The most daring and emotional interpretations of literary subjects have only been made by romantic composers. Franz Liszt, who wrote around six hundred works for piano, certainly stands out in this list. It is above all due to his virtuoso talent as a pianist, which stunned his contemporaries and is still considered unsurpassed today.
The romantic impulsiveness, the deep sensuality, the otherworldly, almost diabolical magic of his talent were embodied in works based on the great works of Goethe, Hugo and Dante. The pianist dedicated his astonishing fantasy sonata to the latter, which he calls In Reading Dante. In the sonata, Liszt uses one single motif and creates the most contrasting images on this material: the gates of hell, the anguish of suffering souls and the great love of Francesca, for whom Liszt, unlike Dante, feels compassion, forcing us to feel her grief.