PRESS CLIPPING AND FEEDBACK ABOUT THE TOUR IN NUR-SULTAN

The State Chamber Music Theatre "St. Petersburg Opera" performed in Kazakhstan for the first time. The troupe led by People’s Artist of Russia Yuri Alexandrov introduced the public  on the stage of Astana Opera  “Rigoletto” by G. Verdi (November 9) and “Les pêcheurs de perles” by G. Bizet (November 10).

“The press conference was very sincere. Yuri Alexandrov for 15 years has been raising opera art in the new capital Astanta. The artists are young, talented, the atmosphere at the rehearsal is creative. "Alexandrov is full of energy! The voices are wonderful and the feeling of the ensemble is magnificent. The orchestra is small, but breathes with the artists. The troupe brought two performances - “Rigoletto” and “Les pêcheurs de perles ”. Both of them are dynamic, inventive and passionate, as the critic Flyura Musina says.

 “St. Petersburg Opera in Nur-Sultan. “Les pêcheurs de perles ” by G. Bizet.  People come to the theatre for such special feeling of happiness and delight. Thank you, Sergey Aleschenko (Nadir)! You have captivated the hearts of the audience forever! ”, the critic Flyura Musina notes.

“The public of the capital of Kazakhstan received both performances very warmly, with sincere enthusiasm. The ovations to the orchestra before the last act of Rigoletto were so stormy and long that it was just right to end the show on this. Despite the seemingly absence of great opera traditions in Nur-Sultan (the opera art was born here only in this century, after the capital was relocated), the audience here is competent since they applauded where it was necessary. The warm ovation is easy to explain -  “St. Petersburg Opera” did not hit the face, confirming the honorary status of the theatre from the cultural capital of Russia. The orchestra sounded great: brightly, dynamically, expressively in “Rigoletto” under the direction of Alexander Goikhman, and sophisticated, but also in “Les pêcheurs de perles ”  led by Maxim Valkov: both maestros demonstrated a high performance class with dynamic development, skillful contrasts, the ability to sculpt large form, to achieve its integrity, and most importantly, to lead the soloists, help them all and achieve excellent results. ”, writes music critic Alexander Matusevich.

The performance of St. Petersburg artists was accompanied by applause by residents and guests of the capital, praising the masterful performance and acting.

“Today we heard the opera Rigoletto. I really liked the setting. The great music of G. Verdi is fascinating. The performance was at a high level, the performance caused a storm of emotions and at the same time made us think about the eternal, we can even say that there was a reassessment of values, ”said Saule Imasheva.

“Everything was very beautiful, I liked the director’s decisions in the productions, the scenery, and colorful costumes. The image of Rigoletto himself was unusually resolved in the play: in this case, he is not a hunchback by nature, his hump, like a mask, are just symbols of a clownish appearance at the duke’s court,” Askar Orazbek said.

“The opera was performed beautifully. The musicians are just fine fellows, the conductor is also magnificent - he has very powerful energy and charisma. Beautiful, unusual costumes and decorations in an unusual style for us, ” said Gulzia Alimzhan.

“I really enjoyed the performance “Les pêcheurs de perles ”. The artists really did their best, they have beautiful fresh voices, and the maestro confidently led the musicians. Amazing emotions! ”, Yeldan Kalibaeva expressed her admiration.

“We are grateful to the administration of the Astana Opera Theatre for the opportunity to come to this temple of high art and enjoy the opera and ballet performances of the capital’s theatre, as well as the work of various groups from near and abroad. Before that, we were already able to attend the performances of ballet troupes of such eminent theaters as La Scala and San Carlo, and these days we saw opera performances presented by artists from St. Petersburg, which demonstrated a high level of performing skills. The decoration of these productions was impressive, it was different from what we used to see on this stage. Such an opportunity to compare artists, stage art, of course, broadens the horizons of the audience. Thanks again to the artists, thanks to the management of both theatres for this festival of musical art, ”said Kaisha and Gabit Armanovy.