Her first name means «she who brings happiness», and that is exactly what Beatrice Rana is poised to do with the five concerts she is giving this season at the Philharmonie. A native of Lecce in Puglia, where she began her studies before continuing in Monopoli and then Hanover, the radiant Italian pianist seems to have since hit the jackpot: first prize at the Montreal International Music Competition, with a concert conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin as a reward, followed by a silver medal at the Van Cliburn Competition. She has since pursued a brilliant career, accepting invitations from all over the world at a pace that is sometimes a little too intense for her liking. «A residency is always a great occasion to explore a relationship not only with the institution, but most of all with the local audience. It is a way of having a proper conversation over the course of a year. An immense privilege!» She will begin with a recital, «undoubtedly the most powerful and intimate way to connect with your audience». Indeed, this is the format in which she made her debut at the Philharmonie in 2021, at a time when performing in front of a live audience was, as she recalls with emotion, «quite a miracle». Her programme will notably feature Johann Sebastian Bach, a composer to whom she feels «the need to return regularly» and who, ever since her childhood, opened the doors to the German repertoire, which is at the heart of her programming. This will be followed by three evenings with orchestra, where she will be reunited with Daniel Harding, Yannick Nézet-Séguin – «one of the musicians I admire the most» – and the «legendary» Leonidas Kavakos. Because «it is very important to bring my best friends on stage as part of a residency»; and although her last evening, with a chamber ensemble, will feature more recent acquaintances, the bonds between them already seem to be strong: «Sol Gabetta, Veronika Eberle and I started playing together last year, but it worked from the first minute of rehearsal.» The connection with the Philharmonie audience will doubtless be just as immediate.