“One of the most captivating and awe-inducing pianists in France” according to Libération, Vanessa Wagner has established herself as a major influence in the classical music scene, crossing borders and blazing inspiring trails. Alongside countless hours performing minimalist repertoires live, Wagner felt an urgent artistic calling: to record in full one of the great contemporary landmarks bridging the musical legacies of the 20th and 21st centuries, the twenty piano Études of Philip Glass.
The first ten Études grew from Glass’s wish to confront his own “technical shortcomings.” In the second volume, Glass intensifies his exploration of musical language, venturing deeper into complex rhythmic structures and harmonic innovation. These Études seem envisioned for an imaginary virtuoso, a pianist capable of unlocking their full expressive potential. Indeed, Glass himself rarely performed the works from this second collection in public.
The thread connecting Wagner to Glass emerges from shared philosophical and pedagogical roots. In his memoir Words Without Music, Glass reflects upon Nadia Boulanger’s teaching in Paris. Boulanger instilled in her students a rigorous yet open-minded discipline, one that embraced innovation while honoring classical tradition. It’s this same tension between structure and freedom that Wagner now channels, transforming Glass’s Études into a living dialogue between past and present.
“My relationship to these Études is continuously evolving, shaped by the ebb and flow of my personal life, my shifting moods, and my accumulated experience performing them over the years,” Wagner reflects. “These pieces become lifelong companions, growing, maturing, and resonating ever more deeply within me.” For Wagner, who had previously recorded several Études individually, this complete cycle marks a new turning point. Capturing the full breadth of Glass’s work has revealed its radical coherence and emotional scope, offering her both a deeper understanding of his language and a renewed sense of artistic clarity.