The first and second Années de pèlerinage were composed during Liszt's time in Weimar and reflect his experiences as a traveling concert pianist. These works, initially influenced by the Album d'un voyageur, underwent a thorough revision. The collection is divided into three parts: Impressions et poésies, Fleurs mélodiques des Alpes, and Paraphrases. After an extensive revision period between 1848 and 1854, they were finally published in 1855.
In Weimar, Liszt created one of his most important piano works, Années de pèlerinage—Première année—Suisse. The work begins with a tribute to Switzerland and the legend of William Tell. Vallée d'Obermann, another significant piece in this collection, was inspired by a French novel and is characterized by its diverse rhetorical elements.
Characteristic of Liszt is his art of making compositions sound like spontaneous improvisations, even though they are in fact meticulously composed. Le mal du pays demonstrates this mastery through the skillful interweaving of various melodic lines and is introduced with a quotation from "Obermann."
The Swiss volume of the Années concludes with Les cloches de Genève—Nocturne, a revised version with an expanded second part. As a supplement, Liszt composed Venezia e Napoli, lighter pieces that build upon earlier works. The Trois Morceaux suisses, based on Swiss folk songs, complete the Swiss repertoire.
The paraphrase Ranz de vaches retains its youthful, cheerful character, while Un soir dans la montagne was more subtly revised. In his final piece, Liszt remained largely faithful to the original, making only minimal changes, which underscores his appreciation for the original work.