Astana Opera
| Astana opera | |
|---|---|
Астана опера | |
| File:Astana Opera.jpg | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Location | Astana, Kazakhstan |
| Groundbreaking | 2010 |
| Inaugurated | 2013 |
| Cost | $300 million[1] |
| Height | |
| Top floor | 32 m |
| Dimensions | |
| Other dimensions | Scene area of 3.000 m² |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 64.163 m² |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Arlotti-Beccu-Desideri-Raimondo (ABDR)[2] |
| Services engineer | Theatreplan[3] |
| Main contractor | Mabetex Group |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 1250 (Opera Hall), 250 (Chamber Hall) |
Astana opera (Russian: Астана опера) is a newly constructed opera house in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the basis of an ukaze of Nursultan Nazarbayev.[4]
History of design and Construction
The design has been partially made by Nursultan Nazarbayev, and the construction began on July 6 of 2010[4] under direction of Mabetex Group.[5] 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.[6]
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.[7]
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;[2] 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.[4]
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.[8] The orchestra is composed at 90% of young musicians. The troupe has been in a tour 2014, showing in New York,[9] Toronto and Paris.[10]
References
- ^ The 300 million dollars theatre Astana Opera prepares for new season, zakon.kz, 2013 september 8. (russian)
- ^ a b City on the Steppe: Astana’s Architectural Wonders, edge.kz.
- ^ State Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Astana, official site of theatreplan.
- ^ a b c In the backstage of Astana Opera, vox populi, November 21 of 2013. (Russian)
- ^ Astana Offers World Class Opera House.
- ^ Curtain up at Astana Opera, euronews, June 24, 2013.
- ^ Opera and Ballet Theatre “Astana Opera”, culture map.
- ^ Repertoire, Astana Opera official website.
- ^ Astana Opera on New York's Cultural Radar Screen, the Huffington Post, October 26, 2014.
- ^ Chœur & Orchestre d'Astana Opera - Paris (Bastille), Forum Opera, November 2, 2014. (French)
