Liszt: Reimagining Wagner (Piano Paraphrases And Transcriptions) – Filippo Tenisci

In the eight pieces contained in this album focusing on Liszt’s reinterpretations of Wagner’s operas, Filippo Tenisci narrates the musical stories embodied in these scores by removing of the superfluous, going straight to the heart of the ultimate meaning, accompanying us on an intimate and solitary journey, which seems to be an oxymoron when speaking of Liszt and Wagner. Even Liszt, who brings the world of Wagner to the piano, makes a necessary Michelangelo-like selection, “removing” those elements which are not functional to his instrument. The Lisztian miracle of these paraphrases is that nothing is lost of the original orchestral and vocal complexity; on the contrary, the piano solo seems to be enriched with an infinite palette of colours and possibilities. Tenisci is very careful in his handling of these works; and one can unmistakably hear all the care he took in approaching these masterpieces.