What happens when two brilliant minds meet – and begin to shape, challenge, and ultimately fracture each other?

The great philosopher. The great composer. One of the most passionate and turbulent intellectual relationships in cultural history – a bond that began in mutual admiration and ended in profound disillusionment.

On stage, a narrator and a pianist bring the story of Richard Wagner and Friedrich Nietzsche to life through an intimate blend of live piano music and spoken storytelling. The performance invites the audience into Wagner‘s and Nietzsche‘s private world: their doubts, passions, ambitions, and contradictions.

Beyond the historical narrative, the performance resonates with contemporary questions: How do relationships shape creativity? How do we remain in dialogue when beliefs collide? In an age of polarization and fragmented communication, the story of Wagner and Nietzsche offers a powerful mirror for our own cultural moment.

Ekaterina Zhemaitis (pianist) is a Moscow-born, Amsterdam-based pianist who brings together rigorous technique and artistic sensitivity, allowing each musical work to unfold as an intimate narrative.

Mikhail Volkov (narrator) is a theatre director, writer, and actor whose politically and philosophically resonant works are staged with a research-driven and interdisciplinary approach, presented in fresh and accessible ways for diverse audiences.