Beatrice Rana Essentials

Classical music is filled with astonishing technicians, but the greatest performers bring something more, pouring heart and head into their playing. Since emerging on the international scene in 2011, Italian pianist Beatrice Rana has displayed those qualities, interpreting iconic scores with a mastery informed by a holistic, historical understanding of each piece. She made waves with her exquisite reading of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations”—made when she was only 23—where her touch and phrasing belied her youth. She’s equally authoritative playing 20th-century works, conveying orchestral splendour in solo transcriptions of Stravinsky’s ballets.