Composed in Italy in 1831 and initially performed at the Conservatoire de Paris on December 9, 1832, as Le retour à la vie, mélologue en six parties, Lélio incorporated pre-existing compositions.

Its early appeal, rooted in the fusion of Romantic aesthetics and the interplay between declamation and music, has, however, led to its perception as dated, thus its infrequent revival and recording in contemporary times.

Lélio is a kind of sequel to Symphonie fantastique and makes use of the famous idée fixe (the recurring musical theme symbolising the beloved) from that work.

The symphony uses programme music to describe a despairing artist trying to kill himself with an overdose of opium, leading to a series of increasingly terrifying visions.

Lélio consists of six musical pieces presented by an actor who stands on stage in front of a curtain concealing the orchestra, chorus and solo singers.