In Almaty, the famous conductor and laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Alan Buribayev, met with students and educators of the Kurmangazy National Conservatory.
The distinguished guest was warmly welcomed with enthusiastic applause at the Kazakh National Conservatory. Alan Buribayev is a graduate of the conservatory in the violin and opera-symphony conducting classes. The maestro warmly greeted his former teachers in attendance. His heartfelt tone and simplicity in communication immediately created a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
– My entire family’s life has been connected with the Almaty Conservatory, began Alan Buribayev. – My great-grandfather, Akhmet Zhubanov, was rector from 1944 and was one of the founders of the university. His daughter, Gaziza Zhubanova, also devoted much effort to the development of the conservatory during her time as rector. My parents graduated from the Almaty Conservatory. My father, Askar Buribayev, is a cellist; my mother, Sholpan Zhubanova, is a pianist and a lecturer. She spent her entire professional life as part of this working community. My brother Elmar and I also received the foundation for our knowledge here. I am pleased to express my endless gratitude to my alma mater, which is now celebrating its 80th anniversary.
The meeting transitioned into a "question-and-answer" format. When asked how a conductor "masters" a musical work, Alan Buribayev noted:
– A composer goes through a journey from idea to the creation of a score. The conductor, on the other hand, studies the score and, by immersing himself in the music, comprehends the idea of the piece. I am 45 years old now, and throughout my creative life, I strive to delve into the ideas of composers that inspired their works. This is something I was taught by my conservatory teachers, conductors Nurlan Salavatovich Zharasov and Tolepbergen Abdrashevich Abdrashev. By the way, during my graduation exam, I conducted a full concert program, in which Zhaniya Aubakirova was the soloist in Camille Saint-Saëns’s Second Piano Concerto. At subsequent stages, my knowledge was further refined by the professors of music universities in Vienna and London.
Alan Buribayev graduated with distinction from the Almaty Conservatory and continued his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under the guidance of Professor Uros Lajovic. Many students were curious whether the maestro felt that his musical education was “complete.” Alan Buribayev emphasized:
– Receiving a diploma does not mark the end of education because artistic exploration is an endless process.
The conversation also involved the rector of the conservatory, Gauhar Tasbergenova. They spoke about their joint efforts in 2015 to prepare the opera Abai for its premiere in Astana. At that time, Gauhar Koshkarbekovna was working as the concertmaster at the Astana Opera theater. The opera production was led by the Italian theater director Giancarlo del Monaco.
Professor Tamara Jumalieva asked the maestro about his views on the situation where opera directors often completely change the stage design.
Alan Buribayev responded:
– In Europe, modern director-led opera productions are actively evolving, with changes to eras and even the plots of operas. In Kazakhstan, traditional opera directing prevails. I believe both approaches are valid, as long as they are done with talent. An example of this is the successful production of Abai in the German city of Meiningen. There, the action was relocated to the 1930s, and the character Aidar became a Russian film projectionist. Broadly speaking, Abai is a bridge between East and West. Let’s recall the magnificent choir Mountain Peaks in the final scene of the opera. It is a free translation of Abai’s poem by Mikhail Lermontov, which itself was a translation of Johann Wolfgang Goethe.
Responding to other student questions, Alan Buribayev highlighted that when interpreting musical works, it is necessary to strive to preserve the composer’s original stylistic nuances and tempos. Regarding the relationship between conductors and orchestra musicians, the maestro firmly believed:
– Communication through music should bring joy to all participants in the process, as only then can we create living, positive art.
At the end of the meeting, Alan Buribayev shared details about his recent international projects and his upcoming plans:
– I recently returned from Romania after participating in the International Violin Competition named after George Enescu. For this competition, I had to study 19 orchestral scores of violin concertos and bring two suitcases of sheet music to Bucharest. The highlight of the program was Béla Bartók’s Second Violin Concerto, which I take pride in performing. A significant event for me was the production of Modest Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov in Budapest. Another memorable journey was to Tasmania, where I performed Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances with the local orchestra. Upcoming trips include Tokyo and Nuremberg in Germany, where I will perform a symphonic suite based on Sergey Taneyev’s Oresteia and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. As for Kazakhstan, I will give a New Year’s concert at Almaty Theatre titled Paris. Sounds of the City in the last ten days of December, which will serve as my greeting to the people of Almaty, concluded the maestro.
