Italian Ezio Frigerio honored with Kazakhstan's prestigious award

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Ezio Frigerio, one of the greatest costume designers and art directors of our time, was honored with prestigious state award in Kazakhstan, Kazinform reports.

Arystanbek Mukhamediuly, Minister of Culture and Sport, awarded Frigerio with the Order Dostyk of the II degree in Astana on Wednesday for his contribution to the development of our country, strengthening of friendship and cooperation between Kazakh and Italian people.

Frigerio has collaborated with director Giorgio Strehler on many occasions, including I gigantic della montagna (1966), Santa Giovanna dei macelli (1970), Re Lear (1972), Il temporale (1980), L'Illusion Comique (1984), Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Cosi fan tutte.



Frigerio helped develop many outstanding opera and ballet plays at the Astana Opera Theater. Together with his spouse Italian costume designer Franca Squarciapino they did a lot to develop musical theater in Kazakhstan.

They worked on Zhubanov's Abai, Prokofyev's Romeo and Juliet and Sleeping beauty, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and many more operas staged in Astana.

"The plays which you helped create for the Astana Opera Theater are the calling card of our Kazakhstani art. Undoubtedly, those are masterpieces. We look forward to further fruitful cooperation and wish you sound health," Minister Mukhamediuly told the Italian art director during the awarding ceremony.



Ezio Frigerio, in turn, thanked Kazakhstani authorities, Minister Mukhamediuly and the Astana Opera for the decoration adding that he is honored to become the first Italian to receive the award.