Much to be proud of: Astana Opera completes its 9th season
The outgoing season was eventful for all artists. The repertoire performances and concerts at the Astana Opera’s Grand Hall and the Kulyash Baiseitova Chamber Hall were presented in an unprecedented variety: every month the viewers were offered to choose from 25 different performances in the playbill.
The premieres have won the audience’s particular attention. These are Tibor Kocsák’s ballet Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in Gyula Harangozó’s choreography, Yerkegali Rakhmadiyev’s heroic opera Alpamys, which was presented for the first time in 30 years at the capital’s opera house in a completely new interpretation, and the audience also fell in love with the premiere of Jiří Kylián’s comedy ballet Sechs Tänze.
Touring Life:
The 9th season was marked by a series of tours of Kazakh theatres and foreign artists at Astana Opera – the team of the Abai Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre shone on its stage, the capital’s audience also applauded the artists of the Shymkent Opera and Ballet Theatre and the Qaraghandy Academic Musical Comedy Theatre. The pianist Giuseppe Gullotta, the bandoneonist Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi, the principal first violin of the Teatro alla Scala Laura Marzadori (Italy) performed on tour at the opera house.
As for the Astana Opera team itself, it began to actively tour by the middle of the season, when the situation with restrictive measures improved. Twice the ballet company performed in Almaty, later the dancers presented their art to the audiences of Turkestan and Shymkent. The opera company and the symphony orchestra toured Pavlodar, Ekibastuz, Qaraghandy, Rudnyi, Aqtobe and Petropavl. Thanks to this, Kazakhstanis were able to get to know the work of the capital’s opera house more closely, and the audience discovered classical art in a new way.
Well-Deserved Awards:
In addition to intense touring, the artists worked hard on their own native stage, creating magic and enchantment for their beloved viewers, giving them the joy of coming into contact with high art. Often their work does not go unnoticed, and the awards find their recipients. Musical consultant, pianist Raushan Beskembirova and leading accompanist Dolores Umbetaliyeva received the title of Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan. Astana Opera’s conductor Ruslan Baimurzin became a Cavalier of the Order of Qurmet. In addition, many opera house employees were awarded the badge Madeniyet Salasynyn Uzdigi. Principal dancer Aigerim Beketayeva and soloist Zhamilya Jarkimbayeva became the winners of the first prize of the TeatrALL International Festival in the nominations Best Ballet Dancer for the title role in the production of Adolphe Adam’s ballet Giselle and in the nomination Best Soloist for the performance of Zhibek’s aria in Yevgeny Brusilovsky’s opera Kyz Zhibek, respectively. The opera soloist Shyngys Rassylkhan received the award in the nomination New Name – Umit. Sofya Tasmagambetova and Pavel Dragunov’s set design for Astana Opera’s production of the opera Kyz Zhibek was recognized as the Best Set Design at this festival.
Special Projects: the ninth theatrical season was also rich in unique ballet, opera and symphony projects. The artistic director of the ballet company Altynai Asylmuratova created around 20 gala evenings. Each of them was unlike the previous ones. Thanks to these concerts, the audience discovered new names, because they featured young talented dancers, who had recently joined the company, but had already confidently made their presence known. The opera house’s principal conductor Alan Buribayev brought to the viewers’ attention a number of new projects that resonated with the audience. It is worth noting that the grand performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 under his baton still ‘lives on’, as the recording of this concert featuring over a thousand and two hundred musicians was broadcast for three months on the French television channel Mezzo TV with 40 million people viewership.
A significant event was the opening of the Astana Opera Friends Club, which now absolutely everyone can join and become closer to art. In addition, the opera house carried out a rebranding: updated the logo, the website and created a version of the website for visually impaired people. Another important project of the opera house is the Astana Opera International Opera Academy. This year, the academy completed its first academic year. The academy attendees achieved considerable success: they held a number of concerts and the premiere of Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni. Future opera singers improved their skills by studying with highly qualified specialists such as Francesco Medda, Anatoli Goussev and other famous maestros. There is every reason to believe that the academy will soon strengthen Astana Opera’s position as a world-class cultural center.
Astana Opera in Numbers: Overall, work on the formation of the opera house’s image in the world cultural space is ongoing. One of the areas is the artists’ participation in international competitions. Thus, from September last year to June this year, Astana Opera’s soloists took part in international competitions and festivals and brought glory to the opera house in many countries of the world. Among them are Japan, Italy, Australia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and other countries. Yerenbaq Toikenov won second place in the International Competition for Young Opera Directors «Nano-Opera», which was broadcast live on the Rossiya-K TV channel.
Astana Opera held more than 207 events, and 61,127 people attended the opera house’s performances and concerts. About 45 exhibitions dedicated to legendary art figures, the opera house’s artists, as well as stage directors and designers, were held in the opera house’s foyer. Over the past period, about 7 thousand articles were published in the leading Kazakhstani mass media.
Important Dates: Other numbers were reflected in anniversary dates, as the theatrical season was rich in them. The Astana Opera Grand Hall and the Kulyash Baiseitova Chamber Hall featured wonderful concerts – Zhubanovtar Alemi for the 95th anniversary of Gaziza Zhubanova, Assyl Arman for the 100th anniversary of Roza Baglanova, Akhmet Zhubanov and Latyf Khamidi’s opera Abai for the 125th anniversary of Mukhtar Auezov, as well as the concert Kazakhtyn Bulbuly for the 110th anniversary of Kulyash Baiseitova, and Ulylargha Taghzym for the anniversaries of famous composers, performers and writers.
The Year of Children: Many of the composers, whose anniversaries the opera house has celebrated, dedicated their works to children. It is known that the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared 2022 the Year of Children. In this regard, Astana Opera has implemented and is still preparing for actualization many wonderful projects. Thus, the opening of the Theatrical Crafts division of the Children’s Studio took place in January. In addition, Choir and Ballet departments of the Astana Opera Children’s Studio continue their active work. Along with the accomplished artists, the children participate in opera performances at the Grand Hall and in concerts at the Kulyash Baiseitova Chamber Hall. The billboard for March featured the first festival Week of Classical Music for Children. It is important to note that the Theatrical Lesson project, created jointly with the Nur-Sultan Akimat, has become very popular. Now not only city schoolchildren, but also children from regional and rural schools strive to take part in it.
Good Deeds: The capital’s children also had an opportunity to attend exhibitions on a charitable basis, which were held, among others, for autistic children. Overall, 760 people attended charity projects. In addition, Astana Opera, together with the capital’s Akimat, implemented the Madeni El charity project. Engrossing programs ABAQUS-DARYN, Magical Bow, a concert from the Classics for Children series – Camille Saint-Saëns’ Le Carnaval des Animaux, a creative evening of the composer Pierre Thilloy as part of the Astana Keshteri festival, and an away charity concert Viva Mozart! did not leave the audience indifferent.
To raise the cultural level, cultivate aesthetic perception and for educational purposes, the opera house invited the National Guard servicemen, as well as members of their families, to performances and concerts.
Veterans of the Great Patriotic War, the elderly, and low-income families were not left out. For them, Astana Opera’s volunteers prepared food baskets and holiday gifts.
More to Come
Undoubtedly, good deeds, engrossing projects, and touring will continue in the new season. International mass media have already announced the opening of the 10th anniversary season.
«It will be marked by exciting events – Astana Opera will hold the Zhibek Zholy International Festival. Kazakhstani and foreign opera and ballet stars will perform at the festival and world theatre critics will attend. The opera house opens the anniversary season itself with a concert featuring world opera star, Grammy Award winner soprano Sumi Jo (Korea). It is worth emphasizing that Sumi Jo is a designated UNESCO Artist for Peace. Among other things, the creative team is preparing for the upcoming premieres – contemporary ballet Cinderella by Sergei Prokofiev staged by Raimondo Rebeck, as well as Balnur Kydyrbek’s opera-ballet Kalkaman – Mamyr directed by Yuri Alexandrov and Zholan Dastenov’s children’s opera (!) Kanbak Shal directed by Yerenbak Toikenov,» Galym Akhmedyarov, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan, Astana Opera’s general director, said.
During the off-season, the opera house will not say goodbye to the audience. Tour performances of the theatres of Qaraghandy and Turkestan, as well as exciting concerts Musical Holidays at Astana Opera at the Kulyash Baiseitova Chamber Hall await the viewers at Astana Opera.