Critical Reception
George Bernard Shaw, reviewing the work in 1885, criticized it heavily, complaining that the manner in which the program was presented by Liszt could just as well represent "a London house when the kitchen chimney is on fire". He then notes that the symphony is "extremely loud", mentioning the fortissimo trombones, that later repeat at fff. On the other hand, James Huneker called the work "the summit of his creative power and the ripest fruit of that style of programme music".
Read more about this topic: Dante Symphony
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