The international project “Russian Seasons” ended in Astana with the Gala concert “Duet of two Capitals”, prepared by the Moscow Musical Theater “Helikon-Opera” by Dmitry Bertman together with the staff of the State Opera and Ballet Theater “Astana Opera”, on the stage of which the performance took place.
In 2023, the “Russian Seasons” were held for the first time in Kazakhstan, where more than 20 events were held. They were supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aida Balayeva noted in her welcoming speech that the international project “Russian Seasons” fulfills a humanitarian mission uniting humanity and leaves an indelible impression in the hearts of Kazakhstanis:
Russians Russian Seasons” century-old international cultural project was launched on March 2 this year on the stage of the leading theater of Kazakhstan, which is the cultural heritage of our country, the Astana Opera State Opera and Ballet Theater, the founder of which is the great impresario of the last century Sergei Diaghilev, who made a huge contribution to the development and popularization of Russian culture at the beginning The twentieth century. During 2023, our Russian colleagues presented a set of cultural events that left an indelible impression in the hearts of Kazakhstanis.
All this is the key to strong friendly relations between our countries. After all, today culture plays an important role in creating the unity of mankind. It unites people of different nationalities, religions, and languages, allowing them to find a common language and understanding of each other. Culture becomes a bridge that connects different cultural groups and promotes intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding.”
The gala concert “Duet of two Capitals” within the framework of the closing ceremony of the “Russian Seasons” was organized by the Moscow Musical Theater “Helikon-Opera” Dmitry Bertman together with the staff of the State Opera and Ballet Theater “Astana Opera” under the direction of two wonderful conductors: the chief conductor of the “Helikon-Opera”, Moscow Prize winner Valery Kiryanov and the conductor of the Astana Opera Theater Ruslan Baimurzin.
As Aida Balayeva noted, “musical art is a great force that calls us to noble hopes and aspirations that awaken the most tender and sublime feelings in our hearts.”
Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Andrey Malyshev thanked Kazakhstan for the warm welcome throughout the tour year:
The “Russian Seasons” made it possible to bring the maximum number of the best Russian teams to friendly Kazakhstan. This allowed us to show our neighbors and friends everything that Russian culture is rich in. I really hope that today’s concert of friendship between the two countries will not end our cooperation and this is just the beginning. I assure you that we always look forward to our friends from Kazakhstan in any city of the Russian Federation with love and an open heart. We have big, big plans. Have a good trip!”
The stars of “Helikon” arrived in Astana – laureates of international competitions Yulia Shcherbakova, Valentina Gopher, Shota Chibirov, Maxim Perebeynos. They performed on the stage of the capital’s Kazakhstan theater together with the soloists of the Astana Opera, among whom: Honored Workers of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhupar Gabdullina, Saltanat Akhmetova, Azamat Zheltyrguzov, Medet Chotabayev, etc.
“It is very important that in such a difficult time we enrich ourselves culturally and develop. Russia is our neighbor, a brotherly country. And such cultural exchanges should be frequent. Art has no borders,” said Azamat Zheltyrguzov, director of the opera troupe of the Astana Opera Theater.
In the famous duets from the operas of Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Rossini, Dargomyzhsky, Bizet, Puccini, Offenbach, the voices of soloists from Moscow and Astana merged, and for the first time the Heliconians sang in the Kazakh language. The concert was attended by artists of the choir of the Helikon Opera Theater, chorus artists, ballet dancers and the symphony orchestra of the Astana Opera Theater. The musical action was led by two conductors – the chief conductor of the Helikon Opera, Moscow Prize winner Valery Kiryanov and the conductor of the Astana Opera Theater Ruslan Baimurzin. The program is hosted by Ksenia Lisanskaya, directed by Ilya Ilyin, winner of the Moscow Prize.
He opened the concert “Polonaise” from Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin”. It was performed by the symphony orchestra and the ballet of the Astana Opera Theater, and the finale of the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila was completed by all the participants of the concert. This evening, Odabella’s aria from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Attila”, Laura’s song “Grenada Dressed in Fog” from Alexander Dargomyzhsky’s opera “The Stone Guest”, Cavaradossi’s aria (…e lucevan le stelle…) from Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Tosca”, Don Carlos and Rodrigo duet from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Don Carlos”, Olympia’s couplets from Jacques Offenbach’s opera “Tales of Hoffmann”, the urban romance “Black Eyes” and many other works.
Also, an exclusive exhibition of theatrical costumes “Art Masquerade” with an excursion program for the audience was presented in the audience lobby of the Astana Opera Theater. The author of the project is the artist Nika Velegzhaninova (St. Petersburg). Residents of the Kazakh capital were able to admire theatrical costumes created according to sketches by Alexander Golovin, Lev Bakst, Mikhail Larionov and Sergei Sudeikin. These artists have made a significant contribution to the formation of a new look at set design and costumes. Some costumes have existed only on paper for more than a hundred years and on December 9 they decorated the foyer of the theater in Astana for the first time.
Recall that the “Russian Seasons” opened in Kazakhstan in March with the program “Tchaikovsky Gala” of the All-Russian Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by People’s Artist of the USSR Yuri Bashmet. During 2023, 20 events were held at various venues of the republic, including tours of the St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater Boris Eifman and the Moscow Art Theater named after A.P. Chekhov, the exhibition of the Russian National Museum of Music “Planet Tchaikovsky”, master classes and student performances by GITIS, the exhibition of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts named after I. Repin’s “Figurative Art”, performance by the State Academic Dance Ensemble “Vainakh”.
