Astana Opera is going on tour to Moscow, where on October 16 the company will present the opera Abai at the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre, El.kz cites astanaopera.kz.
This performance will be part of the Seeing Music International Festival, which brings together outstanding opera productions from near and far abroad. The tour will take place with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Russian Federation and the Bolshoi Theatre administration.
The opera Abai by Akhmet Zhubanov and Latif Khamidi to the libretto by Mukhtar Auezov will be performed by opera soloists, choir, ballet, supernumeraries and symphony orchestra of Astana Opera under the baton of conductor Elmar Buribayev.
According to Astana Opera’s general director, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Galym Akhmedyarov, this is a unique opportunity for the opera house to show the Russian audience the cultural heritage of Kazakhstan.
“It is a great honour for us to present the Kazakh opera at one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world. The opera Abai not only reflects the spirit of our people, but it is also a symbol of its cultural heritage. We are happy to share this work with the Russian audience,” Mr. Akhmedyarov noted.
The opera Abai is a monumental work, written more than 70 years ago. Thanks to the efforts of the music director of the production, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan, laureate of the State Prize of Kazakhstan Alan Buribayev, the work gained a new life at Astana Opera. The principal conductor’s special care with the national classical gem and the creative work of his great-grandfather, Akhmet Zhubanov, turned this production into a true benchmark of Kazakh musical art. In 2018, the opera house was awarded the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan for this work.
The production of Abai not only talks about love and the fight between good and evil, but it is also a mirror reflecting the multifaceted nature and depth of the Kazakh soul, revealing to the viewers a unique way of nomadic life and philosophical reflections of nomads.
The production team plays an important role in creating a performance. Italian stage director Giancarlo del Monaco together with consulting director Yesmukhan Obayev, principal choirmaster Yerzhan Dautov, as well as the outstanding set designer Ezio Frigerio and the Academy Award-winning costume designer Franca Squarciapino created an impressive atmosphere of the era, where each costume becomes an independent work of art in itself.
The opera Abai has already become a hallmark of Independent Kazakhstan, winning over audiences at stage venues of many countries, including Italy, and gaining enthusiastic reviews from critics and viewers.