With the start of winter, Astana Opera invites young spectators and their parents to immerse themselves in the world of classical music at the Kulyash Baiseitova Chamber Hall. The December concerts continue the new series, An Hour without Gadgets, which aims to provide aesthetic education and foster a love for high art in the younger generation.
On December 14, the zoological fantasy Le Carnaval des Animaux by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns will be performed. The symphony orchestra instruments will create memorable images of various fauna. The opera house’s Chamber Ensemble, led by conductor Ruslan Baimurzin, holder of the Order of Qurmet, will perform, with Zhanar Seitkhanova and Saltanat Abilkhanova performing the piano parts. Students from the Nutcracker Ballet School (led by Maya Amelicheva) will demonstrate their talents by performing dance illustrations for selected parts of the famous humorous suite. Musicologist Saule Mauletova will lead an educational exploration of the work, explaining how musical instruments “speak” in the voices of animals – for instance, the clarinet imitating a cuckoo, or the cello conveying the grace of a swan.
Later in the month, the event on December 21 promises to be a truly fascinating adventure into the colourful and emotional world of theatrical art. The program Music Paints and Tells will feature opera soloists and orchestra artists. All musical pieces will be supplemented with a unique video sequence displayed on a screen. Concert host and musicologist Marzhan Zhakenova will introduce children to the rich palette of musical means – the “colours” – that distinguished composers used to depict nature, mood, and character in their masterpieces.
Marzhan Zhakenova, head of the Chamber Hall and Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan, noted:
“The goal of events within the new An Hour Without Gadgets concert series is to cultivate aesthetic sensibility in the younger generation. We want to show young audiences how rich and diverse the world of classical music is, so that they want to immerse themselves in it again and again, and so that they grow up to become true theatre-goers.”
On December 14, the concert starts at 3:00 PM, and on December 21 – at 5:00 PM.
