Last weekend, on November 27 and 28, the Astana Ballet Theatre presented a double premiere to the audience of the capital: the “Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra” ballet by George Balanchine to the music of Igor Stravinsky staged by Paul Boos, and the “Arcana of Fate” performance, created for symphony orchestra by the famous musician Karina Abdullina and staged by Mukaram Avakhri, Delovoy Kazakhstan reports.
It is worth noting that the productions were accompanied for the first time by the symphony orchestra of the Astana Ballet Theatre under the direction of Arman Urazgaliyev.
The First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev visited the premiere.
The evening was opened with the one-act ballet named “Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra” (Rubies). The famous Kazakhstani pianist, Honoured Figure of Kazakhstan, Amir Tebenikhin performed as a guest musician and performer of the solo piano part.
“Sometimes there are difficulties when two completely different ballets are staged at the same time, however, the whole staging process went smoothly in our case. In reference to “Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra”, this is not the first experience of working in collaboration with the Balanchine Trust, we already have such performances as “Serenade” and “Baroque Concerto” in our repertoire. The ballet is distinguished by its energy, as well as requires high concentration and endurance from the dancers” Nurlan Kanetov, artistic director of the theatre
Its style and plasticity, positions and movements bring to mind Broadway, while the male part is replete with elements of Georgian dance.
“This ballet is very jazzy to some extent, incredibly energetic, very fast, very playful! The leading soloists enjoy each other’s company, it is just a happy relationship. Balanchine believed in spectacularity, he wished to give inspiration to the audience. He really managed to do that, he understood how to excite the audience, how to entertain them,” Paul Boos
On different days, the main roles were performed by such leading soloists of the Astana Ballet Theatre as Aizhan Mukatova, Tatyana Ten, Kazbek Akhmedyarov, Ainura Abilgazina, and Sundet Sultanov.
In the second part of the evening, the audience was presented with the “Arcana of Fate” one-act ballet staged by Mukaram Avakhri, Honoured Figure of Kazakhstan. The major arcana are images of wisdom that reveal the ways of understanding the truth. They are mystical and enigmatic, numinous and boundless, like the space. The images of this ballet make it possible to perceive what a human is, how and why he or she comes to this world.
Talented people or art took part in the creation of the ballet: the libretto and music were written by Karina Abdullina, Honoured Figure of Kazakhstan; Olga Shaishmelashvili worked as the set designer and costume designer; Denis Solntsev worked as the lighting designer; Vadim Dulenko worked as the video content artist; and the orchestral adaption of music was made by Viktor Gurevich.
According to Karina Abdullina, “the 22 major cards have turned into separate characters, each having its own message and its own destiny. I am sure this is a truly unique project in the world of art, since the arcana of fate from the Tarot system, which has existed for more than two thousand years, has never been portrayed in any musical or choreographic work.”
The premiere was held with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture and Sports as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
