Summer Nights

It was on the shores of Lake Como that Franz Liszt immersed himself in reading Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, fueling for almost 20 years the ambition to create a symphony inspired by the Italian writer's masterpiece. Advised by Wagner to abandon the movement dedicated to Paradise – as it would be impossible to portray it in music – Liszt concentrated on composing about Hell and Purgatory. Berlioz was also inspired by literature for the composition of the magnificent song cycle Les nuits d'été – in this case, by the poetry book La Comédie de la Mort by his friend Théophile Gautier.