Astana Opera to stage Swan Lake in Kazakh capital on Mar 8
«We will be happy to perform the ballet, which no musical theatre can do without, and which is known as a symbol of academic choreographic art. This production is also featured during the holiday because it talks about different feelings: loyalty, but at the same time betrayal and deceit, the power of eternal love, creating a romantic mood. I will present one of the main parts – Prince Siegfried. Overall, the male dance here is impetuous, powerful, designed for virtuoso performance. Speaking of female dance, it demonstrates lightness, airiness, ephemerality. I wish our dear viewers to enjoy this fascinating story. I congratulate the lovely ladies on the International Women’s Day and wish everyone good health, kindness, love. May your hearts be filled with joy and happiness with the arrival of spring. You give us beauty, and we are infinitely grateful to you for this,» Yerkin Rakhmatullayev, Astana Opera’s principal dancer, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan, said.
The Swan Lake ballet in the new choreographic version by Altynai Asylmuratova has been featured at the Astana Opera since 2018. Not only the capital’s audience, but the residents of Muscat, where it was first presented on tour in 2017, have fallen in love with the production. In addition, the Astana Opera Ballet Company has toured Italy (Genoa) and Spain (Valencia) with this production and has received wide acclaim from ballet critics.
The libretto is based on a widespread in fairytale folklore story about a girl turned into a bird by the power of an evil spell. The evil sorcerer’s curse works during the day, but with the arrival of the moon, the white swan turns into a beautiful Odette. She is not alone: enchanted swan girls, who named Odette the Swan Queen, surround her on the lake. The spell can only be broken by the faithful love of a young man, but if the vow of eternal love is broken, she will forever remain a swan...
Music director of the production Arman Urazgaliyev will conduct the Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra on March 6 and 8, and Italian Maestro Giuseppe Acquaviva will perform on March 7.
The company’s prima ballerina Aigerim Beketayeva will perform Odette-Odile on March 6 and 8, and on March 7 these characters will be portrayed by principal dancer Anel Rustemova. Principal dancers Yerkin Rakhmatullayev (March 6 and 8) and Olzhas Tarlanov (March 7) are preparing the part of Prince Siegfried. Rothbart – principal dancer Arman Urazov (March 6 and 8), Zhanibek Akhmediyev (March 7). Akarys Beibarys will perform the role of the Jester.
