A musician in the limelight: Juliette Granier Calva unfurls a panorama of Russian music of the 20th century, including Prokofiev's fabulous "Romeo and Juliet", with the ardent spirit that characterizes this fiery Franco-Spanish pianist.

Sergei Rachmaninoff: 3 Preludes op.23 n°1, op.32 n°10 & 12
Alexandre Scriabine: Piano Sonata op.19 n°2
Sergei Prokofiev: Suite for piano from "Romeo & Juliet" op.75

Rachmaninoff's Preludes is a work for solo piano written by Russian pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. Rachmaninov wrote three sets of preludes, the famous Prelude in C sharp minor op. 3 No. 2 in 1892, Opus 23 in 1901-1903 and Opus 32 in 1910. In total, there are 24 preludes, written in all major and minor keys, and in fact corresponding to Frédéric Chopin's 24 preludes. The filiation is all the more evident since op. cit. Rachmaninoff's 22 is none other than Chopin's Variations on a Theme, in this case his 20th Prelude. The inspiration for his op. 23, although written at the beginning of the twentieth century, remains imbued with romanticism, close to the Chopinian style.

Rachmaninov begins by reminding us of his conception of the prelude genre: "The prelude is a form of absolute music, intended, as its name suggests, to be played before a larger piece of music or as an introduction to a certain function. The form, however, has expanded to include completely independent music. But as long as this name is given to a piece of music, the work must, to some extent, satisfy the meaning of that title."
Yuri Glebov, speaking of the preludes, says that "the original Russian soil... of an authentically Russian landscape, not imagined by an inclined or picturesque mind, but perceived by the sensitive soul of the musician." This being the case for op. 23 And even more so for op. cit. 32.

Piano Sonata No. 2 op. 19 is a piano sonata by Alexander Scriabin in G-sharp minor, also known as the Fantasy Sonata. Composed in 1897, it consists of two movements in continuous succession. It takes a little over ten minutes to run. Inspired by the sea according to some, its first movement can evoke the movement of the sea, the second inspiring the storm.

Romeo and Juliet is a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev, in three acts, composed in 1935, shortly after the composer's return to the Soviet Union, and based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare.
The creation of the ballet was difficult. The work was commissioned in 1934 by the Kirov in Leningrad, but when Prokofiev proposed the theme of Romeo and Juliet, the theatre refused. Prokofiev then signed a contract with the Bolshoi for the performance of the ballet, but again things went badly. Once the score was completed in the summer of 1935, the dancers declared the ballet undanceable, in part because of the rhythmic complexity and passages deemed inaudible. Prokofiev then reworked his score in 1936 to produce two suites for symphony orchestra in seven movements, as well as a transcription for piano. A third suite was written in 1946.
The ballet was finally premiered in 1938 in Brno, Czech Republic, where it was very well received, followed by a Russian premiere in 1940 at the Kirov (choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky), and at the Bolshoi in 1946. A version was premiered for the Paris Opera Ballet on October 19, 1984, which has frequently presented this production ever since.
It is one of his most appreciated works because of the high melodic inspiration, the great rhythmic variety and the memorability of the main themes (the famous and sinister "Dance of the Knights" and its various variations; the delicate and abundant theme of Juliet).