The Prokofiev Five Songs Without Words, Opus 35 were written in December 1920 during a tour of the USA. The musical format of songs without words is not unusual, as Mendelssohn composed a number of very beautiful ones for the Piano and of course Rachmaninoff's Vocalise is one of the most famous works in the musical repertoire.
The Five Songs Without Words were premiered in New York City in 1921 by the soprano Nina Koshetz. In 1925, while living in Paris the composer arranged the five brief songs for Violin and Piano. Their haunting, bittersweet and lyrical style is typical of Prokofiev and the advanced performer will find these wonderful miniatures totaling 12 minutes in length a perfect vehicle for a major work on a recital. Mr. Sauer has scored these songs beautifully for the Euphonium and Piano.
