Great Masters: Nikolai Medtner & Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Medtner, a friend of Sergei Rachmaninov, is a quintessentially late-romantic composer who wrote over one hundred Romances (Art Songs) for different voices as well as a vast collection of works for piano, including three piano concertos. Our program includes a selection of his songs and the famous "Fairy Tales" for piano solo.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov represents "The Mighty Five" group of Russian composers and is widely recognized for his talent for orchestration. In his works he paints beautiful pictures evoking all the possible colors of voices and instruments. His romances and duets are among the most treasured in vocal repertoire.
Tickets: $65*
*Admission includes the performance and a post-concert reception with wine, light hors d'oeuvres, and desserts. Pre-registration and photo ID are required to enter the embassy grounds. Patrons without pre-registration or photo ID will not be permitted inside the embassy.
About the Artists
Natalie Conte, Soprano
Natalie Conte has studied vocal performance and immersed herself in the world of opera since childhood. Her devotion to the art shines through in her passionate performances. Currently based in Baltimore, Natalie is in high demand as a soloist. Memorable local performances include singing the soprano solo in Verdi’s Requiem with the IN Series, Barber’s masterpiece Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra, Britten’s War Requiem in Lancaster, PA, and a salon recital of all Richard Strauss music, including his Vier Letzte Lieder.
Natalie debuted internationally in 2005, playing the Countess in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with the Operafestival di Roma. She was also a participant in the 2005 St. Petersburg Conservatory's Convention of Conservatories. While in Russia, she performed programs of Russian romances and American art songs throughout St. Petersburg and Moscow. Natalie is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University where she earned a Master and Bachelor of Music. While there, she won awards for excellence in both performance and academics. Natalie’s most recent credits include winning first prize in the Maryland Lyric Opera competition, singing with the Washington Concert Opera under the baton of Maestro Antony Walker, performing in the chorus at the Metropolitan Opera, and winning first prize in the National Federation of Music’s competition for young artists.
Anton Belov, Baritone
Since winning the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 2002, baritone Anton Belov has expanded his career to reach major opera houses and concert halls across the United States. His voice has been called “rich and mellifluous” by the New York Times, while the Florida Weekly compared his performance to “casting a mystical spell over the audience.”
Equally at home with oratorio and concert repertoire, Mr. Belov presented over 100 recitals throughout the United States appearing at such venues as Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
The highlights of his concert career include Rachmaninoff’s "Bells" at Symphony Hall in Boston, Handel’s “Messiah” at Avery Fischer Hall in New York City, Brahms’ “Requiem” at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Verdi’s “Requiem” with the Anchorage Concert Chorus; and Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins with the Detroit Symphony at Carnegie Hall.
Since the beginning of the Ukraine War, Mr. Belov has been outspoken in his criticism of the Russian invasion. He has been instrumental in producing numerous benefit concerts that to date raised over $40,000 for Ukrainian medical relief organizations.
Martin Labazevitch, piano
Martin Labazevitch, piano
Praised by critics for his lyricism, virtuosity and an intensity of performance, pianist Martin Labazevitch appeared in many concert halls and festivals in Poland, Ukraine, Finland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Peru and the United States.
Born in Poland, Mr. Labazevitch studied at the Odessa Conservatory in Ukraine and at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. In 2019 he received Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Rome School of Music, Drama and Art in Washington D.C. His main teachers and mentors include Nina Svetlanova, Horacio Gutierrez, Dmitri Bashkirov, Bella Davidovich and Jorge Luis Prats. He has been a soloist with orchestras in Spain, Poland, Lithuania, Japan, and the United States. Of his debut album release on the Delos label, of the Chopin Concerto with the Beethoven Academy Orchestra lead by Ewa Strusinska, the Fanfare Magazine wrote: “His way of Chopin is fluid and convincing. He plays with a superb control of rubato and has the most beautiful way of melting a phrase.” Of the same album, ConcertoNet wrote, “...he pleasantly refrains from overtaxing Chopin’s conclusive Allegro vivace with shimmering grandeur and eloquent precision that could even rival that of Arthur Rubinstein.”