Gaetano Donizetti’s comic opera L’Elisir d’Amore returns to the stage of the Astana Opera’s Grand Hall on December 6 and 7, offering audiences a rendezvous with one of the most charming and vibrant productions in the global opera repertoire. The celebrated Maestro Alan Buribayev will take the conductor’s podium of the Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra.
This season has been truly eventful for the Astana Opera’s principal conductor, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan, and laureate of the State Prize of Kazakhstan: performances with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Japan, concert programs in Germany, an autumn triumph in Madrid featuring the music of Wagner, Brahms, and Beethoven, as well as the premiere of Rigoletto at his home opera house stage. Every appearance by Alan Buribayev becomes a special occasion.
The production of L’Elisir d’Amore, first presented to the capital’s audience in December 2021, is the result of a collaboration between Kazakh artists and renowned European masters. French stage director Arnaud Bernard, set designer Ezio Frigerio, and costume designer, the Academy Award winner Franca Squarciapino, have created a production where the lightness of opera buffa merges with rustic romance, and every scene seems to breathe warm southern sunshine. Under the baton of the production’s music director and conductor Alan Buribayev, the performance always sounds bright, spirited, and profoundly moving.
On these December evenings, two remarkable singers will portray Adina: Saltanat Akhmetova, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan, who has performed the role since the premiere and successfully presented it abroad in Italy, and Aizada Kaponova, holder of the Order of Qurmet. Zhan Tapin, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan, and Ramzat Balakishiyev will give their interpretations of Nemorino. Zhan Tapin noted that, in addition to this role, he has been performing an excerpt from it – the famous aria “Una furtiva lagrima” – for over twenty years. This gem has long been beloved not only by music connoisseurs but also by the wider public, thanks to its use in cinema. Talgat Galeyev and Yerzhan Saipov will sing Belcore. Yevgeniy Chainikov, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan, and Shyngys Rassylkhan, will take the stage as Dulcamara. Ulpan Aubakirova will make her debut as Giannetta, while Nazym Sagintai will take on the role on the second night. Another active participant in the performance will be the brilliant Astana Opera Chorus (principal choirmaster: Yerzhan Dautov, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan).
L’Elisir d’Amore is a simple yet incredibly charming story. The wealthy and capricious Adina playfully manipulates the feelings of Nemorino, who is deeply in love with her, even drawing a passing sergeant into the game. The stage features comic characters, romantic confessions, and light-hearted escapades. The entire intrigue revolves around a miraculous elixir sold by the itinerant doctor Dulcamara to the simple young man, promising the fulfilment of all his desires. Although the drink turns out to be just ordinary wine, it helps the heroes find the most important things: confidence, sincerity, and mutual affection.
Donizetti wrote this opera swiftly, literally on inspiration, and this is precisely what gave the music its incredible lightness. The melodies seem to dance, the plot moves rapidly, and comic situations are juxtaposed with touching moments. It is no wonder that L’Elisir d’Amore has remained one of the audience’s most beloved works for nearly two centuries.
Performances begin at 5:00 PM.
