A classically trained pianist is set to return to Chester this month for an intimate concert featuring music by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Mussorgsky.

Taking place on Sunday 19 April at St Mary's Creative Space, the concert, titled 'Russian Art Songs', will be performed by Rebekka Magomédova and Efim Zaválny, both former artists of the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg and now based in the UK. 

Performed in Russian as originally written, the 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 also be available on the night.

Alongside works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Mussorgsky, the programme will also feature Fyodor Akimenko's Fantasy for Piano and Tchaikovsky's Sentimental Waltz.

"The decision to bring this concert to Chester - a city where we are still unknown - has a very personal story behind it," Rebekka said.

She left the Mariinsky Theatre in 2022, and during a visit to Chester in 2024 to perform at Storyhouse, she was moved by a message of welcome at the venue.

"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."

"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."

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Joining Rebekka is internationally renowned baritone Efim Zaválny, whose career has taken him from performing with prestigious Russian opera companies to critical acclaim across Europe and the USA.

He began his career in 2008 with the Komi Republic State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Syktyvkar, later taking on leading roles including Eugene Onegin in St Petersburg.

He went on to perform with the Mariinsky Theatre from 2016 to 2022, and was most recently a soloist at the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Baku. In 2024, he relocated to the UK and is now based in London, continuing his international career.

Full details of the concert can be found here, where tickets can be purchased online.