Astana Opera to stage La Bohème - a Universal Love Story
Here, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on April 19 and 20, the long-awaited premiere of Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème will be held.
The opera shows the life of young people who are independent, dreamy, full of hope, but live in extreme poverty. The composer accurately conveyed the atmosphere of Paris, its Latin Quarter and the attic where the young people live. It is curious that the main characters have their historical prototypes, for example, the character of Rodolfo is based on the author of the novel, Henri Murger. The legendary cafe Momus, which the capital's audience will see onstage, was a very popular establishment among Parisian bohemians, the official website of Astana Opera reports.
The production team will present their vision of this opera. Music Director and Conductor - Giuseppe Acquaviva, famous Italian Stage Director - Andrea Bernard, world renowned contemporary Set Designer - Ezio Frigerio, the Academy Award-winning Costume Designer - Franca Squarciapino, Chief Choirmaster - Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Dautov. Projections Designer - Sergio Metalli, Lighting Designer - Vincenzo Raponi, Choirmasters of the Children's Studio - Altynganym Akhmetova, Aigerim Makibayeva, Assistant Directors - Tecla Gucci, Yerenbak Toikenov, Assistant Set Designer - Riccardo Massironi, Assistant Costume Designers - Danièle Boutard, Anna Verde.
According to the Director Andrea Bernard, at the beginning of the opera the protagonists are disillusioned, dreaming of love and trying to express their creativity.
"They live from day to day without wondering what the future will be. As the story goes on, we see their growth. When Rodolfo meets Mimì, he discovers true love and the suffering related to it. La Bohème for me is the metaphor of life. It tells about the growth of the human being and the awareness of the difficulties of life. To describe this metaphor, I decided to set the story in the early 1900s when Paris was a city with a great cultural, industrial and architectural ferment. It experienced a rebirth not only from a cultural point of view, but also from an urban and technological one. The city is a huge construction site in continuous development, and this has also been our inspiration for the set design. Space is very important for me. Set design is an indispensable part of dramaturgy, same as costumes and lights. From the very beginning of this work, Ezio Frigerio understood my requests and tried to turn ideas into space. It is an honor to work with him. I think that it is very important to bring new audience to the opera. La Bohème is a universal story of love and love has no age," Andrea Bernard noted.
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