RUSSIAN CLASSICAL PIANIST WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH CHESTER RETURNS FOR SPECIAL CONCERT

A classically trained pianist, originally from Russia, who fell in love with Chester whilst performing at Storyhouse is set to make a return visit to stage a special, intimate concert featuring the music of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Mussorgsky.

The special concert, 'Russian Art Songs' set to be staged by London based Floating Opera on Sunday 19th April at 3pm at St Mary’s Creative Space, Chester will be performed by Rebekka Magomédova (piano) and Efim Zaválny (baritone), both former artists of the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg and now based in the UK. 

With pieces performed in Russian, as they were originally written, the intimate, one-hour concert is designed to be accessible to all audiences, including those new to classical vocal music. Detailed programme notes and printed English translations will be available at the event. Alongside music by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Mussorgsky, the concert will also include the Fantasy for Piano by the Ukrainian composer Fyodor Akimenko and Tchaikovsky's Sentimental Waltz. 

Speaking about returning to Chester for the concert, Rebekka said:

"The decision to bring this concert to Chester — a city where we are still unknown —  has a very personal story behind it. Until 2022, I worked at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. Like many people, since the war in Ukraine, my life since then has been divided into a “before” and an “after”. In October 2024, I came to Chester for the first time, performing at Storyhouse in a programme of Tchaikovsky ballets, covering the harp part on keyboard. During the interval, I stepped into the foyer and saw the words “This is a place that can heal and hold you safe. Stranger, welcome home.” For someone who, in the space of two years, had lost their home, their friends, those words felt like an embrace. That moment has stayed with me ever since — and it led to the decision to return to Chester with this programme.

Rebekka added:

"For me today, performing Russian music is above all a way of staying connected to a sense of home, memory and language. In Britain, audiences know Eugene Onegin, Swan Lake and Boris Godunov. But the more intimate world of these composers and their songs remains a hidden treasure, no less rich in beauty and emotional depth than their larger works. This programme brings together some of the most beautiful and expressive works in the Russian vocal repertoire — from the lyrical, deeply personal songs of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff to Mussorgsky’s vivid and theatrical cycle Songs and Dances of Death, full of striking imagery and storytelling."

Rebekka will be joined for the special concert by internationally renowned baritone Efim Zaválny whose career has taken him from performing with prestigious Russian opera companies to appearing to critical acclaim throughout Europe and the USA. He began his career in 2008 with the Komi Republic State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Syktyvkar, initially as a chorister and later as a soloist. Leading roles include Eugene Onegin at the Music Hall Theatre in St. Petersburg. From 2016 to 2022, he performed with the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.  Most recently, he was a soloist at the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Baku. In 2024, Efim relocated to the United Kingdom and is now based in London, marking an exciting new chapter in his international career, where his extensive experience and resonant baritone voice continues to captivate audiences on new stages.

Full details of the concert featuring Rebekka Magomédova and Efim Zaválny at St Mary's Creative Space can be found at: 

www.thefloatingopera.co.uk 

...where tickets can be purchased online.