World-famous Romanian choir to perform in Kazakhstan for first time

The unique concert Madrigal: The Silk Road will take place on May 4 with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan and the Embassy of Romania in Kazakhstan.

Residents and guests of the capital will get acquainted with the Romanian choir, which has been honoured with numerous prestigious international awards and received wide recognition in the world. Having started its creative work in 1963, the Madrigal Choir has performed at the most prestigious stage venues, giving thousands of concerts in over 450 cities outside Romania, covering almost 40 countries across 4 continents. In 2025, the Madrigal Choir celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founder Constantin Marin, dedicating a wide range of projects to the legendary musician, composer and conductor, which will take place throughout the year.

“Madrigal: The Silk Road will be our premiere performance both in Kazakhstan and throughout Central Asia. This will be our first trip to this remarkable region, with such ancient historical, cultural and economic traditions, and we are truly delighted to begin our tour at such a prestigious institution as Astana Opera,” the choir’s principal conductor Anna Ungureanu noted. “This performance is, for us, the central point of a cultural itinerary inspired by the Silk Road – that emblematic historical route of economic and cultural exchange – and is intended to strengthen, through artistic dialogue, the bond between West and East. I would say that Madrigal: The Silk Road represents a spectacular fusion of European music and the melodic traditions of Central Asia.”

Anna Ungureanu also added that not only the original repertoire and the specially designed scenography created for this show, but also the architectural lighting design will enhance the unique performance. “This concert also holds strong diplomatic resonance, and is likely the first of its kind to revive the cultural connections forged centuries ago along the trade routes of the Silk Road. In this context, we see Kazakhstan as the most vital link in Central Asia – one that bridges Europe with China, and the West with the Far East,” Maestro Anna Ungureanu emphasized.

The idea of ​​the concert is to create a fascinating journey along the historical route of the Silk Road through the music and lyrics of the selected pieces. The programme that Anna Ungureanu and stage director Emil Pantelimon have developed for the performance at Astana Opera includes works in Chinese, Kazakh and Georgian, as well as fundamental texts from Persian and Indian cultures. Key points of departure from the European repertoire are represented through Byzantine and Renaissance music, featuring works from Byzantium, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and England.

“The Romanian repertoire included in the concert was carefully selected to act as a bridge between cultures – a special moment within a musical and visual dialogue between two worlds brought together through art,” Anna Ungureanu says. “One of our most beloved pieces, “Flames and Wheels” by Corneliu Cezar, will be among the Romanian compositions performed at Astana Opera. The piece features significant Persian texts by Omar Khayyam and Indian poetry by Rabindranath Tagore, all set to contemporary Romanian music. In addition, other works of a similar nature – pieces with onomatopoeic structures that have travelled the world and brought audiences to their feet – will add special musical harmony to this special journey.”

The highlight of the program will be Kazakh folk songs performed by the Romanian team. According to Anna Ungureanu, the concert marks the choir’s premiere performance of works in the Kazakh language, to which the artists have become deeply attached to during the preparation process.

Maestro Anna Ungureanu also noted that the collective is honoured to launch their tour at Astana Opera.

The concert starts at 6 PM.