Beatrice Rana, in the words of the New York Times, is a pianist who “has ferocious technique but is distinguished by her musical intelligence.” Here she plays virtuosic, poetic works that evoke the creative ferment of Paris in the transitional early years of the 20th century: piano transcriptions of Stravinsky's iridescent ballet scores The Firebird and Petrushka, and Ravel's Miroirs and La Valse.

Awards
Presto Editor's Choice October 2019
Presto Recordings of the Year Finalist 2019
Presto Recordings of the Year Winner 2019
Gramophone Magazine November 2019 Editor's Choice
Gramophone Awards 2020 Shortlisted - Instrumental
The New York Times Recordings of the Year 2019
Diapason d'Or November 2019 Nouveauté

Catalogue No: 9029541109
Label: Warner Classics
Length: 72 minutes

Beatrice Rana (piano)

Composers

Ravel, Maurice (1875-1937)
Stravinsky, Igor Feodorovich (1882-1971)

Works

Ravel: La Valse
Ravel: Miroirs, 5 pieces for piano
Ravel: Alborada del gracioso (Miroirs No. 4)
Ravel: La Vallee des Cloches (Miroirs No. 5)
Ravel: Noctuelles (Miroirs No. 1)
Ravel: Oiseaux tristes (Miroirs No. 2)
Ravel: Une barque sur l'océan (Miroirs No. 3)
Stravinsky: Berceuse from The Firebird
Stravinsky: Finale from The Firebird
Stravinsky: The Firebird
Stravinsky: The Firebird: Danse infernale du roi Kastchei
Stravinsky: Three Movements from Petrushka

Fairytales and myths have inspired composers from time immemorial, and audiences, too, have invariably been enthralled by the unending struggle between good and evil. Central to the Vienna Philharmonic's 2017 Summer Night Concert are German, French, Russian and Czech fairytales as well as a contemporary fantasy figure that is Anglo-Saxon in origin.

In 2017 the Summer Night Concert will again be conducted by one of the most distinguished musicians of our time. Christoph Eschenbach, who also conducted the 2014 Summer Night Concert, is in demand as a guest conductor for prominent orchestras and opera houses worldwide. Since 2010 he has been musical director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. Having begun his career as a pianist, he learned conducting under George Szell and Herbert von Karajan. Since making his debut as a conductor in 1972, he has led renowned orchestras, including the Tonhalle-Orchester in Zurich, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Summer Night Concert 2017

Renée Fleming (soprano)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Christoph Eschenbach

Composers

Dvořák, Antonín (1841-1904)
Humperdinck, Engelbert (1854-1921)
Rachmaninov, Sergey Vassilievich (1873-1943)
Stravinsky, Igor Feodorovich (1882-1971)
Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich (1840-93)
Williams, John Towner (b.1932)

Works

Dvořák: Carnival Overture, Op. 92
Dvořák: Mesícku na nebi hlubokém 'Song to the Moon' (from Rusalka)
Dvořák: Za tihlou Gazelou (from Armida)
Humperdinck: Hänsel & Gretel Overture
Rachmaninov: Ne poy, krasavitsa, pri mne, Op. 4 No. 4
Rachmaninov: Spring torrents, Op. 14 No.11
Rachmaninov: Twilight, Op.21 No. 3
Stravinsky: Berceuse from The Firebird
Stravinsky: Finale from The Firebird
Stravinsky: The Firebird: Danse infernale du roi Kastchei
Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66 - Pas d'action
Tchaikovsky: Waltz from Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66

Khatia Buniatishvili's new recording Kaleidoscope, a unique combination of masterful and challenging pieces, shows her true virtuosic playing and features the well-loved Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, Ravel's La Valse and Stravinsky's Petruschka.

Given that these pieces all have an orchestral version, the pianist must bring out this larger palette of colours on a single instrument. Khatia does just that, painting her own picture of the pieces, how they are interwoven and the special characters she wants to emphasize.

There is a strong sense of character about the programme - it is music to be seen as well as heard, and it takes in other art forms as well: dance, puppetry and painting. The movement and colours of these other art forms are encapsulated in Khatia's playing and the album's title, Kaleidoscope.

Khatia Buniatishvili (piano)

Composers

Mussorgsky, Modest Petrovich (1839-81)
Ravel, Maurice (1875-1937)
Stravinsky, Igor Feodorovich (1882-1971)

Works

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (piano version)
Ravel: La Valse
Stravinsky: Three Movements from Petrushka

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein

Composers

Stravinsky, Igor Feodorovich (1882-1971)

Works

Stravinsky: Petrushka
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring