The composition and publication of the first two volumes of Liszt’s “Années de pèlerinage” are closely interlinked. Barely a year after returning from Switzerland, Liszt and his companion Marie d’Agoult set off in August 1837 on a trip to Italy which was to last over two years. In the “Switzerland” volume the composer portrayed first and foremost the nature, landscape and history of the country in his music, whereas the “Italy” part is devoted to impressions from literature (Petrarch, Dante) and...