I’m just wondering if there’s some nasty secret making the rounds about this wonderful always-smiling pianist? Nearly every video I go to on YT has 30+ dislikes, and sometimes they dwarf the likes. It’s weird to see. Like she has a secret Plate inside her.
I haven’t seen/heard anything.
Then again, I don’t really follow her on youtube.
She’s probably the best instagrammer amongst pianists (followed by Levit).
I don’t know either, but young lady playing the piano… and her early playing also was (or could be) very rose-coloured and sugary which probably didn’t help.
We should youtube some stuff with her. She gave a recital in San Jose last spring which I loved, and if it’s prejudice which is behind the dislikes it might be easier to appreciate the quality in her playing if they just have a black screen in front of them so focus is off the girl and on the music.
I don’t see this reaction with any other pianist, that’s why I brought it up.
I will upload her Liszt Bm to the second channel. Found a photo of her playing in a wine cellar from 2013 
I really have no idea what the general concert going public likes and dislikes.
It really seems so contradictory when you consider which pianists are the most popular and their contrasting qualities (e.g. Kissin vs Trifonov). I find it hard to believe that each pianist has his “own” audience, without there being significant overlap between the two. And I sincerely doubt this overlap is a result of the public’s open mindedness, as opposed to an inability to discern any significant difference between the pianistic and musical approaches of these two artists. Bref, I don’t know what it is they have against Rana and I doubt I’d be able to work it out.
I have an unusually wide taste in pianists, and I think I become interested when the playing expresses something strongly and clearly. It doesn’t have to be anything particular, I’m just as fine with the spiky, rebellious nature of a Pogo as I am with the brooding, cultured Arrau, but it has to be something I understand and recognise from somewhere in life, art or nature. I think that’s the key… If you have something in your playing which is expressed strongly, people will recognise it and some will resonate, others will repel, depending on their personality.
Tony - hm, the second channel?
Aha, cool thanks
Loving this. Was just about to comment, but I donned my Batman hood and did it at youtube instead.
I can upload this if anyone wants it, it’s from a BBC recording with Clementi and Debussy
Yeah, outstanding. It’s certainly not often I make it through an entire Liszt sonata.
If it’s from the recent BBC broadcast I think I have it in my black hole of a listening backlog, but sure do post it.
It also happens a lot with Vanessa Benelli Mosell’s videos, must be an Italian thing, perhaps jealousy or North Italians hating South Italians or vice versa…
With pianists like her and Wang it’s at least easier to understand since they certainly don’t keep a low profile, and don’t conform to how a classical pianist “should” look, dress and behave. But Rana is much more subtle as far as I know. Still, she’s young, she’s female, she’s successful, and she’s smiling. For a lot of people that’s all it takes to hit the dislike button.
hahaha it is probably that simple & ridiculous
That is actually a thing though, my ex reserved a lot hatred for people from the south (terroni di merda).
But I doubt it’s at play here, unless they’re not commenting, because the ones I’ve seen were all positive.
She doesn’t seem a likely target for the VBM, YW, Buniatishvili style hate for the reasons CJ outlined.
Rana doesn’t keep a low profile per se, she’s extremely active on instagram for example, but she doesn’t trade on her looks like these other girls.
Rana is from the south right. Just saying…hatred runs deep in that country.
Yes, I guess I can’t really relate to it.
My ex also hated arabs and black africans, thought Mussolini would have been remembered as a great man if he hadn’t met Hitler, and thought Berlusconi was good.
jesus christ. Which comedian was it who said Italians are basically lighter arabs? Something like that, it made me laugh.
All that hatred, I’m glad you broke up with her 
I think she was just young and a bit provincial, because she dated me, a random dark skinned mixed race Australian and her closest friend was a Tunisian guy. I’d hope that she’s evolved a bit since then.