grand finale of Dante's staging has arrived. The Dante season in Rome closes with the last three evenings of "Dante's Comedy for St Peter's" - 1, 2 and 3 October - dedicated to the third cantica of the Divine Comedy, Paradise. The protagonist of the project as part of the initiatives for the Jubilee in Rome is Franco Ricordi, philosopher, actor and director, known for his interpretations of the Divine Comedy that he has taken all over the world. The great accusation of St Peter, the sweetness of Beatrice, St Bernard and the sublime finale of the Comedy with the Holy Oration to Mary. The event with free admission takes place in front of St. Peter's, in Piazza Pio XII, with the support of the Assessorato ai Grandi Eventi, Sport, Turismo e Moda of the Giunta capitolina and the patronage of the Vatican Dicastero per l'Evangelizzazione.
Divina Commedia, masterpiece of poetry, philosophy and theatre
A reading that focuses on the philosophical and theatrical aspect of the work, which considers the Divine Comedy a masterpiece of poetry, philosophy and theatre. What does it mean to recite the Divine Comedy and perform it at St Peter's? "This is precisely the ultimate sense of my proposal. Because the Comedy is a text that cannot only be read, but must and can also be recited and therefore listened to. And this is its theatricality and musicality, and in this case with the natural setting of St. Peter's Square, it certainly takes on, especially for the last canticle, Paradise, a truly special, very strong, great, truly Roman and universal significance".
Dante's Universal Message
.What does Dante's universal message reach people? "This is precisely its most authentic aspect today. Dante, in canto XXXI of the Inferno, warns us that man could, if he wanted to, destroy the world. He already foresees the atomic bomb and therefore, today, we who are on the cusp of the 20th century where all this was unfortunately possible, we must think that the salvation of Paradise is not only in the hereafter, but first and foremost in the hereafter".
Last stage in Indonesia
.The last stop before the capital was Indonesia. Did he think he would take Dante that far? 'No, I honestly wasn't thinking. This year I am celebrating ten years of my glorious let me say, Lectura Dantis. I announced it in 2015 at the Teatro Quirino, right in October. And back then I thought it would last until 2021, the Dante year, and that it would be limited to Italy, maybe a few countries in Europe. Instead, it has really been realised for 24 countries in four continents and about forty cities. There are still some parts that I have to visit and the most beautiful thing was this, to see how even in Indonesia, India, China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine - three months before the war I was in Kiev - all this message arrives in an extraordinary way'.
The integral reading of the 100 cantos is planned
.And this, Ricordi explains, 'is also the very universality of the language I mentioned earlier, of Dante's musicality. Dante performs a little bit everywhere and I recently took him to Pisa, in front of Count Ugolino's tower. It was an extraordinary success and we are thinking from there, throughout Tuscany, of doing an integral reading of all 100 cantos of this greatest masterpiece of ours, which unfortunately we know badly, very badly'.
