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On July 16, the Astana Opera - the flagship of culture and art of Kazakhstan - completed its 10th anniversary season with a symphony concert featuring world stars. The season was exciting, busy and marked by a string of significant international events, Astana Opera press office reports.
The opera house, a monumental adornment of the capital, was designed in the best traditions of classical architecture while preserving the national zest. A true celebration of high art reigned here throughout the anniversary season. During this time, a number of significant premieres were presented to the audience. The most discussed and anticipated ballet premiere of 2022, Cinderella, staged at the Astana Opera by the famous choreographer Raimondo Rebeck to Prokofiev’s music, aroused great public interest. Balnur Qydyrbek’s national opera-ballet Qalqaman - Mamyr, which premiered at the end of December2022, caused a great resonance. This year, the opera house heldtwo more premieres - world choreographic masterpiece, JiřiKylián’s ballet Petite Mort to Mozart’s music and Rossini’srarely performed opera buffa L’Italiana in Algeri.
Conquering Horizons
A series of tours followed the premieres: at the end of 2022, thunderous applause and shouts of "Bravo" greeted the ballet company in Moscow. The performance was a great success atthe Kremlin Palace. The Kazakh team presented Asafiev’s The Fountain of Bakhchisarai as part of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Russia, receivinghigh reviews from theatregoers and music critics.
The Astana Opera’s tour to Almaty, long-awaited by music connoisseurs and artists, took place from December 8 to 10. Theopera house presented two completely different programs to the Almaty audience - the Gala Concert and Verdi’s Requiem. Renowned soloists accompanied by the opera house’s choir and symphony orchestra performed under the baton of the Honored Worker of Kazakhstan Abzal Mukhitdin.
Three days later, the Astana Opera performed for the first time a tour program in Baku within the framework of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. The Gala Concert was held at the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.
However, this was not the end of the tour either. The next stop was Minsk, the capital of Belarus. At the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus, opera soloists performed Rossini’s operatic farsacomica La Scala di Seta. The tour took place as part of the 12th Minsk Christmas Opera Forum. The vocal skill and artistry of the soloists, the nuanced sound of the Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ruslan Baimurzin, holder of the Order of Qurmet, delighted the Belarusian audience.
Meanwhile, the Zhibek Zholy International Festival was held at the Astana Opera in parallel with the tour, bringing together opera and ballet stars from 14 countries of the world. The celebration of high art, which lasted for a whole month, left vivid memories for everyone. It went down in history as one of the most significant events in the cultural life of our country. It should be noted that the festival was held with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
A memorable chord that ended the past year undoubtedly was the award ceremony of the first Umai National Art Award, which took place at the Astana Opera. More than 400 applications to participate in the competition, which lasted 5 months, were submitted. The award was presented in the formatof the world’s best theatrical awards. 19 laureates received thecoveted statuette and monetary prizes.
This year, the company toured different cities and countries with great success. The opera company gave a tour performance in Qaraghandy, the ballet company in Almaty, the choir performed in Poland, making a real sensation in Warsaw and Białystok. The artists won the first place at the international competition, and also gave a recital of Kazakh music, giving another concert as an encore at the request of the Polish audience. The ballet dancers’ brilliant performance will take place literally in 2 weeks, which the people of Slovenia will have an opportunity to enjoy.
Of particular note is the project of the virtuoso violinist Marat Bisengaliev, which won the hearts of the audience. A thousand musicians simultaneously performed a solemn ode Uly DalaAuyeni on the same stage. The premiere was dedicated to the large-scale celebration of the Culture and Art Workers Day, held with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Astana Akimat.
The Pride of the Opera House
The Astana Opera’s principal conductor, laureate of the State Prize of Kazakhstan, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan Alan Buribayev successfully staged Prokofiev’s monumental opera War and Peace in Budapest and Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin in Ljubljana. The opera house’s soloists also bring glory to the Astana Opera at many world venues. For example, the principal dancer, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan BakhtiyarAdamzhan, performed brilliantly in Australia. People have already fallen in love with him on the Green Continent, because the ballet star performs there every year for three years. In addition, Bakhtiyar Adamzhan successfully presented the art of Kazakhstan at the Celebrity Ballet Gala, which took place in Cyprus, then went on tour to Italy (Rome, Bologna), Korea, Russia (St. Petersburg) and many other countries.
His colleague, the Astana Opera Ballet Company soloist, laureate of international and republican competitions SerikNakyspekov performed with great success in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek. And the Astana Opera’s ballet soloistAnastasia Zaklinskaya and the ballet company’s dancer DiasKurmangazy successfully performed in the main roles in Adolphe Adam’s ballet Giselle at the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus. Principal dancer of the Astana Opera Ballet Company Arman Urazov and ballet soloist Shugyla Adepkhan received a standing ovation from the Georgian audience, performing with great success at the Zakaria Paliashvili Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet Theatre.
Of course, the artists’ achievements are regularly marked with well-deserved awards. Thus, the Astana Opera’s soloist ShyngysRassylkhan became the winner of the TeatrALL International Festival, and also gained a high distinction, receiving the DarynAward in the Classical Music category for fruitful creative work. The Astana Opera’s principal dancer, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan Aigerim Beketayeva, became the laureate of the prestigious award of the Union of Theatre Critics of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Soloist of the Year category for outstanding achievements in the field of ballet. A little later, by the decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev "On the Awarding of a State Scholarship in the Field of Culture in 2022", AigerimBeketayeva became the recipient of the State Scholarship in the field of culture.
Incidentally, this year the opera house held the first graduation ceremony for the Astana Opera International Opera Academyattendees. Many of them have proven their merit at internationalcompetitions. For example, the Astana Opera International Opera Academy attendee Guldana Aldadossova won a special award at the prestigious Hibla Gerzmava International Opera Singers and Accompanists Competition, held at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre in Moscow. Her colleague Valeriy Selivanov won a special prize at the 1st Maria Cebotari International Singing Competition in Moldova. In July 2023, the Rossini Opera Festival, one of the most prestigious festivals in the world, starts in the city of Pesaro in Italy, where, along with the most famous singers of our time, AlikhanZeinolla is invited to participate.
During the years of study, Aigerim Amanzholova won the Grand Prix at the Marat Aitimov Republican Vocal Competitionin Aktobe. Dinmukhamed Koshkinbayev won the first place at the same creative competition, as well as gaining another significant victory - passing a rigorous audition for the Big Opera international television project on the Kultura TV channel.
Alikhan Zeinolla (1st prize), Ulpan Aubakirova (2nd prize), Dariga Mussayeva and Oraz Mukhamedyar (3rd prize) became laureates of the 11th Bibigul Tulegenova International Vocal Competition, and Talgat Allabirinov has received a diploma of the competition.
Make Way for the Young People!
The opera academy attendees have repeatedly delighted the capital’s audience with their exciting stage works. This year it was the premieres of concert versions of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta, and Rachmaninoff’s Aleko for the 150th anniversary of the great composer. The audience warmly and emotionally greeted theartists’ performance. The final chord of training at the Astana Opera International Opera Academy was the participation of its attendees in Puccini’s La Bohème and in the premiere of Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri.
In addition, the Astana Opera pays great attention to the younger generation. For 10 years, the Children’s Studio has been actively working within the Astana Opera’s walls. Its pupils regularly perform on the main stage along with professional artists. Just last year, the opera house opened a Theatrical Crafts Studio, which children attend with great pleasure, each taking their own course, from modeling clothes to woodcarving. The opera house management strives to instill in them a love for the theatre arts,with the aim that some of them will want to connect their professional life with the Astana Opera. In the same year, the opera house began to teach theatrical crafts not only to children, but also to adults. Thus, anyone, regardless of age, can master exclusive skills, revealing their creative potential under the guidance of experienced teachers from among the opera house’s staff.
International Cooperation
The opera house hosted a number of master classes, including from the famous opera performer and vocal coach Anna Vandi(Italy). The ballet company again met with a foreign master from France, Yannick Boquin. During the season, the capital’s opera house featured performances by South Korean opera diva Sumi Jo, Portuguese singer Susana Gaspar, flutist from Italy Andrea Griminelli, sought-after all over the world, Italian conductor Giuseppe Acquaviva, soloist of the Mariinsky TheatreAkhmed Agadi, stars of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus Dmitry Uksusnikov and Liudmila Khitrova, Alexander Mikhnyuk(Belarus), Daria Gorozhanko (Ukraine), Konstantin Brzhinsky(Russia), Hovhannes Ayvazyan (Armenia), Oksana Kramareva(Ukraine-Germany), Libuse Santorisova (Czech Republic), Daria Suzi and Javier Cacheiro Alemán (Germany), and many others.
It is important to emphasize that the opera house is open for cooperation, always invites eminent artists to its stage and gladly accepts invitations for the capital’s team to perform at foreign venues.
A Festivals Parade
In January of this year, the opera house launched a series of festivals organized by the opera house’s conductor, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan Abzal Mukhitdin, which lasted for four months. The Viennese Classics Festival was presented to the residents of Astana. Guest conductors from Japan, Mongolia, Israel, and Estonia were invited to participate, and the opera house’s orchestra demonstrated the virtuosity of performance skill and high professionalism necessary to perform masterpieces of the Classicism era. Another exciting festival, theRachmaninoff Tribute, was dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the great classic. Famous performers from the USA, Europe and Kazakhstan took part in it. High art connoisseurs were also able to appreciate the rich program of the Baroque Festival, held from April 12 to 27 in the Astana Opera’s Marble, Chamber and Grand Halls.
The large-scale Operaliya International Festival completed the anniversary season. It was held with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The festival featured performances by Barseg Tumanyan (Armenia), Laura Verrecchia, Diego Cavazzin, Isabel del Paoli (Italy), Badral Chuluunbaatar (Mongolia), Sejoon An (Korea), MunzifaIsoeva (Tajikistan), Alfiya Karimova (Bashkortostan), AibekSaralaev ( Kyrgyzstan), Aboskhon Rakhmatullaev (Uzbekistan), Koki Yang (China), as well as the famous cellist Jing Zhao.
Good Deeds
It is worth emphasizing that the opera house regularly hosts charity events. This season, Gyula Harangozó’s ballet Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Tibor Kocsák’s music was performed at the Astana Opera for children with disabilities. The concert The Sun Shines for Everyone was held on the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day. The Cartoon Music Concertwas held for special children. Also, the opera house carries out charity events for large and low-income families on a regular basis. The opera house’s artists perform rich programs in nursing homes and orphanages.
By doing good deeds, the artists themselves, of course, become more sensitive to the problems of other people, striving to become better and bring light and joy to this world.
Season’s Figures
In the 10th anniversary season, the opera house went on tour 8 times. More than 100 thousand people attended the performances at the Astana Opera, with about 300 events heldaltogether, including 49 operas, 49 ballets, and 141 concerts. About 50 exhibitions were held in the opera house’s foyer. The opera house has issued more than 400 press releases and carried out more than 5 thousand publications in the media.
Over the course of all 10 seasons, the Astana Opera awakens the public interest in the theatre arts, invites the most outstanding stage directors and famous performers. The best forces from both Kazakhstan and abroad are involved in the design of the opera and ballet productions. Therefore, the opera house has already become a kind of symbol of the capital, a hallmark of our country. This is a big image-building project that brought together under its roof the most talented creative plethora of performers. Ahead of the Astana Opera is a new decade, which, without any doubt, will be no less bright and interesting," Galym Akhmedyarov, the Astana Opera’s general director, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan, said.
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