Operaliya 2025: Foreign audiences appreciate national opera Aisulu
As part of the Operaliya International Festival, held in Astana, the first Kazakh comic opera Aisulu by composer Sydyq Mukhamedzhanov was performed at Astana Opera. The production aroused genuine interest among foreign guests, Kazinform News Agency learned from the Astana Opera press service.
“This is an incredible discovery for me!” Agna Hansen, a viewer who came to Kazakhstan on a business trip from Germany, says. “My colleagues suggested I come to Astana Opera. I had never heard of a Kazakh comedy opera, but Aisulu struck me with its charm. The atmosphere of the 1960s is recreated with such love for detail that I felt like I was on the streets of a Soviet city.”
Indeed, a newsstand, old street lamps, a wagon on rails, a telephone booth – everything breathes the era and the time in which Aisulu and Serke lived, emphasizing the romance and naivety of that period.
“For me, it was a return to my youth,” Roberto Martini, an opera fan from Italy, admits. “I grew up in the Italian provinces of the 1960s, and I am familiar with this simplicity, this optimism. The music... It captivates!”
The audience gave a particularly warm welcome to the performers of the main roles. Nazym Sagintai as Aisulu and Dinmukhamed Koshkinbayev as Serke received thunderous applause.
“This pair performed their roles wonderfully,” Roberto Martini continued. “Their duet has real feeling, humour, everything that is inherent in youth!”
Many noted that, despite the comedy genre, Aisulu touches on important social and personal topics: the choice between career and feelings, the clash of ambitions and good intentions. The bright ensemble of performers became one of the main successes of the production. Nazym Sagintai (Aisulu) created a charming portrayal of the first beauty and shockworker of the collective farm – her voice sounded smooth, and her stage presence won over with its sincerity. Her partner Dinmukhamed Koshkinbayev (Serke) conveyed the naivety, ambition and good nature of his hero, causing the audience to smile and sympathize with the dreamer from the provinces.
Shyngys Rasylkhan (Khassen), Talgat Allabirinov (Aubakir), Bolat Yessimkhanov (Academician), Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Zhanat Shybykbayev (Abdiqadyr) and Sultan Bakytzhan, who played two colourful roles at once – the Newsagent and the Policeman, brought the comedy charge to the performance. Their lightness, stage plastique and sense of rhythm made each appearance a reason for applause. The female characters also fit in vividly: Assem Sembina (Zhansulu) – with flirtatious softness, and Saltanat Muratbekova (Nursulu) – with ironic seriousness.
The orchestra conducted by People’s Artist of Kazakhstan, Astana Opera conductor Abzal Mukhitdin filled the performance with the sound of the era. The opera house’s stage director Yerenbak Toikenov presented to the viewers a kind and lively performance, understandable and relatable to any audience. Staging a comic opera is not an easy task: not everyone succeeds in preserving the lightness of the genre, maintaining musical and dramatic quality. It is not surprising that not all productions of Aisulu have survived to this day. However, the current version, according to the composer’s daughter, is exactly what Sydyq Mukhamedzhanov himself would have liked to see. The performance came to life with new zest, modern intonations, without losing the spirit of the era.
Thus, the audience proved that fun, love, dreams and human warmth are relatable for everyone, regardless of the country in which they were born.
