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In collaboration with the The Wagner Society, Abhinath Berry presents an all-Liszt piano recital featuring three of Liszt’s celebrated Wagner transcriptions.
In these extraordinary works, Liszt captures the scale, colour, and emotional intensity of the operatic stage - from the most intimate moments of Isolde’s Liebestod to the monumental sonorities of the Overture to Tannhäuser. These transcriptions served as a vehicle to promote Wagner’s music without the vast resources required to stage a full opera, with Liszt’s glamour and persona ensuring their success. The programme also highlights two original works of Liszt. The final Hungarian Rhapsody is among his darkest and most harmonically sophisticated works, while Un sospiro follows the journey of a simple pentatonic contour as it shimmers, blossoms, and yearns. ProgrammeWagner/Liszt
Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde S.447 (1867) Am Stillen Herd from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg S.448 (1871) Overture to Tannhäuser S.442 (1849) - Interval - Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No.19 (1885) Un Sospiro (1848) |
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Abhinath Berry |
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Abhinath Berry is a pianist, composer, and educator from Dunedin, New Zealand. He is currently in his second year of the Master of Performance programme at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, studying with Dr Alexander Soares. He gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Jessie Wakefield Bursary, the Siga Siga Trust Scholarship, the Mona Semke Trust, the JM Hunn Education Trust, and the late Mike Hazel.
Abhinath began self-study of the piano at the age of 15 before commencing formal studies with Blair Professor Terence Dennis in 2019. He graduated from the University of Otago’s School of Performing Arts in 2022 with a Bachelor of Music (First-Class Honours) in Performance and Composition.
He has been the recipient of many of New Zealand’s top national awards, including Creative New Zealand’s Jack McGill Scholarship, the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Arts Excellence Award, the Judith Clark Memorial Fellowship, and the FAME Emerging Practitioner Award. During his undergraduate studies, he was awarded every available prize in performance, composition, and academic music at the University of Otago. In his final year, these included the Victor Galway Medal, Simon Gibson Memorial Prize, Charles Begg Prize, Prestige Scholarship in Music, Florence Olive Memorial Prize, and the Ida G. White Memorial Prize.
As a Young Artists’ Award recipient of the Wagner Society of New Zealand, Abhinath undertook national recital tours in 2021 and 2023, presenting programmes centred on Liszt’s transcriptions of Wagner. He has since presented recitals across New Zealand, including appearances in the Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation’s Emerging Artist concert series in Auckland and at the Glenroy Auditorium in Dunedin.
Recent appearances in London include a performance of John Corigliano’s Etude Fantasy at Milton Court, recitals at St James’s Piccadilly and St Olave's, and in public masterclasses with János Balázs, Martin Stürfalt, and Inna Faliks. In 2025, he undertook a recital tour of New Zealand and attended the Gijón International Piano Festival in Spain, where he studied with Robert McDonald and Douglas Humpherys. Abhinath is also a found.sessions artist.
Upcoming projects include an all-Liszt recital at the 1901 Arts Club in collaboration with the Wagner Society, and a national tour of New Zealand scheduled for August.
Alongside his performing engagements, Abhinath is an active composer. His Sonata-Fantasie (2022) and String Quartet No.2 (2021) were awarded the Lilburn Prize, a national award established in memory of prominent New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn. His orchestral work Prologue from Metamorphoses was selected for the Todd Corporation Young Composers’ Award and performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Abhinath is also a dedicated music educator and currently teaches piano privately in London.
Abhinath began self-study of the piano at the age of 15 before commencing formal studies with Blair Professor Terence Dennis in 2019. He graduated from the University of Otago’s School of Performing Arts in 2022 with a Bachelor of Music (First-Class Honours) in Performance and Composition.
He has been the recipient of many of New Zealand’s top national awards, including Creative New Zealand’s Jack McGill Scholarship, the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Arts Excellence Award, the Judith Clark Memorial Fellowship, and the FAME Emerging Practitioner Award. During his undergraduate studies, he was awarded every available prize in performance, composition, and academic music at the University of Otago. In his final year, these included the Victor Galway Medal, Simon Gibson Memorial Prize, Charles Begg Prize, Prestige Scholarship in Music, Florence Olive Memorial Prize, and the Ida G. White Memorial Prize.
As a Young Artists’ Award recipient of the Wagner Society of New Zealand, Abhinath undertook national recital tours in 2021 and 2023, presenting programmes centred on Liszt’s transcriptions of Wagner. He has since presented recitals across New Zealand, including appearances in the Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation’s Emerging Artist concert series in Auckland and at the Glenroy Auditorium in Dunedin.
Recent appearances in London include a performance of John Corigliano’s Etude Fantasy at Milton Court, recitals at St James’s Piccadilly and St Olave's, and in public masterclasses with János Balázs, Martin Stürfalt, and Inna Faliks. In 2025, he undertook a recital tour of New Zealand and attended the Gijón International Piano Festival in Spain, where he studied with Robert McDonald and Douglas Humpherys. Abhinath is also a found.sessions artist.
Upcoming projects include an all-Liszt recital at the 1901 Arts Club in collaboration with the Wagner Society, and a national tour of New Zealand scheduled for August.
Alongside his performing engagements, Abhinath is an active composer. His Sonata-Fantasie (2022) and String Quartet No.2 (2021) were awarded the Lilburn Prize, a national award established in memory of prominent New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn. His orchestral work Prologue from Metamorphoses was selected for the Todd Corporation Young Composers’ Award and performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Abhinath is also a dedicated music educator and currently teaches piano privately in London.