Beatrice Rana

From understated emotion to unbridled virtuosity, and from passionate chord progressions to dark, devilish bass lines… the fiendishly difficult, opulent Piano Sonata in B by Franz Liszt has it all. This all-in-one work is therefore a badge of honour for any pianist. But take us at our word: the Italian pianist Beatrice Rana passes this Mephistophelian test with flying colours. Circulating on the internet is an obscure recording from 2017 - Rana had only just turned 25 at the time - which actually belongs in the pantheon of Liszt recordings. Before the interval she builds up her programme with the equally devilish Fantasie by Alexander Scriabin in the same minor key. A tension curve that constantly threatens to snap, but which in Rana’s hands is first and foremost a compelling rollercoaster.