One of the main highlights of the past week was the premiere of Antonio Vivaldi’s opera Orlando Furioso that took place on October 4 and 5 at Astana Opera with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan. This opera became a landmark event, combining classical Baroque music, a unique director’s concept, visual ideas and Kazakh soloists’ masterful performances, El.kz cites astanaopera.kz.
Vivaldi wrote Orlando Furioso in 1742, inspired by Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem of the same name, which at that time had already gained popularity as a literary masterpiece. In the new opera, the composer made the most of the possibilities of music to emphasize the characters’ emotional depth and the dramatic intensity of the events.
The opera was created in Venice, where Vivaldi was working at the Teatro Sant’Angelo. Contrary to the general tradition, which assumed a strong focus on vocal embellishments and spectacular arias, Vivaldi focused on the character development and symphonic accompaniment. Vivaldi’s music is distinguished by the complexity of harmonic solutions, contrast of timbres and rhythms, which especially emphasize madness of the titular character, Orlando, who lost his sanity because of his unrequited love for Angelica.
The opera house turned to this opera because it has never been performed in Kazakhstan before and Vivaldi is known in our country mainly as the author of Le Quattro Stagioni. Initially, the opera was written for the castrati singers, as was customary at that time. However, in the modern interpretation of this work at Astana Opera the parts were adapted for today’s performers. Rassul Zharmagambetov and Sultan Bakytzhan performed Orlando, managing to convey the entire range of emotions laid down by Vivaldi. This is one of the most complex characters in the opera, as it requires not only pure vocals, but also deep psychological working through. Rassul Zharmagambetov and Sultan Bakytzhan handled this task commendably, conveying the hero’s madness.
Alcina, interpreted by Tatyana Vitsinskaya and Saltanat Muratbekova, became the real central figure of the performance, as was conceived by the production team. Their heroine is a cunning sorceress, a researcher of the human soul, a master of alchemy, playing with the fates of the heroes akin to ingredients in her phial. The scenes taking place in her laboratory were full of visual symbols: vials, embalmed hearts – all this created an aura of mystery and foreshadowed a tragic outcome for those who dared to confront her. The artists masterfully conveyed the tragic strength of their heroine, whose actions were controlled by a thirst for power and a deep desire to remain immortal.
Participation of the celebrated Kazakh soloist, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Saltanat Akhmetova, who performed the part of Bradamante, became the highlight of the production. The opera house’s principal soloist demonstrated virtuoso mastery of vocal technique, deep understanding of the dramaturgy of her heroine, making the audience really feel her struggle for her beloved Ruggero. Leila Alamanova, who took the stage as this character on the second day, showed a portrayal of a courageous and devoted lover. Assem Sembina and holder of the Order of Qurmet Aizada Kaponova also impressed with their performance of Angelica, adding bright vocal richness to their part. No less important was the part of Medoro performed by Artur Gabdiyev and Alikhan Zeinolla. Their duets with Angelica became the emotional culmination of the production, conveying genuine passion, which made their interaction onstage especially engrossing. Narul Toikenov and Batyrzhan Smakov as Ruggero demonstrated irrepressible energy and heroism, emphasizing the military spirit of the opera. Altynbek Abilda and Yermek Kassym performed Astolfo, demonstrating vocal flexibility: both performers’ musical phrasing was precise, which is why both fit well into the overall sound.
The music director and conductor of the production, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan, Maestro Abzal Mukhitdin, who headed the chamber orchestra, emphasized the contrasts in Vivaldi’s music, from dynamic storms of passion to quiet, lyrical moments. Under his direction, the orchestra brilliantly conveyed all the emotional nuances of the opera.
However, not only the vocal parts deserved admiration. Incidentally, thanks to great work done with the soloists by the stage director Ala Simonishvili, known not only as a stage director, but also as a vocal coach. The stage interpretation of the opera by the author of the new musical concept turned out to be a kind of interweaving with a keen sense of historical context and Baroque music, organically combining tradition and innovation. Despite the fact that the Chamber Hall stage is very compact for such a large-scale opera, the stage director skillfully thought out the mise-en-scènes, which is why each corner of the space was full of life. The sets and costumes designed by Manana Gunia perfectly recreated the atmosphere of a long-gone era. The huge number of half-melted candles and candelabras was impressive: everything that created an atmosphere of the occult. Military costumes conveyed heroism, luxurious embroidered gowns adorned with gems, fantasy heroes’ costumes emphasized the designer’s non-trivial view of the popular world classic.
The magic of lighting effects created by Sergei Kulak enhanced the impression that the action was taking place inside a giant vial, where the characters became objects of an experiment. The transitions of light from scarlet to fiery red emphasized how the heroes’ passions intensified, until, finally, the entire stage was immersed in the dark glow of Alcina’s destroyed world.
The premiere in Astana showed that, despite the passing centuries, the power and relevance of this opera remain, thanks to the fact that the production team affirm the idea of peace and love throughout the world. This work once again confirmed that Astana Opera’s Piccolo Theatre project, implemented five years ago, continues to delight viewers with new productions and develop as a unique platform for chamber performances.