On November 22, the monoopera Tolyq Adam. Oi Tolghau. Khakim Abai, dedicated to the work of the great poet, educator, composer, philosopher, and public figure Abai Qunanbaiuly will be presented at Astana Opera’s Grand Hall with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan, El.kz cites astanaopera.kz.
The author and performer of this topical work is People’s Artist of Kazakhstan, laureate of the State Prize of Kazakhstan Shakhimardan Abilov, who dedicated his entire professional career to popularizing Abai’s work and conveying the poet’s wisdom through music.
The monoopera Tolyq Adam. Oi Tolghau. Khakim Abai is the result of decades of his work and thorough research. The idea of creating a monoopera arose during his trip to London. In 1995, as part of the worldwide celebration of the Year of Abai, declared by UNESCO, Shakhimardan Abilov took part in the opening of the house of Abai in London. At this gala event, People’s Artists of Kazakhstan Bibigul Tulegenova, Yermek Serkebayev and the famous violinist Marat Bisengaliev performed together with Prince Charles’ orchestra at the famous Barbican Centre. Then, performing Abai’s aria, opera singer Shakhimardan Abilov first thought about creating a large-scale work about him.
At first, the monoopera was presented as an experiment with 3-4 songs by Abai, then art songs based on Abai’s poems were added, written especially for his voice by Kazakh composers Yerkegali Rakhmadiyev, Mansur Sagatov, Mynzhassar Mangitayev and Tolegen Mukhamejanov.
“The dream came true after many years of continuous searches. My sincere love and respect for Abai were embodied in this monoopera. I put a lot of work into its creation. As a result, I chose 10 rarely performed works of the poet, on the basis of which the monoopera was created. We must hear Abai and immerse ourselves in his world, so the monoopera lasts more than an hour without a break or applause from the audience. Abai left behind not only his immortal words, but also immortal music. He criticized his people so that the Kazakhs could reach the world level. Through Abai alone we can show the world who the Kazakhs are, so I believe that understanding Abai is the duty of each of us,” Shakhimardan Abilov noted, adding that next year he plans to create a large performance with an orchestra in honour of the 180th anniversary of the great thinker.
It should be emphasized that monoopera is a rare genre, and the upcoming dedication concert will be an interesting event for Astana Opera’s audience. The monoopera consists of three blocks. The first block includes the works “Qaranghy Tunde Tau Qalghyp”, “Qarashada Omir Tur”, “Qor Boldy Zhanym” and “Segiz Ayaq”. The second block includes the great poet’s works such as “Ata-Anagha Koz Quanysh”, “Boiy Bulghan”, “Bireuden Bireu Artylsa”, “Kozimnin Qarasy”, dedicated to the upbringing of children, knowledge, science, art and love. The final third block will feature the songs “Zhelsiz Tunde Zharyq Ai” and “Aittym Salem Qalamqas”.
“Kazakhstan is our common home, a place where dreams come true. We have been given priceless land so that we can enjoy its beauty, learn to love and respect nature, enrich ourselves with culture and become part of great deeds. This gift obliges us to maintain peace and harmony, as bequeathed by the great Abai, who considered all people brothers. I want our Kazakhstan to become the centre of world culture, I want all people on our planet to live in peace and love, revealing to each other the riches of their traditions and creating new cultural masterpieces,” People’s Artist of Kazakhstan Shakhimardan Abilov concluded.
Video design for the stage will convey the deep meaning of each of the three parts of the monoopera. Such a unique artistic bridge will connect the historical era of Abai with eternal themes of love and the search for truth. Shakhimardan Abilov’s permanent accompanist, international competitions laureate Aliyar Otetileu, will be performing the piano art this evening.