It is as if a time machine had transported Astana Opera back half a century. Scenes from the past come to life in the opera house’s workshops – a village well with yokes, a blazing clay oven with bauyrsaqs, life-size cow dummies and haystacks. All of this is part of the large-scale preparations for the first Kazakh comic opera Aisulu by composer Sydyq Mukhamedzhanov. The premiere is scheduled for November 29 and 30, El.kz reports citing astanaopera.kz.
Young artists enthusiastically got into the swing of creating the performance, and representatives of the older generation nostalgically reminisce about the past, noting the details that remind them of their youth with a kind smile. Well-known set and costume designers, Honoured Workers of Kazakhstan Sofya Tasmagambetova and Pavel Dragunov, designed the production, choosing the style of the 1960s and 70s. This era is close to many employees, especially seamstresses: for them, it is a period of their youth, and therefore each costume is getting made with a special meaning.
Many details of the costumes take you back to the past. The length of women’s dresses just below the knees is a Soviet fashion staple. However, the opera house’s seamstresses, accustomed to working with costumes of the 17th-18th centuries, do not encounter such garments very often. Costumes are made of natural materials like wool, jacquard and silk with a lot of meticulously thought-out elements such as inset and outer patch and welt pockets, shoulder pads and linings. 239 costumes are being prepared for two casts of performers, including six wedding dresses and six men’s suits for the wedding scene. All of them have fitted silhouettes and obligatory slits and yokes, giving the garments the elegance of that time. Pastel spring shades predominate in the costumes for the first act, as well as stiped fabrics reflecting the style of urban youth. Meanwhile, in the second act the audience will find themselves in a village, where the clothes convey rural zest.
Set pieces for the stage are made with no less care. A significant element will be a railway station with the Soyuzpechat kiosk, street lamps and a train car. All of this, together with leather suitcases, reminds us of the road life of that time and sets the atmosphere of the beginning of the story, when young Serke sets off to win over Almaty. His journey begins far from the quiet rural life. The opera house’s propmakers are also masterfully recreating the realities of day-to-day village life: cows made of foam plastic, covered with papier-mâché, set elements made of firewood, a hand-barrow, pitchforks and much more.
The scene with a real village clay oven, smoking and frying bauyrsaqs, attracts special attention. Skilled craftsmen even found a way to make prop bauyrsaqs with a latex coating, giving them a surprisingly natural appearance. Qurt is also presented as a decorative element – it is a pity that you cannot taste it. Craftsmen from the Set and Crafts Shop are preparing metal structures for the wedding canopy and hayloft. Haystacks, packed in bales, look as if they were just gathered in the field.
Work is in full swing in every corner of the opera house. Conductor, People’s Artist of Kazakhstan Abzal Mukhitdin, is rehearsing with the orchestra, stage director Yerenbak Toikenov – with the soloists, and principal choirmaster, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Dautov leads the choir. Incidentally, young choir artists from the Astana Opera Children’s Studio are also involved in the production. The choreographer of mass scenes Bostan Kozhabekov is perfecting the artists’ movements, and lighting designer Sergei Shevchenko and projections designer Pavel Suvorov provide the visual part of the production. Technical director of the project Victor Carare unites all the technical and design components of the production.
Different casts of performers are preparing their parts: Aisulu – holder of the Order of Qurmet Aizada Kaponova, Nazym Sagintai, Serke – Talgat Galeyev, Dinmukhamed Koshkinbayev, Rassul Zharmagambetov, Khassen – Shyngys Rassylkhan, Yerzhan Saipov, Dias Orysbai, Aubakir – Talgat Allabirinov, Artur Gabdiyev, Alikhan Zeinolla, Newsagent and Policeman – Altynbek Abilda, Sultan Bakytzhan. Academician – Bolat Yessimkhanov, Valeriy Selivanov, Abdykadyr – Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Zhanat Shybykbayev, Valeriy Selivanov, Dias Orysbai. Assem Sembina, Zhannat Baktai, Guldana Aldadossova will perform Zhansulu, Nursulu – Saltanat Muratbekova, Tatyana Vitsinskaya.
“Sydyq Mukhamedzhanov’s opera Aisulu is a superbly written work in the comedy genre with its own specifics, and I have long dreamed of performing it. The production is set in the 1970s in Almaty. I have always thought about the life of our people in the seventies and eighties and often dreamed of being in that time. And now I have such an opportunity. In this production we are immersed in the retro style, in the atmosphere of the seventies. The role of the protagonist Serke did not create vocal difficulties for me, and in my opinion, acting skills come first here. Because in this opera it is not the text or the music, but the acting that can captivate viewers and make them laugh. This is why we are currently honing our acting skills and actively preparing together with the stage director and conductor. Stage director Yerenbak Toikenov is creating very interesting mise-en-scènes. He has a powerful vision of this opera. Conductor Abzal Mukhitdin is a true master of his craft and working with both of them is very seamless. I am sure that the premiere of the opera Aisulu will be held at the highest level and will give the audience a great mood,” Dinmukhamed Koshkinbayev, performer of the main role of Serke, said.
At the centre of this cheerful and touching story are young lovers Aisulu and Serke, as well as two comedic couples: Khassen and Aubakir with Aisulu’s sisters Zhansulu and Nursulu. Their adventures, jokes and fibs create a dynamic and bright spectacle that is definitely not to be missed on these chilly November days.