Prince Ivan and the Frog Princess

Tracks 2-16: Music Reprise
Samples from the story: The Story • The Story • The Story 

This charming fairy tale romance unfolds in the mellifluous tones of Natalia Makarova’s richly accented English, to the accompaniment of Prokofiev’s “Music for Children, Op. 65.” As in the Snow Queen, below, the full piano score follows the narration. Makarova tells the enchanting story with true Russian flavor, including a few Russian words and phrases. As she says in her introduction, this is a story which “tells you not to judge people by how they look. The most important thing is how beautiful you are on the inside – how kind you are, and intelligent…”

“What a happy, happy surprise! [Makarova’s] telling of Prince Ivan and the Frog Princess transformed me in seconds into a child I once was… Natasha’s Russian accent is charm and-a-half, her glee is heart-awakening, and her pure belief in the world of which she speaks is enchantment itself. … Go get it and enjoy.”—Arts Beat, Ontario

American Library Association “Notable Children’s Recording”

“This charming fairy tale romance unfolds in the mellifluous tones of Natalia Makarova’s richly accented English, to the accompaniment of Prokofiev’s ‘Music for Children, Op. 65.’ As in her Snow Queen, below, the full piano score follows the narration.”

“At the beginning of this enchanting disc that sets a Russian legend to piano music of Prokofiev, the legendary Natalia Makarova tells her listeners: ‘I am a ballerina, not a storyteller.’ Long before the end of the disc, however, Makarova has demonstrated she is indeed a storyteller, as you find yourself absorbed in her version of a tale that has a frog princess trying to escape an evil spell. You will love the story, and you will luff Makarova’s verrry Rrrrrrusssian accent…

“The charming and detailed story starts with the czar’s three sons, who are ordered to find brides by shooting arrows into the air and finding where they land. The first two sons’ arrows land right next to well-dowered brides of high rank; the third one lands right next to the frrroke (frog), much to the dismay of Czarevich Ivan (who soon, however, discovers his good fortune).

Pianist Carol Rosenberger plays a piano background score composed of Prokofiev’s music written for young people; the music is cunningly placed in the score to enhance the various moods of joy, despair, menace and trickery.

This release and a companion one, ‘The Snow Queen’ (with Rosenberger playing piano music of Tchaikovsky)… are accompanied by booklets giving the complete texts of the stories, and they also include (after the story) a music-only portion, where the score is heard in its entirety — an opportunity for the little dancers and actors at your house to stage their own mini-dramas.”—The Seattle Times

A note you might enjoy from the booklet: “The story doesn’t tell you that Prince Ivan’s friend, the bear, did another very good thing. After he had helped Prince Ivan shake the stone chest out of the oak tree, the bear re-planted the tree. The oak tree continued to grow; and it stood in that same spot for a very long time.”