Astana Opera
Template:Infobox building Astana opera (Template:Lang-ru) is a newly constructed opera house in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the basis of an ukaze of Nursultan Nazarbayev.<ref name="vox"/>
Contents
History of design and Construction
The design has been partially made by Nursultan Nazarbayev, and the construction began on July 6 of 2010<ref name="vox">In the backstage of Astana Opera, vox populi, November 21 of 2013. (Russian)</ref> under direction of Mabetex Group.<ref>Astana Offers World Class Opera House.</ref> It has been built on a 9 ha site. The opera house opened in 2013, the inaugurative representation being the Kazakh opera Birzhan and Sara.<ref>Curtain up at Astana Opera, euronews, June 24, 2013.</ref>
Description
The opera house includes two halls:
- the Main Hall (1250 seats), which hosts opera and ballet shows, and has an orchestra pit with room for up to 120 musicians,
- the Chamber Hall (250 seats), for chamber music concerts.<ref>Opera and Ballet Theatre “Astana Opera”, culture map.</ref>
It is the second newly built opera in Astana, as the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, hosting a 1500 seats opera hall, has been achieved in 2006. It is considered the third biggest opera in the world;<ref name="wonder">City on the Steppe: Astana’s Architectural Wonders, edge.kz.</ref> one of its remarkable characteristics is the 1.6 ton chandelier hanging in the 13 m high concourse. The opera house has also several facilities, such as a restaurant and all installations required for the troupe's rehearsals. The style of the opera is inspired of the italian theaters of the XIXth century, but also include typical elements of the national heritage, such as frescos of Sharyn Canyon and Burabay.<ref name="vox"/>
Troupe and repertoire
The opera house hosts its own orchestra and ballet and opera troupe, playing mostly classical opera; their repertoire includes majors classical pieces, such as the opera La traviata or Tosca and the ballet The Nutcracker, but also national pieces, such as the opera Abai.<ref>Repertoire, Astana Opera official website.</ref> The orchestra is composed at 90% of young musicians. The troupe has been in a tour 2014, showing in New York City,<ref>Astana Opera on New York's Cultural Radar Screen, the Huffington Post, October 26, 2014.</ref> Toronto and Paris.<ref>Chœur & Orchestre d'Astana Opera - Paris (Bastille), Forum Opera, November 2, 2014. (French)</ref>
Related Videos on Web
Here are some videos recorded inside the opear house or in the nearby area:
- Astana Opera House
- Sara Birzhan performance
- Ballet performance in Astana Opera House
- Celebration of victory day in front of Astana Opera House
