Jibek Joly Festival leaves vivid memories
It should be noted that the festival was held with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Great Silk Road, which once began in the Celestial Empire – in China, turned into the Great Steppe Road, connecting the West and the East. Now this festival, like a musical caravan, gathers opera and ballet stars from different countries on one stage, proving once again that there are no boundaries in art. Along with Astana Opera’s highly professional artists, the audience had an opportunity to appreciate the performances of Chinese, German, Azerbaijani, Russian, Belarusian, Armenian, Kyrgyz, Uzbek and many other stars of our time. The public showed great interest in the festival, gathering several thousand viewers.
Thus, at the grand opening of the festival, Mukan Tulebayev’s opera Birzhan – Sara was presented to the audience. On the following days, wonderful performances of Ludwig Minkus’ Don Quixote, Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot, Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Eugene Onegin, as well as rich opera and ballet gala programs delighted the viewers. On the final day of the festival, December 11, the audience saw Aram Khachaturian’s legendary ballet Spartacus.
In all performances, the main parts were performed alternately by the opera house’s artists and guest soloists, which allowed the audience to compare performances and share their impressions. Thus, Vera Lyakhovskaya, a viewer who attended Puccini’s opera Turandot as part of the festival, wrote on her social media account:
«I have the most vivid impressions from the performance. Certainly, this is the merit of the author of the work – Giacomo Puccini, and the impeccable work of Maestro Alan Buribayev. This is a very beautiful, amazing, touching, lyrical and at the same time deep dramatic performance. Oksana Kramareva (Ukraine-Germany) performed the title role. This part suits her both vocally and in terms of her stage presence. She created the portrayal of a merciless woman with a heavy internal drama. This is how I imagined Turandot. Costumes, sets, lighting – everything was wonderful. Truly professional artists worked here, their spotlights are like brushes!»
Shynar Bekbayeva, a resident of the capital, also expressed warm words: «I have the feeling that I attended performances at several world opera houses. When I saw artists from different countries performing in the same production at Astana Opera, I realized that art is not divided into nationalities, it is common to all. It was truly a celebration of opera and ballet art. I am grateful to Astana Opera and all the artists who shared their work with us.»
The guest artists who took part in the Jibek Joly Festival along with their Kazakh colleagues also shared their emotions. They received a lot of joy and inspiration from working together. For example, Jinhao Zhang, who was born in China and is now a principal of the Bayerisches Staatsballett, was delighted to have the opportunity to perform with the Astana Opera Ballet Company and expressed his heartfelt wishes to the festival in his native tongue.
Other guest soloists also shared their impressions of the festival:
«I performed at Astana Opera for the first time, I had never been to Kazakhstan before. This is a very significant event for me. I was happy to select a program with the Maestro, came here with good spirits, and my expectations were justified. I am completely delighted with this opera house and sincerely happy for my Kazakh colleagues that they work in such wonderful conditions that are created so that people can make art,» Sabina Asadova, soloist of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.
«I thank the opera house management for the invitation. I remember that I saw Astana Opera for the first time when it was just under construction. Back then, I came to Astana to take part in the Shabyt competition. At that moment I thought that I must definitely perform at this wonderful opera house and today I am here. I heard a lot of good things about this opera house and now I have seen for myself that everything is true. I wish this festival a long life and thunderous applauses,» Dzhabrail Idrisov, soloist of the Alisher Navoi State Academic Bolshoi Theatre in Uzbekistan, said.
The festival received many more excellent reviews from enthusiastic viewers, which confirm that the public needs such large-scale cultural events. Thus, the Zhibek Zholy Festival at Astana Opera once again showed that Kazakhstan is always open to the whole world for cultural ties.
Photo: astanaopera.kz