International project Zhuravli launched online on Victory Day

Astana Opera’s Principal Soloist, the Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan, Talgat Mussabayev, Guest Soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia Vasily Ladyuk, Soloist of Abai Opera House Rassul Zharmagambetov, accompanied by Astana Opera’s Chief Concertmaster for Opera Yelena Sakhno, the Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra and Choir, performed the famous song Zhuravli, the official website of Astana Opera reads.

This song was written by composer Yan Frenkel to the verses of Rasul Gamzatov, translated into Russian by Naum Grebnev. The work is dedicated to soldiers who died in battle.

«Performing this legendary composition with my wonderful colleagues was a great joy for me. Art has no boundaries, music brings people together, and this is our common holiday, regardless of religion and nationality. We are happy to celebrate May 9th, because this is our common history that cannot be crossed out. We remember and are proud of our heroes who fought for peace and open skies above us. They defended their Motherland and were ready to give their lives for it. This project is a tribute to the memory of those who went through the war, and reverence for those few of the heroes who are still with us today. We wish them good health and thank them for their service, their acts of bravery in the name of a happy life and peace in our souls,» Talgat Mussabayev shared.

As a reminder, Talgat Mussabayev is the Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan, he performed the title role of Onegin in Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin at the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia (Moscow, 2003). He toured extensively in the cities of Italy: Rome, Genoa, Florence, Syracuse and others. He gives concerts in the USA, at some of the most prestigious venues in the world: Carnegie Hall (New York), John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington) and others.

His colleague, Vasily Ladyuk, is a Russian opera singer. As a guest soloist, he takes part in opera productions of leading opera houses in Russia and other countries all across the world (Bolshoi Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Teatro La Fenice (Venice), Norwegian National Opera, Teatro Regio di Torino and many others). He collaborates with outstanding conductors and stage directors, including Valery Gergiev, Plácido Domingo, Vladimir Spivakov and many others. The geography of Vasily Ladyuk’s foreign performances includes Milan and London, Venice and Turin, Brussels and Oslo, New York and Tokyo.

The third participant of the project – Soloist of Abai Opera House Rassul Zharmagambetov – is a recipient of many awards and winner of dozens of competitions, both in Kazakhstan and abroad. The opera singer won the Grand Prix at the 8th Bibigul Tulegenova International Competition, Third Prize at the Ulaanbaatar International Vocal Competition, he was a semifinalist at Plácido Domingo’s Operalia, The World Opera Competition 2017 and The Queen Sonja International Music Competition.

The project manager and inspirer, Yelena Sakhno, said that 5 years ago May 9th became a special holiday for her because she found out that her grandfather, Yevgeniy Vasnetsov, laid his head in a terrible battle near Leningrad, in which many Kazakhstani soldiers died.

«Zhuravli is a difficult song, because we ache over the fate of its heroes. War is a tragedy. This war has claimed numerous lives, destroyed families, crippled people. Among them are our family members and relatives. When performing this composition, we remember all those who brought us this Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Every year, our veterans wait for this solemn date, for our attention, therefore, through our creative work, we, musicians, want to convey to them endless gratitude for their bravery and courage shown in the Great Patriotic War,» Talgat Mussabayev, Principal Soloist of Astana Opera, emphasized.

The project was implemented in conjunction with the Representative Office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Kazakhstan.

Every year, Astana Opera held Victory Day concerts with honoured guests – veterans of the Great Patriotic War. Despite the quarantine, the opera house collective did not disregard war veterans and home front workers, presenting them with gifts shortly before the 75th anniversary of the Victory, which for which they expressed joy and gratitude to the opera house staff.