The compositions of the world7famous Hungarian composer Franz Liszt are widely included in the repertoire of concert pianists. Most of these compositions are compulsory in conservatory curricula with most featuring a unique story embedded in each piece. 

“Totentanz”, a programmatic masterpiece, is widely recognized for its artistic depth and technical complexities. The aim of this study is to analyse this piece from artistic, technical and scientific aspects by offering essential recommendations for potential performers. The research scope of this study includes Liszt's works composed for piano and orchestra. Among them we see two piano concertos with orchestra, "Malediction" with string orchestra, "Fantasie über Motiven aus Beethovens Ruinen von Athen", "Fantasie über ungarische Volksmelodien " and "Totentanz" on the well7known medieval religious motif "Dies Irae".

The last work tells about the triumph of death. It can be said that the theme of death is one of Liszt's favorite themes. Throughout his career, he created more than twenty works on this theme. However, the focus of this study, “totentanz”, is the most famous and impressive one.

“Totentanz” is chosen as a sample set for this study. The study utilised a qualitative research method of musical content analysis. Breitkopf & Härtel's published musical score is used to scientifically analyze the content of the piece. In addition, a descriptive research technique is used by conducting a musical literature review. The technical difficulties proposed by the composer and the publisher in the piece are systematically analysed, and the researcher presented alternative ways of overcoming these difficulties as solutions for potential future piano performers. The form of the work was analysed to explore the artistic aspect of the work and the original painting and story that served as inspiration for the plot of the work was used. It is believed that during his stay in Italy, in the city of Pisa, Liszt saw the terrifying fresco "The Triumph of Death" in the Campo Santo cemetery. This fresco depicted the terrible events of the 14th century that started with the plague epidemic in Europe. The image of Death that was taking everyone away including kings, soldiers, children, old people, monk and bishops struck the composer, and he decided to composed music on this theme. The main motive for such a work could only be the medieval "Dies Irae". The piece was soon to be completed, but Liszt was in no hurry to present it to the public. The composer worked on "Totentanz" for many years before publishing it. The piece consists of a Theme and five variations along with six cadenzas. Over the course of a century and a half, many music editors and researchers have suggested cutting many passages, but all famous pianists preferred to perform the piece in its entirety. Given the fact that there are several well7known editions of this work, this study examines the editions of Hans von Bülow and Emil von Sauer. These famous pianists give their solutions to technical problems. Along with their interpretation, the author of this article also offers his own novel methods for solving technical difficulties. The study also provides some artistic interpretations of individual fragments of this work. Variations of the piece were found to respond to different details of the plot by demonstrating a cause7and7effect relationship that informed the technical and artistic suggestions for their interpretation. This study concludes with specific technical and artistic instructions for the analysis and stage performance of this masterpiece. Based on this research and suggestions, it is intended to create a resource as a teaching aid for piano performers wishing to incorporate the work into their repertoire. The “Totentanz” variations for piano and orchestra were deemed suitable for both undergraduate and graduate students due to the technical and artistic challenges they present in its interpretation within the context of this scientific study