On 3 May, the Astana Opera, with the support of the Embassy of Poland to Kazakhstan, will present the concert Echo of Love, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of Anna German. The programme brings together laureates of the Anna German International Song Festival in Poland, who will present their interpretations of landmark works from the celebrated Polish singer’s repertoire. The Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra will perform under the baton of Maestro Tomasz Labuń (Poland).
“It is a great honour for us to collaborate with the Astana Opera. It is deeply symbolic: Anna German was born 90 years ago in Central Asia, in Uzbekistan. From 1944 to 1946 she lived in Kazakhstan, where she attended school in Zhambyl (now Taraz) and where relatives on her mother’s side live to this day. It was from here, 80 years ago, after the war, that she and her family moved to Poland,” says Aldona Michalak, director of the Anna German International Song Festival in Poland and host of the evening. “In 1974, due to overwhelming demand from admirers who travelled from across the country, Anna German performed three concerts at the Tselinniks Palace in Tselinograd (now Astana) instead of the single scheduled appearance. During that tour, she also met her father’s local relatives for the first time. Today, we meet on hospitable Kazakh soil because we are united by Anna German and her songs. As a sign of respect to this country, a laureate of our competition from Kazakhstan, Ali Kuptleu, will be the Kazakh-language host for the programme,” the festival director added.
Aldona Michalak notes the enduring relevance of the legacy of one of the 20th century’s most celebrated voices. “For modern musicians, Anna German’s work as a singer and composer is a hallmark of world-class songcraft that has become part of our global cultural heritage. Her songs embody deep human values: a belief in love, friendship, and the triumph of good. Our festival, which has been running since 2014, annually brings together young vocalists from the countries with which the singer’s life and destiny were inextricably linked.”
The concert will feature ten festival laureates from Poland and Kazakhstan. Taking to the Grand Hall stage this evening are: Milena Burdalska, Marta Słociak-Wiśniewska, Sylwia Zelek, Michał Matuszewski, Izabela Szafrańska, Anna Kowalewska, and Martyna Ratajczak from Poland, alongside Ali Kuptleu, Eolanta Tumilovich, and Alexandra Broslavskaya from Kazakhstan.
The anniversary evening will open with one of the most iconic songs from the repertoire of this world-renowned legend: ‘Ekho liubvi’ by Yevgeny Ptichkin, which gives the concert its title. During the first half, the audience will hear ‘Tango d’amore’ by Domenico Modugno, the poignant ‘Non ho l’età’ by Mario Panzeri, and ‘Jedna chwila’ by Krzysztof Cwynar, as well as Anna German’s own compositions, such as ‘Cztery karty’. The first part will conclude with a majestic performance of Alexandra Pakhmutova’s ‘Nadezhda’ by Kazakh laureates Alexandra Broslavskaya, Eolanta Tumilovich, and Ali Kuptleu.
The second half of the evening will present a palette of world vocal classics, demanding exceptional technical skill and artistry. Highlights include the Neapolitan classic ‘Torna a Surriento’ by Ernesto De Curtis, the passionate Spanish ‘Malaguena’ by Pedro Galindo, the exquisite ‘Cyganeria’ by G. Mouzakis, and Alexandra Pakhmutova’s profoundly philosophical ‘Nezhnost’.
“Anna German compared a song’s arrangement to a woman’s dress. Especially for the Kazakh audience, we have selected the most popular works in four languages, which will be featured in new arrangements by contemporary Polish composers. Notably, many of these were written by our festival’s musical director, Maestro Tomasz Labuń. The evening is unique in that each soloist personally selected their own piece from our substantial archive, which consists of more than 200 scores for symphony orchestra,” explains Aldona Michalak.
The concert will begin at 5pm.
