«You are, in my opinion, the greatest composer of our time.»— Sergei Rachmaninoff, writing to Nikolai Medtner

On 20th November 2026, in the candlelit intimacy of Oxford’s Holywell Music Room — Europe’s oldest purpose-built concert hall — Red Events presents an Oxford premiere: a recital for voice and piano performed by countertenor Gleb Zakharov and prize-winning pianist Elizaveta Velikhova. An intimate evening of love, longing and discovery.

Rachmaninoff can make ecstasy and despair feel inseparable. A melody opens like a confession; a change of harmony turns tenderness into longing. His songs bring the emotional sweep of his famous piano concertos into a more intimate setting, where a few minutes of music can hold the intensity of an entire love story.

Alongside him comes a discovery worth making: Nikolai Medtner, his close friend and a composer he admired without reservation. Medtner’s music has a voice entirely its own, full of sensuous harmonies and unexpected turns. He set poetry by Goethe, Pushkin and Lermontov, and made the piano tale, or skazka, a genre distinctly his own. His music invites us into a world of memories, dreams and deeply felt emotions. Even on a first hearing, it can feel strangely familiar.

Medtner’s story also leads to England. He settled in London in 1935 and spent his final years in Britain. In 1928, he became an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music — where Gleb Zakharov now studies.

In this recital, Zakharov’s distinctive countertenor voice joins pianist Elizaveta Velikhova in a programme of songs and solo piano music. The piano carries its own share of the drama, answering the voice and taking centre stage in the solo works. Expect moments of hushed intimacy alongside music of surging passion, with something to discover whether you know these composers well or are hearing them for the first time.

«Every time I hear it, I go to pieces.»— Marilyn Monroe as The Girl in «The Seven Year Itch» (1955), on Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto

«What draws me to Rachmaninoff is his ability to let ecstasy and despair exist in the same phrase. With Medtner, I’m moved by the feeling of discovering something entirely new that somehow seems deeply familiar. I want to share that experience with you.»— Gleb Zakharov

About performers

Gleb Zakharov (countertenor)

Gleb Zakharov is a London-based countertenor currently continuing his artistic development at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he works with Marcus van den Akker and Raymond Connell, alongside his long-standing mentor Patricia Rozario, OBE.

Gleb has further refined his artistry through studies with Professor Faltin at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule in Berlin and through masterclasses with Sonia Prina, Carmen Santoro, Ailish Tynan, Ashley Stafford, and other leading artists and coaches.

His recent and upcoming operatic roles include Pisandro in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria and the title role in Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto, which he will perform in Trieste in the summer of 2026. He regularly appears in concerts and productions across Europe and recently performed a series of Stabat Mater concerts in five different countries.

Gleb performs a wide range of repertoire spanning Baroque, Romantic, and contemporary music. His concert appearances have taken him throughout the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Italy.

With his warm, dark timbre and instinctive sensitivity to sacred repertoire, Gleb brings profound emotional depth to Stabat Mater, staying true to Pergolesi’s original intention to express raw human suffering, tenderness, and devotion through music.

Beyond the stage, Gleb maintains a strong digital presence with over 50k followers on Instagram, where he collaborates with major cultural institutions and brands, including Decca Classics and Medici TV, creating engaging educational content that introduces classical music and opera to new audiences.

Elizaveta Velikhova (piano)

Elizaveta Velikhova is a prize-winning pianist trained at London’s Royal College of Music. Active as both a soloist and chamber musician, she received an Accompanist Award at the 2025 Basel International Lieder/Song Vocal Competition. In this programme, she appears both as a soloist and as Gleb Zakharov’s musical partner, bringing the piano’s own storytelling to the heart of the recital.

The concert organised by Red Events & Distribution Ltd. — the creative agency which makes exceptional cultural events in ancient mansions, on rooftops, in greenhouses and in other most atmospheric venues of Europe, United Kingdom, Georgia, Armenia and other countries. Also in the repertoire – a collection of concerts by candlelight and with complete immersion in the space of video art and sound.

CONCERT PROGRAMME

Medtner & Rachmaninoff

Nikolai Medtner — Meerestille

Sergei Rachmaninoff — Twilight

Nikolai Medtner — Aus «Claudine von Villa-Bella»

Nikolai Medtner — Theme and Variations in C-sharp Minor, O

Description supplied by the event organiser.