Rossini’s effervescent comic opera L’Italiana in Algeri will be featured for listeners at Astana Opera on December 5 and 26 under the baton of Ruslan Baimurzin, holder of the Order of Qurmet. On these days, the opera house’s brilliant soloists are expected to debut as the main characters of the production, El.kz cites astanaopera.kz.
“Unbridled imagination and musical genius of the great composer Gioachino Rossini created an opera sparkling with wit and easy to understand with funny intrigue. The story that happened to the flirtatious Italian Isabella in the distant Eastern lands with a culture unfamiliar to her commands the viewers’ interest, and they are happy to plunge into the whirlpool of passions. Dizzying virtuoso passages, magnificent ensemble and choral scenes, rich melodies allow vocalists to fully demonstrate their talents and leave an unforgettable impression on the audience,” the music director and conductor of the production Ruslan Baimurzin said.
“L’Italiana in Algeri is a work that is not performed at all venues, and in Kazakh opera houses it is not presented anywhere, except Astana Opera. Therefore, getting to know this rare production is a great success not only for our listeners, but also for the symphony orchestra musicians. This is a difficult opera to perform, which provides instrumentalists with an opportunity to master new material and grow on it, so having this production in the opera house’s repertoire is also an indicator of the great professionalism of our orchestra,” Ruslan Baimurzin concluded.
On December 5, the debut of principal soloist Tatyana Vitsinskaya as the beautiful Isabella is planned, and the debut of opera soloist Yerzhan Saipov as Mustafà, the Bey of Algiers. On this day, the opera house’s young soloists will portray the heroes of Gioachino Rossini’s operatic masterpiece: Haly – Dinmukhamed Koshkinbayev, Taddeo – Azat Malik, Lindoro – Alikhan Zeinolla, Zulma – Aigerim Amanzholova, Elvira – Guldana Aldadossova.
Significant debuts in the colorful production of L’Italiana in Algeri are also expected on December 26. Thus, the opera house’s soloist Saltanat Muratbekova is preparing to present the titular character Isabella, and the debuts of her colleagues, soloists Yelena Ganzha and Altynbek Abilda, as Zulma and Haly, are also in the plans. Shyngys Rassylkhan will take the stage as Mustafà, Yerzhan Saipov will perform Taddeo, Narul Toikenov will perform Lindoro, and Aizada Kaponova will perform Elvira.
The stage director of Gioachino Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri is Yerenbak Toikenov, who set the action in the present day. The principal choirmaster is Honored Worker of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Dautov, the opera company director is Honored Worker of Kazakhstan Azamat Zheltyrguzov.