“Romance will be always young”

“Colleagues-journalists having heard about the final of “Romansiada” rushed to ask for an interview from laureate of the First Prize. But first words of winners are for familiar newspaper Trud. This is what naturally Victoria Pankratova told us: Frankly speaking I didn’t expect to get the First Prize, although I’ve already got Grand Prix of the competition “Spring of Romance” at my native town, St.-Petersburg. But “Romansiada” has completely another level… […] Actually later I decided to change profession and entered to St.-Petersburg University of Humanities and Social Sciences. I’d studied there honestly and proved the diploma under specialty “Manager of social and cultural activities”. But music has returned and captivated me again. And now I’m a student of first course of St.-Petersburg Conservatory where I have a very good vocal pedagogue. At the same time I’m working in theatre of Musical comedy in company of which I was invited by the results of competition. Actor of MusComedy theatre has to know a wide repertoire, and one has to sing a lot. Despite the fact that I have lyric-dramatic soprano I choose for city romances repertoire with lower vocal range,because romance is first of all a story, a dramatic monologue. Could I leave the music at all? Of course I could work as a manager, but I agree with the apophthegm that one shouldn’t hide his light under a bushel. When man rejects his talent and doesn’t give it to the others, God punishes him. Each of us has to do his own job if it’s prestige or not really prestige nowadays.”

Anatoly Filimonov
“Romance will be always young”
Newspaper "Trud" (Moscow), 19 of December, 2003