[On Stage] Beatrice Rana: "Koreans Are People Who Know How to Enjoy Life"

Solo Recital After 7 Years... Performing 'Mendelssohn, Brahms, Ravel'

A debut stage is always nerve-wracking and exciting for anyone. Some even feel fear due to excessive tension. However, Italian pianist Beatrice Rana said she seems to remember her debut stage "only with pure happiness." This is understandable since she was only nine years old when she debuted with a Bach concerto.

"Since I spent most of my time practicing and playing alone, I felt the piano was a very lonely instrument. So the memory of playing with an orchestra for the first time remains a truly happy feeling. Finally being able to share the stage with others brought me great joy."

Rana said she learned about the excitement of adrenaline and stage nerves later on. Influenced by her pianist parents, she started learning piano at the age of four.

Pianist Beatrice Rana [Photo provided by Mast Media, (c) Parlophone Records]

On the 28th, Rana will hold a solo recital at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center. She will perform an excerpt from Mendelssohn's "Songs Without Words" and Brahms' "Piano Sonata No. 2." In the second half, she will play Ravel's "Gaspard de la nuit" and "La Valse."

In an interview with Asia Economy, Rana explained, "The theme of this concert is 'Visionary,' and the pieces are quite intense and very innovative for different reasons."

She described the first piece, the "Songs Without Words," as a work that shows Mendelssohn's excellence in piano composition.

"I think Mendelssohn tends to be somewhat underrated as a composer of piano music. The 'Songs Without Words' are not often performed, but they demonstrate Mendelssohn's remarkable ability to create stories in a short time."

She explained that Brahms' Piano Sonata No. 2 was dedicated to Clara Schumann, the wife of Robert Schumann.

"Since Clara was an excellent virtuoso, this piece is also quite difficult to perform. Brahms composed it at the very young age of 20, and it contains his tremendous talent. At the time he composed this piece, Brahms had a strong yearning for life, and the piece is full of that energy. Especially the last movement gives a very mysterious feeling not seen in Brahms' later works. I think Brahms' imagination shown in this movement is very forward-looking."

Rana described Ravel as the most forward-looking composer among the three whose works she will perform at this recital. "Gaspard de la nuit" was inspired by the prose poem of the same name by French poet Bertrand and consists of three pieces: "Ondine (Water Fairy)," "Le Gibet (The Gallows)," and "Scarbo."

"Gaspard de la nuit" is basically like a horror story. In "Le Gibet," a man who was hanged appears, and in "Scarbo," a demonic figure appears. Even "Ondine," though beautiful, is a fairy who ultimately tries to kill the listener. "La Valse" is a work that shatters the illusions of Romanticism. Beautiful waltzes, beautiful dances, and even dolls?all collapse at the end."

This will be her first solo recital in Korea in seven years since her 2017 recital in Tongyeong. Rana said, "I really like Korea," and "I cannot express in words how happy I am to return to Korea."

"In some ways, I think Korea is like the South America of Asia. What I like most is that Korean people know how to enjoy life. The attitude of the audience is also very good. I am very pleased that a large portion of the audience is young people. As a European, it feels very fresh and fantastic. The most memorable performance in Korea was when I played with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra at the Samsung Human Resources Development Center Concert Hall, where the hall was filled with young people, which was a great shock to me. Among the pieces I will perform this time, there are works composed by composers when they were young, with youthful sensibilities."

Rana added that although she is Italian, she loves Korean food such as Bulgogi.

Pianist Beatrice Rana [Photo provided by Mast Media, (c) Parlophone Records]

At eighteen, in 2011, Rana won the Montreal International Competition, and in 2013, she was the runner-up and audience award winner at the Van Cliburn International Competition, laying the foundation for her active performance career. Her recordings of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Rome Santa Cecilia Orchestra conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano in 2015 were selected as Gramophone's "Editor's Choice."

She named Sir Antonio Pappano and Yannick N?zet-S?guin, music director of the New York Metropolitan Opera, as conductors who changed her life.

"I started working with them from a very young age and have worked with them regularly, so they are very important to me. They are not only excellent conductors but also mentors. A great conductor has the ability to allow orchestra players to express themselves in the way they want while staying true to the conductor's own ideas. I think both Sir Pappano and Music Director N?zet-S?guin have outstanding musical talent, imagination, and understanding of music."

Rana cited Schubert as a composer she wants to explore in the future. "I have never performed Schubert's works on stage. In that sense, Schubert is the very first composer I want to explore and study more going forward."