Astana Opera


Astana Opera is a newly constructed opera house in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on the basis of an executive order of Nursultan Nazarbayev.

History of design and construction

The design has been partially made by Nursultan Nazarbayev, and the construction began on 6 July 2010 under direction of Mabetex Group. 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.
The acoustics of the theatre is considered one of the best in the world and it was designed by the Italian Enrico Moretti and Maria Cairoli.

Description

The opera house includes two halls:
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; 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 19th century, but also include typical elements of the national heritage, such as frescos of Sharyn Canyon and Burabay.

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 operas Abai and Birzhan and Sara. The orchestra is composed at 90% of young musicians. The troupe has been in a tour 2014, showing in New York City, Toronto and Paris.

Related videos

Here are some videos recorded inside the opera house or in the nearby area:

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