{"id":13791,"date":"2025-11-28T14:31:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T14:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianostreet.com\/blog\/?p=13791"},"modified":"2025-11-28T14:31:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T14:31:40","slug":"wagners-universe-in-a-pianists-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianostreet.com\/blog\/articles\/wagners-universe-in-a-pianists-hands-13791\/","title":{"rendered":"Wagner\u2019s Universe in a Pianist\u2019s Hands"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most thrilling performances offered at Cremona Musica this year was the Wagner by Liszt recital given by Filippo Tenisci – Italian pianist, born 1998 and celebrated for his refined interpretations and expressive mastery of the Romantic repertoire. After his recital we got the chance talking to Tenici about his Wagner\/Liszt project.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A winner of the 2023 Bayreuth Festspiele Scholarship, pianist Filippo Tenisci has performed internationally to great acclaim, bringing a distinctive blend of poetry, intelligence, and technical brilliance to his performances.
\nHis recording of the complete Wagner\/Liszt transcriptions for Da Vinci Publishing earned international recognition, while his performance of the Beethoven\/Liszt Symphony No. 2 for RAI 5 further established his reputation as a pianist of deep insight and integrity.<\/p>\n

In our interview Filippo Tenisci describes discovering Liszt\u2019s little-known Wagner transcriptions and becoming fascinated by the composers\u2019 artistic connection. He also notes Liszt\u2019s evolution from faithful early transcriptions to more personal later ones, aims to make the demanding works accessible to audiences, and hopes to show they are expressive, significant pieces deserving wider attention.
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\nPiano Street: Filippo, can you tell us what first drew you to Liszt\u2019s piano transcriptions of Wagner, and if
\nthere was a particular opera or passage that really captured your imagination?<\/em><\/p>\n

Filippo Tenisci: What struck me most was the fact that these piano works were and are still very little known. I had been studying Liszt’s music for several years and was not familiar with all his transcriptions from Wagner, except for the famous \u201cIsoldes Liebestod\u201d and the Overture from Tannh\u00e4user.
\nOne day I heard the beautiful transcription of \u201cElsa’s Procession\u201d from Lohengrin. I was struck by the delicacy of the music and Liszt’s beautiful piano version. From then on, I realized that there
\nwas a lot to discover, and so I began this long project.
\nIn fact, years later, when I began recording these works, I wanted to start with that piece in memory of my first love for this repertoire.<\/p>\n

PS: How did your fascination with the connection between Liszt and Wagner develop, and in what ways does it influence how you approach these pieces?<\/em><\/p>\n

FT: My trip to Bayreuth in 2023 was fundamental, thanks to the scholarship offered by the Richard Wagner Stipendienstiftung, which allowed me to deepen my understanding of the connection between these two musical giants.
\nAnother important element that sparked my interest in the Wagner-Liszt relationship was their numerous letters, which also allowed me to document the evolution of Liszt’s transcriptions of Wagner.
\nThese writings, along with many others I consulted in the past, were fundamental in helping me to know the two protagonists of my project well and understand how they influenced each other over the years through music. There is always a bit of Liszt in Wagner’s music and vice versa, even though they are two very distinct composers. I believe that understanding the cultural background is fundamental for a musician, knowledge makes us more aware of our choices.<\/p>\n