VIDEO: Astana Opera Launches Online Project for the 175th Anniversary of Abai Kunanbayev

Astana Opera's famous singers Zhannat Baktai, Zhanat Shybykbayev, Meir Bainesh, Aizada Kaponova, Madina Islamova, Bolat Yessimkhanov, Assem Sembina, Nazym Sagintai, musicians of the Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra and the Chief Concertmaster of the Opera Company Yelena Sakhno performed "Zhelsіz Tunde Zharyk Ai" in honour of the 175th anniversary of Abai Kunanbayev.

Watch the performance below!

The artists emphasized that it was a great honour and joy for them to connect with the world of the great poet, thinker, enlightener, composer Abai. They added that under quarantine, when a person is constantly in a confined space, plunging into limitless, life-affirming creative work is like a breath of fresh air. For many people, the song "Zhelsіz Tunde Zharyk Ai" is associated with beautiful poetry, in which images of rich nature are created: moonlit night, trembling rays, reflected in the calm, harmonious sounds of the melody.

"Abai's songs are distinguished by the seamless unity of text and music, words and melody. Abai Kunanbayev is the spiritual leader of the Kazakh people, a great poet, composer, philosopher, enlightener and humanitarian. By the power of the poetic word, he influenced the minds and hearts of people. The song "Zhelsіz Tunde Zharyk Ai" refers to landscape lyricism and is a true gem in the treasury of national musical art," Zhannat Baktai, Astana Opera's Principal Soloist, the Honoured Artist of Kazakhstan, shared.

Abai's creative heritage had a tremendous impact on the development of vocal, poetic art of composers of the XX-XXI centuries. The opera Abai is dedicated to this legendary thinker. It holds a central position in the repertoire of the capital's opera house. In 2018, Astana Opera's creative team received the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Literature and Art for the production of Akhmet Zhubanov and Latyf Khamidi's opera Abai.

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