 Although unsuccessful at its premiere in Venice in 1833, Bellini felt that he had counteracted the horror of its story "by means of the music, colouring it now tremendously and now sadly".Later, after hearing of the opera's success in Palermo, Bellini wrote to his Neapolitan friend Francesco Florimo, stating that "Beatrice" "was not unworthy of her sisters".Also, it was Pasta's performances in the title role that overcame the public's hostility to the piece.