In February, the air is filled with the anticipation of spring and the sounds of immortal music: on February 12, 13, and 14, Astana Opera will present the ballet “Beethoven – Immortality – Love”, a timeless philosophical story about the nature of human genius. Conducting the performance is Kazakhstan’s People’s Artist Abzal Mukhitdin, and the artistic director of the ballet troupe is Russia’s People’s Artist Altynay Asylmuratova.
Beethoven has always symbolized unparalleled music, embodying the strength of spirit in the face of insurmountable challenges — deafness, loneliness, and unrequited love.
Choreographer and librettist Raimondo Rebek created a powerful allegory. Personified forces that shaped the composer’s life appear on stage: Love (portrayed by Kazakhstan’s Honored Artists and principal soloists Aigerim Beketaeva and Madina Unerbayeva), Illness (Serik Nakyspekov and Sultanbek Gumar), and the Muse (Euterpe, performed by Sofia Adilkhanova and Adelina Tulepova). At the center of this universe is Beethoven himself, a role performed on different days by Kazakhstan’s Honored Artist and principal soloist Bakhtiyar Adamzhan and soloist Galymzhan Nurmukhamet.
“Beethoven’s personality is legendary, cosmic in scale, and as an artist, it’s difficult for me to fully understand him. My worldview, mentality, and approach to life differ from his. I always maintain clear boundaries between myself and the stage. I try to grasp the general traits of his character, internalize the significant moments of his life,” says Bakhtiyar Adamzhan. “Like him, I have known from childhood what demands and responsibility mean. In ballet, this is essential. I can comprehend his struggles, perseverance, and losses, but his inner world, personal pain, and reaction to life’s blows are beyond any artist’s full understanding.”
As the principal soloist emphasizes, the very possibility of staging a ballet about Beethoven in a country with nomadic cultural traditions demonstrates the global significance and universality of his music. “In this production, Beethoven is presented from multiple perspectives. The entire ballet represents one person, his inner universe. I portray Beethoven the man, while his Muse, Illness, and other forces are parts of his soul. The four of us on stage must merge into a single mechanism to show the genius as a whole. My task is to convey basic, universally understandable emotions: love, inspiration, despair, breakthrough. The inner chaos and grandeur emerge from the complete action, the music, the choir, and the overall mood. In the finale, he is left alone with the entirety of his lived life. This is the story — the story of a man of extraordinary scale. He thought and lived differently. Today we can only approach him through his music,” reflects Bakhtiyar Adamzhan.
The musical foundation of the ballet consists of L. van Beethoven’s compositions. The score also incorporates works by his great predecessors and teachers — Bach, Haydn, and Mozart. Contemporary compositional solutions by Dirk Haubrich and live piano solos performed by Sultan Ibragimov add a 21st-century dynamic to the performance.
A particular pride of the production is its stage design, created by an international team under the guidance of Japanese master Yoko Seyama. Massive canvases transform into a pre-dawn sky or a raging element; portraits on the walls observe the genius’s suffering; the interplay of light and shadow materializes the composer’s inner demons and visions. This makes the ballet an impressive spectacle where technology enhances the meaning and impact of the performance.
Performance times: February 12 and 13 at 19:00, February 14 at 17:00.
