Liszt's dark paraphrase on the Gregorian chant "Dies irae" for piano and orchestra was planned as early as 1838 but actually composed between 1847 and 1853, with a revision in 1864. The work was given its premiere in this revised version in the Hague, with Liszt's student Hans von Bülow as soloist and the composer conducting.

The score reproduced here was originally issued in 1914 by Breitkopf & Härtel of Leipzig as part of the 13th volume of Liszt-Stiftung Edition, edited principally by Liszt student Bernhard Stavenhagen. In contrast so many of the on-demand scores now available, this one comes with all the pages and the images have been thoroughly checked to make sure it is readable, is beautifully printed on off-white stock with a quality cover. The matching orchestra parts and large conductor score are also available from Serenissma Music.