Franz Liszt: Dante Symphony – Part 2

The purgatory

Leaving the circles of hell, Dante and Virgil find themselves at the feet of Mount Purgatory, in this case the second movement of the symphony.

The structure of the second movement is tripartite, with a solemn and quiet first section, in two parts; a second, more animated section in which a fugue is gradually built leading to a climax; finally a third section that sees the return to the initial sentiment, of which it summarizes the main themes.

This ternary structure reflects the architecture of Dante’s Purgatory: the ante-purgatory, where the excommunicate and the late repentant expiate their sins; the seven cornices of the mountain where the 7 deadly sins are expiated, and finally the earthly Paradise at the top, from which the soul, now purged of sin, ascends to Paradise.