The love story of a rich girl and a poor but ardent young man will be told from the Astana Opera stage by the Astana Opera International Opera Academy attendees on June 26 and 27. The conductor is Ruslan Baimurzin, the music director is the world-famous Maestro Alan Buribayev. Now the academy attendees are actively preparing for the opera L’Elisir d’Amore: they are taking a master class with the Italian pianist coach, opera teacher and conductor Alessandro Benigni, El.kz cites astanaopera.kz.
Maestro Benigni, with more than 20 years of teaching experience at the Accademia d’Arte Lirica Osimo in Italy, shares his wealth of knowledge with Kazakh soloists. He draws attention to the virtuosity and beauty of the melodies in the opera, which is a hallmark of the bel canto style. The coach conveys the composer’s aesthetics with deep understanding, emphasizing that all the solo parts in this opera are distinguished by brilliant virtuosity, developed melodies and richness in the most complex passages.
Leila Alamanova and Firuza Rakhmetova will give their interpretations of Adina’s part. They will have to portray an educated, well-read and romantic girl. According to the idea of the French stage director Arnaud Bernard, the singers will not only have to demonstrate their vocal talent, but at the same time run and even ride a bicycle.
Nursultan Anuarbek and Shohrukh Yunusov (Tajikistan) will portray the village boy Nemorino, capable of recklessness in the name of love. Nematillo Zkrullaev and Jurica Jurasić Kapun (Croatia) will present Sargeant Belcore. Valeriy Selivanov and Shyngys Rassylkhan are preparing the crafty charlatan Dr. Dulcamara. Anastasia Remeskova and Nazym Sagintai will take the stage as Giannetta, a peasant girl yearning for true love.
Thesignificance of the choir in the opera is undeniable. Under the leadership of the opera house’s principal choirmaster Yerzhan Dautov, it willperform another character – the people.
“For the academy attendees, participation in this production will be a final exam of sorts. They went through the first stages of preparation for the opera: under the guidance of teachers and coaches, they auditioned for parts with a conductor and accompanist. However, this is only the beginning of the journey. Now the academy attendees are honing the technique of “beautiful singing” with an Italian coach, working on acting skills with Astana Opera’s assistant stage director Nikolay Kulikov, and working on vocals with Ala Simonishvili, Professor of the Accademia d’Arte Lirica Osimo. Mise-en-scène rehearsals with many surprises from the French stage director Arnaud Bernard await them next. The production is very dynamic, the artists will have to master the stage space the way Mr. Bernard created it. Perhaps, one of the most memorable moments is when Dulcamara soars into the sky in a hot air balloon, taking the audience’s breath away and leaving behind only the shadow of great art,” Aisulu Tani, executive director of the Astana Opera International Opera Academy, shared.
L’Elisir d’Amore promises to be a visual as well as musical masterpiece, thanks to the creative contributions of the outstanding contemporary set designer Ezio Frigerio and the Academy Award-winning costume designer Franca Squarciapino. Their ability to combine classical style with modern trends gives the production special appeal and relevance.
Performances start at 7 PM.