Prokofiev: Songs & Romances Margarita Gritskova & Maria Prinz

• Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 19536):
• 1 The Ugly Duckling, Op. 18 12:32
• 5 Poems, Op. 23 (Excerpts):
• 2 5 Poems, Op. 23 (Excerpts): No. 2, The Little Grey Dress 04:21
• 3 5 Poems, Op. 23 (Excerpts): No. 3, Trust Me 02:49
• 4 5 Poems, Op. 23 (Excerpts): No. 5, The Sorcerer 05:25
• 5 Poems, Op. 27:
• 5 5 Poems, Op. 27: No. 1, The Sun Has Filled My Room 01:09
• 6 5 Poems, Op. 27: No. 2, Real Tenderness 01:30
• 7 5 Poems, Op. 27: No. 3, Memory of the Sun 02:48
• 8 5 Poems, Op. 27: No. 4, Hello! 01:34
• 9 5 Poems, Op. 27: No. 5, The Grey-Eyed King 04:04
• Sergei Prokofiev:
• 10 Remember Me, Op. 36 No. 4 04:30
• 11 2 Songs from Lieutenant Kijé, Op. 60bis: No. 1, My Grey Dove Is Full of Sorrow 05:01
• 12 2 Choruses, Op. 66a: No. 2, Anyutka (Version for Voice & Piano) 02:29
• 13 3 Children's Songs, Op. 68: No. 1, The Chatterbox 05:04
• 14 3 Songs from Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78bis: No. 2, Mark, Ye Bright Falcons 05:01
• 15 3 Romances, Op. 73: No. 2, The Rosy Dawn Is Colouring the East 03:52
• 16 12 Russian Folksongs, Op. 104: No. 6, Katerina 03:33
• Total Runtime 01:05:42

Info for Prokofiev: Songs & Romances

Sergey Prokofiev is acknowledged as one of the 20th century’s greatest composers, and his enduring popularity today rests on a rich legacy of orchestral and chamber works. Less well-known are his songs, which display a lyrical component that suited his liking for clear and simple forms. This can be heard particularly in Five Poems of Anna Akhmatova, but all of these pieces show Prokofiev to be a worthy successor of the great 19th-century tradition of art songs. Margarita Gritskova’s voice was described by Opera News as ‘a spectacular instrument’ in her recording of Russian Songs on Naxos 8.573908.

The Russian avant-garde composer’s songs show him in an unusual light.

Sergey Prokofiev was one of the cult figures for the early modernist movement in music. Early works such as the Scythian Suite caused a series of scandals because of their strident, apparently unbridled musical language. During the premiere of the Second Piano Concerto, given with the composer at the keyboard, a man in the audience bellowed: ‘The man’s a wild animal’. Later generations know Prokofiev as the creator of the brilliant, effervescent Classical Symphony or the much-loved symphonic fairy tale Peter and the Wolf, however. Prokofiev’s biography begins with heated arguments over a performance artist who clearly lacked restraint and ends with links to the Socialist Realism prescribed in Stalin’s Russia, with its close similarities to folk song. His voluntary return from his exile in the West following the October Revolution completes the picture. Prokofiev died on the same day as Joseph Stalin, meaning that his death remained a footnote in Soviet consciousness—politics had marginalised a master composer.

Nevertheless, the world loves Prokofiev’s music, in all its enigmatic variety. Some of his works are among the most frequently performed pieces of 20th-century repertoire, but the composer has remained mysterious to this day. He himself called the four ‘basic lines’ in his work classical, modern, motoric and lyrical. There is hardly a work in which these elements are in balance. This confused people, and it still does.

Prokofiev’s yearning for the lyrical component is very much in evidence in his songs. While he was mainly occupied with Russian folk song during the Soviet phase of his life, his early solo songs show him striving to meld advanced compositional techniques with the laws of songfulness. ...

Margarita Gritskova, mezzo-soprano
Maria Prinz, piano

Margarita Gritskova
was born in St. Petersburg. During her piano and vocal studies (teacher Sakharova N.M. and Nelly Lee) in School of Arts n.a. V.A.Gavrilin she was already many times a laureate of Committee for Culture. After finishing School of Arts with distinction, she started her vocal studies at St. Petersburg State Conservatory with prof I.P.Bogacheva. She graduated again with distinction.

The young singer has been laureated at several International Competitions, among others: 2001 -1st prize award winner of Second Open regional festival-contest of music n.a. S.V.Rachmaninoff. 2003 - Grand Prix of Second Open contest n.a. A.G.Rubinstein. 2004 - laureate of international contest "The Satellite of Talents" - the Star of corresponding member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences D.S.Likhachov.

2006 - laureate of 3rd Open All-Russian contest of vocal-piano duets "Three centuries of classical romance" 2007 - laureate of 3rd Open All-Russian contest of opera artists "Saint Petersburg" 2007 - award winner of Youth award of St. Petersburg in culture and arts. 2008 - winner of "The youngest talent" on International contest n.a. Luciano Pavarotti in Modena. 2009 -First prize winner and winner of "the youngest contestant" on 4th International contest in IV Concurso Internacional de Canto Villa de Colmenar, Spain. 2010- Finalist at OPERALIA international vocal competition 2008 Margarita Gritskova performed Bizets Carmen in concert under the direction of maestro Maris Jansons in St.Petersburg Conservatory Theatre of opera and ballet.

In concert repertoire Margarita Gritskova has a fruitfully cooperation with José Carreras performing in Vienna, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Bruckner Concert Hall Linz, Austria. The singer has performed as well Rossinis Stabat Mater under the baton of Maestro Orozco Estrada, and debuted at Wiener Musikverein with a solo recital, among others. 2009 she has performed the Page in an opera "Salome" under Maestro Oleg caetani on Festival de Ópera de Tenerife. other projects include Cherubino at Summer festival St Moritz and the mezzo part in Rossinis Stabat Mater under the baton of Maestro Giorgio Morandi. 2009/11 Margarita Gritskova was soloist member at the Nationaltheater Weimar, where she has performed, among others, the parts of Cherubino, Flora, Maddalena, Ottone, Bradamante, Marthe, Carmen and Olga. 2011 the singer was invited as guest at Opera de Quebec to perform the part of Olga in Onegin.

Since 2012 Margarita Gritskova is soloist member at the Vienna State Opera, where she has performed among others the parts of Tebaldo in Don Carlo, Fjodor, in Boris Godunov, 2 Dame in Zauberflöte, Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos, Blumenmädchen in Parsifal, Zemina in Die Feen, Bersi in Andrea Chenier, Mercedes in Carmen, Magd in Elektra, Cherubino in Nozze di Figaro, Tisbe in Cenerentola, Rosina in Barbiere di Siviglia. During the season 2013/2014 Margarita Gritskova performed in Vienna again among others the parts of Rosina and Cherubino and to debut as Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Angelina in Cenerentola. 2014/2015 the singer had her debut as Idamante in the Idomeneo new production as well as Smeton in Anna Bolenna together with Anna Netrebko at the Vienna State Opera. Further Projects included her participation at the Deutsche AIDS Stiftung Gala concert at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, her debut at the Salzburger Festspiele as Cherubino among others. In 2015 she debuted at the Opera in Lyon as Idamante and at the summer Festival Schleswig Holstein, managed by Christoph Eschenbach, where she sang Olga from Eugen Onegin.

2015-2016 performed among others the parts of Dorabella, Sesto, Angelina, Rosina, Krista (Makropulos new production) Mascha (Tri Sestri new production conducted by composer Peter Eötvös). She returned to Salzburger Festspiele as Cherubino and as Sigismondo at Rossini Wildbad Festival. Furthermore she debuted at Budapest Palace of Arts as Idamante in Idomeneo concert version.

2016-2017 she has debuted at the Oper Köln with Fulvio in Catone in Utica and performed at Semperoper Opernball. At Vienna State Opera performed the parts of Bradamante, Isabella and Maddalena. In Klosterneuburg Summer sung Isolier in Le Comte Ory.

Future projects include debut at Opernhaus Zürich as Ramiro in La Finta Giardiniera and Anna in David McVicar new production Les Troyens at Vienna State Opera as well as Rosina among others.

2018 debuted as Carmen at Vienna State Opera, sung Rosina as well and debuted as Sesto in Valencia Les Arts, among others.

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