Along with the Dante symphony we had the Andante (Gretchen) from the Faust symphony, the symphonic poem _Fest Kloenge_, a charming work which is never played now, and still other works.

It would be hard to imagine all the opposition I had to overcome in giving that concert.
There was the hostility of the public, the ill-will of the Theatre-Italien which rented me its famous hall but which sullenly opposed a proper announcement of the concert, the insubordination of the orchestra, the demands of the singers for more pay--they imagined that Liszt would pay the expenses--and, finally, complete--and expected failure.

My only object was to lay a foundation for the future, nothing more.

In spite of everything I managed to get a creditable performance of the Dante symphony and I had the pleasure of hearing it for the first time.
The first part (the Inferno) is wonderfully impressive with its _Francesca da Rimini_ interlude, in which burn all the fires of Italian passion.

The second part (Purgatory and Paradise) combines the most intense and poignant charm.