Beatrice Rana - About
What would happen if a composition was written for me? How would that piece resonate if created for my dexterity, my personality, my sound? I have thought about this issue every time I was going to learn a new piece. Right after sight-reading it, I always needed to understand why the composer wrote in a certain way, how or by whom he was inspired. Thanks to BBT all these thoughts of mine are finally becoming reality. Through the Trust I commissioned a new solo piece from Luca Francesconi, whose works have always been incredibly inspiring for me, and the real surprise is to finally find out the result of my experiment. I think that Driven by tears, this new solo piece, suits me perfectly. From the very first moment I recognised that it is a projection of my personality. The premiere will take place in Perugia, in the beautiful Sala dei Notari. With only few days to go, as I write, and lot of practice required! But I am really looking forward to giving birth to this amazing new piece of music!
Italian pianist Beatrice Rana continues to thrill audiences around the globe with her electrifying performances and acclaimed recordings. Regularly appearing and touring with the most esteemed orchestras and conductors, Beatrice is at home in repertoire from Bach to brand new works, two of which have been BBT-supported commissions. Beyond the stages of the big international venues, Beatrice recognises an artist’s responsibility to their place of birth; in 2017 she established the annual Classiche Forme chamber music festival in her home town of Lecce and the surrounding Salento countryside, where she is justifiably revered and where invited performers have included fellow BBT alumni Alexandra Conunova, Hyeyoon Park, Timothy Ridout and Simone Rubino.
The appeal of commissioning is neatly summed up by Beatrice relishing the idea of being the first person to inhabit a new work and communicate a composer’s innermost thoughts overtly in sound. In Beatrice’s case her request to Luca Francesconi was clear: his Driven by tears was specifically composed to accompany Liszt’s Sonata in B minor in recital programmes. Beatrice has also premiered another BBT commission, Love Song, written for piano, percussion and strings by 2021 Franco Buitoni Award winner Silvia Colasanti. Already enjoying a major international career, with a burgeoning recorded catalogue on Warner Classics, Beatrice used the remainder of her BBT Fellowship to support three years of her Classiche Forme festival.
Beatrice was supported with a BBT Fellowship between 2016 and 2021.
For a current biography please visit intermusica.com
Photographs by Simo Fowler and Marie Staggat