Elmar Buribayev is new conductor of Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra
- Elmar Askarovich, tell us a little about how the music that flows in your blood became your calling?
- I was born into a family of professional musicians, so my education fits into the classical scheme – the Kulyash Baiseitova School with the Cello major, the Almaty Conservatory, but, this time, majoring in Opera and Symphony Conducting, after that, the Milan Conservatory. Perhaps, the Master’s degree from the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan does not fit into this chain. Nonetheless, it so happened that during the difficult time of the pandemic, I decided that education «outside of music» would help to take a broader and deeper look at the development of culture in the country as a whole.
- Surely, other sources of knowledge were available to you?
- Yes, I was lucky, in addition to basic conservatory education, to take part in international master classes in London, Berlin, St. Petersburg and other cities. In addition, great impressions from concerts and performances at the best opera houses and concert halls, which I had an opportunity to attend, complement and enrich my professional record. The opportunity to regularly attend performances and rehearsals at the Teatro alla Scala with the most famous soloists and conductors of our time was priceless!
- Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to travel abroad. In your opinion, is it possible to get a good education as a conductor in Kazakhstan?
- I believe that musical education in our country is at a worthy level and the training of a conductor is set up in the right way. In the Qurmanghazy Kazakh National Conservatory, such masters as Nurlan Zharassov, Bazargali Zhamanbayev, who have both deep theoretical and purely practical knowledge, worked and continue to educate musicians.
- Now that you have such significant theoretical credentials under your belt, would you like to contribute something of your own in working with orchestras?
- The conductor’s profession is the area of creative work that is least subject to novations and changes. The task has always been and still is to ensure that the orchestra musicians play together, at the same tempo, harmoniously. However, the inner content of the music, certainly, differs from the interpretations that existed, say, 50 years ago. We, musicians of the 21st century, thanks to modern technical capabilities, can listen to dozens, or even hundreds of versions of a particular piece. The job is to find your own vision, to lead the orchestra, to convince the audience of the correctness of your interpretation.
- Truth be told, the task is not an easy one. Nevertheless, is it difficult to earn the trust of the orchestra musicians?
- I think the trust of the orchestra is the main component of any creative union. If the conductor, as a leader, is persuasive and professional, the issue of trust should be resolved positively. It happens at times that it is impossible to obtain such trust in one day or a month, or even a year or years.
- Do you feel an extra sense of responsibility when conducting the Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra?
- Of course, conducting such a magnificent team as the Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra is not just a responsibility, but for me it is a paramount responsibility, excitement and an emotional experience. At the same time, I get an incredible spiritual uplift, great joy from meeting with the wonderful musicians of the collective, where everyone is a high professional in their field!