Baritone will sing songs of darkness and light

THREE years ago, Russian singer Efim Zavalny and his family relocated to London, after the invasion of Ukraine.

The baritone will be the special guest for Henley Symphony Orchestra’s autumn concert, which takes place at St Mary’s Church in Henley next Saturday.

Conductor and music director Alexander Walker has described Efim as “a world-class singer with an amazing voice”.

Efim says: “We left Russia after the war began in 2022, in the summer we moved to the UK.

“I hope for all the best for Ukraine but I think it will be very difficult because Russia is a huge country of 140 million people and it has too much money — but Ukraine is staying strong yet. I just hope that soon all this hell will be over.”

Efim will be singing Modest Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death and Gustav Mahler’s Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen.

The Mussorgsky music is “a very emotional and very deep piece”, he says. “It’s very cinematic, it’s kind of like a little 20-minute play.

“There are four pieces inside this cycle and each piece contains two characters, the first one is Death, and the second character is a person who will die at the end of every piece, because of Death. I believe Mahler had a tough life but for me, he has always written about the bright side of life. He gives a hopeful kind of feeling and Mussorgsky’s much more dark and much more hopeless.

“I believe the last 100 years, the political system in Russia was kind of the same. It’s always tough and because all our presidents have kind of been dictator-style, we have got a kind of slavery but the slaves are the people of Russia themselves. Life in Russia is not easy.

“That’s why I believe many Russian composers and writers are quite depressive and have got kind of a dark mood.”

Originally from Syktyvkar, a city to the north-east of Moscow, Efim, 38, is married to musician Rebekka Magomedova, and they have an eight-year-old son, David.

“We speak in Russian with David at home because we want him to know both languages. We like London so much and I always say that London just has one problem, its rent cost. We love it.

“My wife is a pianist and last year, she did a tour around the UK, she was a part of an orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s ballet, like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.

“They did a big tour and she went across the UK to 50 or
60 towns and cities and she really loved it. She said it’s a beautiful country with a beautiful nature and a beautiful audience.”

Is there much truth in the stereotype that Russia is often covered with freezing snow?

“It’s true, the city where I was born and grew up, it could be snow from October until May and the temperature could be lower than -30C sometimes, even -40, it was quite cold.

“However, 10 years ago, after the war began, we moved to
St Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia.

“In St Petersburg the weather is much warmer and a lot of rain but less snow and for us, the weather in London is very good, it’s quite warm and the temperature never goes below zero, maybe just a very few times and it’s not raining.

“In Russia we call England ‘foggy Albion’ and our stereotype is that every day in London is rainy and the sky is always grey but of course it’s not true. The weather here is much more comfortable than in
St Petersburg so we love it.”

Efim says that when he was little, he was more pop-orientated. “I think when you are a boy you’re always thinking and dreaming about something much more popular than opera music. I believe I dreamt about being an artist, a musician, but I think in more kind of a pop-rock style.

“Actually, my favourite opera is Turandot by Puccini. It’s also quite dark but the music is so emotional and exotic, but there is just one baritone role and it’s not huge, it’s more kind of a trio.

“I just love music and I love to be on the stage, because you can find interesting and emotional moments, I believe, in every piece of classical music.

“That’s why it’s classical, because it’s still alive.”

l Henley Symphony Orchestra’s autumn concert takes place at St Mary’s Church in Henley on Saturday, November 15, at 5pm.

Music will include Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death, Mahler’s Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen and Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances.

Tickets cost £22 reserved (central aisle), £20 unreserved (side central aisle), £18 unreserved (side aisle) or £10 reserved/£8 unreserved for students and under-16s.

For more information, call 07726 459261 or email boxoffice@henleysymphony orchestra.co.uk