Rana wins 'Instrumentalist of the Year' for her album of Chopin Etudes Op 25 and 4 Scherzi, while Levit takes home the 'Solo Recording Instrument' prize for his album, 'On DSCH'
Italian pianist Beatrice Rana and German pianist Igor Levit have both been awarded Opus Klassik prizes.
Rana wins for her 2021 Chopin album featuring the composer's Etudes Op 25 and 4 Scherzi. The album received rave reviews across the board, with Gramophone describing her playing as possessing, "fire and poetry, imagination and originality, temperament and charm, all on top of fearless technical address."
The Italian announced the news on her Facebook account, commenting, "So happy to share with you that I won the OPUS KLASSIK 2022 as 'Instrumentalist of the Year' for my Chopin album!"
Levit has been awarded the 'Solo Recording Instrument' prize for his album, 'On DSCH' – a 3CD recording of Dmitri Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues. The huge album received a five-star review from The Guardian, who described it as, "a unique combination of rarity and virtuosity".
Elsewhere, Ludovico Einaudi won the 'New Classic' award for his album Underwater. You can find the complete list of winners here.
The awards will be presented at a ceremony on 9 October at the Konzerthaus in Berlin.
Main image: Left: Beatrice Rana (©Warner Classics/Simon Fowler). Right: Igor Levit (©Sony/Felix Broede)
