The Operalia festival has opened at Astana Opera, the country’s premier theater venue. Guests from 12 countries around the world have gathered in the capital to participate in this large-scale event, including conductors, soloists and musicians from Armenia, Italy, Bulgaria, Mongolia, China, South Korea, Germany and Central Asian countries. For an entire month, the residents and guests of the capital will delight in exciting premieres and popular productions, chamber music concerts, symphony orchestra performances, a gala opera featuring soloists from the SCO countries, as well as four grand operas and a number of ballet performances, three of which marked the festival’s opening.
“The festival program includes not only ballet but also opera and musical art. Numerous guest artists are participating in the event. We are delighted that the festival opens with ballet, featuring three one-act masterpieces by the iconic choreographer Jiri Kylian. I think it is a fantastic idea, as it is rare to witness three masterpieces on a single stage, and Astana provides us with such an opportunity. Astana Ballet is showcasing ‘Falling Angels’ from their repertoire, while we are presenting two recently staged ballets, namely ‘The Little Death’ and ‘Six Dances’. Our aim is to bring joy to the audience,” said Altynai Assylmuratova, artistic director of the Astana Opera Ballet Company.
It bears noting that this year, the Operalia International Festival coincided with the 10th anniversary season of Astana Opera, and it will conclude with a symphony concert conducted by maestro Alan Buribayev.
“The festival will feature two late operas by Verdi, namely ‘Don Carlos’ and ‘Aida’. The premiere of Rossini's ‘The Italian Girl in Algiers’ is also a big event, as it is a rarely performed masterpiece. I would also like to highlight the symphony concert on July 16 that will conclude the festival and the season. During this concert, we will be playing a symphonic suite - the opera ‘Kurmangazy’ by Akhmet Zhubanov and Gaziza Zhubanova - for the first time,” said Astana Opera’s principal conductor Alan Buribayev.
