ABAY KAZAKH NATIONAL OPERA AND BALLET THEATRE

Biography

On September 29, 1933, with the purpose of training musical personnel, by the decision of the collegium of the People's Commissariat of Education, Сhairman Temirbek Zhurgenov, a music studio, which temporarily worked at the Kazakh Drama Theatre, was formed.

Zhumat Shanin, Kurmanbek Zhandarbekov, Shara Zhienkulova, Kanabek Baiseitov, Kulyash Baiseitova came from the drama theatre to the studio. Among the founders of the future theater were the singer Manarbek Yerzhanov; writers Mukhtar Auezov, Gabit Musrepov, Sabit Mukanov, Beimbet Mailin; composer Yevgeny Brusilovsky; artist Anatoly Nenashev.

The first dancers of the ballet troupe were the amateur dancers from the studio of the Club of Soviet Trade Employees (STE) in Alma-Ata such as M. Gurileva, Z. Gaparova, V. Lebedeva, T. Chernobrovtseva and others. The troupe was headed by the ballet master M. P. Artsibasheva. Ekaterina Lifanova, a professional ballet dancer from Tashkent, became the first soloist of the ballet of the Kazakh theater.

On January 13, 1934, the premiere of the musical play “Aiman-Sholpan” by M. Auezov took place, for which M. P. Artsibasheva developed a theatricalization of the hunting game “Koyan-Berkut”. Ali Ardobus staged the "Karazhorga" dance, the shaman dance, the Uzbek dance, arranged the solo concert number created by E. Lifanova and the "Kelinshek" dance number, in which one of the first professional dancers of Kazakhstan Shara Zhienkulova, who created this dance, made her debut.

On January 17, 1934, four days after the premiere, the music studio was transformed into the Kazakh State Musical Theatre.

In the summer of 1934, B. Mailin's play "Shuga" was staged for the participants of the Kazakhstan meeting of art workers. The best artists joined the theater troupe: 20 solo singers were selected, a choir and the backbone of a dance group were created.

On November 7, 1934, the premiere of the opera "Kyz-Zhibek" took place; later the operas "Zhalbyr" (1935) and "Er-Targyn" (1937) were staged. National dances in the first opera performances were staged by Alexander Martirosyants (Aleksandrov). Ballet dancer of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater of the USSR (hereinafter SABT of the USSR) Alexandrov lived and worked in Kazakhstan since 1933, and became one of the founders of the national dance school and the founder of the Kazakh Choreographic School.

In 1935, by the decision of the CPC of the KazSSR, the Kuibyshev Opera Theater which was touring in Alma-Ata became a permanently operating. On its basis, a Russian opera troupe was created, which later merged with the Kazakh opera. In 1936, the State United Theater of Kazakh and Russian Opera was located in the building of the Kazakhconcert, and since July 1936 in the new building of the House of Culture at the corner of Komsomolskaya and 8th March streets (now Tole bi and Shamshi Kaldayakov).

The repertoire of the ballet troupe of the Russian opera included "Polovtsian Dances" from the opera "Prince Igor", "Walpurgis Night" from the opera "Faust". The concert programs included performances from the ballets "The Red Poppy" and "Swan Lake".

In 1936-1937 theatrical season Yury Kovalev, ballet master and principal dancer of the ballet from Sverdlovsk, became the chief ballet master of the theater. He revived the "Polovtsian Dances" from the opera "Prince Igor" (1937), staged the first ballet performances: "Coppelia" (1937), "The Little Humpbacked Horse" (1939), "Swan Lake" (1940).

On January 17, 1937, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the KazSSR, the theater was renamed as the Kazakh State Opera and Ballet Theatre.

In September 1937, Leonid Zhukov, a dancer and ballet master of the SABT of the USSR, who worked in the Kazakh theater as chief ballet master, ballet soloist and teacher was appointed the Head of the Kazakh ballet. In 1938, L. Zhukov staged the first national ballet in the history of Kazakhstan's choreography "Kalkaman and Mamyr" by V. Velikanov.

In 1940, the new chief ballet master Alexander Chekrygin, a former ballet dancer, ballet master and teacher of the SABT of the USSR, staged I. Nadirov's ballet "Koktem" ("Spring").

In 1941, the construction of a new theater building according to the design of the Moscow architect N. A. Kruglov was completed. The construction of the theater was led by the architects N.A. Prostakov, T.K. Basenov, N. V. Tsivchinsky, V. N. Kroshin (1936-1941). The building became the most beautiful and largest building in the city.

On November 7, 1941, the first performance - M. Magomayev's opera "Nergiz" was held in the new building. In the same year, the theater was awarded the title of Academic. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the theater's repertoire included 31 operas (of which 9 were Kazakh) and 6 ballets (of which 2 were Kazakh).

During the first war years the evacuated leading soloists of the academic theaters of Kiev, Minsk, Odessa, Moscow and Leningrad worked in the Kazakh ballet team: V. Bakanov, V. Kaminskaya, T. Freshkop, N. Skorulskaya, T. Dempel, N. Nikolayeva, A. Piradova, R. Savitskaya, T. Ivankovskaya, O. Stalinsky, S. Drechin, T. Foshikova, M. Kuznetsov and others.

The ballet troupe was headed by Galina Berezova - ballet master of the T. Shevchenko SAOBT of the UkSSR (1941-1943). Her purposeful work resulted in the production of the ballets "Laurencia" (1942), "The Fountain of Bakhchisarai" (co-authored with Y. Kovalev), "Kazakh Dance Suite" (1943) and Kazakh dances in the opera "Zhalbyr" (1943, co-authored with A. Ismailov).

In 1942, Galina Ulanova arrived from Leningrad to Alma-Ata. On June 18, 1942, her first performance in the role of Maria in the "The Fountain of Bakhchisarai" took place. In the 1942-1943 season, in addition to Maria, Ulanova danced Odette in "Swan Lake", at the concerts - "The Swan" by C. Saint-Saens, "Waltz" by F. Chopin. Galina Sergeyevna revived A. Adam's ballet "Giselle"on the stage of the theater, in which she performed the main part.

At the end of the war, the graduates of the choreographic school of 1944-1945 R. Tazhiyeva, A. Solntseva, L. Simagina, L. Taganov, M. Akzhanov and others took the position of the soloists and leading soloists of the ballet troupe.

In 1945, to the 100th anniversary of the great Kazakh educator, philosopher and humanist Abay Kunanbayev, the theatre was named in honor of Abay.

The Soviet ballet master Mikhail Moiseyev, who revived the ballets "The Red Flower" (1950), "Doctor Aibolit" (1950), "Giselle" (1951), "The Sleeping Beauty" (1951) played an important role in the post-war development of the national ballet in 1949-1950. The activities of M. Moiseyev resulted in the staging of the national ballet to the music of V. Velikanov "Kambar and Nazim" (1950, co-director K. Zhandarbekov).

In 1952 a new direction of the repertoire policy was set by the chief ballet master Dauren Abirov, the graduate of the A. V. Lunacharsky GITIS in Moscow. The repertoire was replenished with the ballets "Raymonda" (1952), "Esmeralda" (1953), the Soviet ballets "Youth" (1952), "The Shore of Happiness" (1953), "The Bronze Horseman" (1955), "Shurale" (1956) etc.

D. Abirov relied on young highly qualified personnel such as Z. Raibayev, S. Kusherbayeva, A. Asylmuratov, A. Jalilov, S. Tulusanova, I. Manskaya, G. Akzhanov, S. Akbarova, V. Khen, G. Urmanova, V. Nikitina, D. Samokhin, M. Gabel, V. Ryabukhin, G. Gorskaya, N. Gudochkina-Kanshina and others. The artists of the new generation started working alongside with the experienced dancers such as N. Vikentieva, N. Tapalova, K. Karabalinova, A. Seleznev, S. Ilnitsky, E. Ten, who had performed in the theater from the day it was founded, and graduallyoccupied the positions of the leading dancers and soloists.

In 1957, Y. Kovalev staged the national ballet "Dzungarian Gate". In a new musical edition by L. Stepanov and N. Tlendiev, choreography by Y. Kovalev and D. Abirov under the title “The Way of Friendship”, the ballet was shown in 1958 at the second Decade of Kazakh Art and Literature in Moscow. Especially for the Decade, ballet master Rostislav Zakharov revived the author's version of B. Asafyev's ballet "The Fountain of Bakhchisarai".

The main roles in the ballets of the Decade were performed by R. Tazhiyeva, S. Tulusanova, S. Kusherbayeva, Z. Raibayev, A. Jalilov, A. Asylmuratov and others. In new capacity and with a renewed line-up of performers, the ballets demonstrated a powerful professional growth of national choreography. For merits in the development of musical art, the Abay Kazakh SAOBT was awarded the highest government award - the Order of Lenin.

In the 1960s, the ballet troupe was enriched by a galaxy of young performers who continued the traditions of their predecessors: R. Bapov, R. Baiseitova, E. Malbekov, Z. Kasteyeva, L. Rudakova, M. Muntin, F. Koigeldinova, B. Valiev, L. Li, D. Nakipov, K. Mazhikeyev, L. Mazhikeyeva, F. Ultanbayeva (Zhulimbetova), A. Medvedev, E. Ussin, M. Tiranova, I. Gulyaeva, G. Abayeva, K. Erenchin, Sh. Burkhanov, E. Pak and others.

In 1962, with the graduation work - staging of the famous "triad": "Chopiniana", "Francesca da Rimini", "Bolero" - the creative growth of the ballet troupe began under the guidance of the chief ballet master, a graduate of GITIS Zaurbek Raibayev. The bright original dancer declared himself as a talented ballet master, having staged the ballets "Chin-Tomur" (1968), "Romeo and Juliet" (1972), "Spartacus" (1974), "Peter and the Wolf" (1976), "Man and Woman" (1979), "Jeu de Cartes" (1979), "Frescoes" (1981), "Raymonda" (1984), "Naughty Limericks" (1992), "Egyptian Nights" (1994), "Dragon and Swallow” (1996) etc. A milestone in the development of Kazakh ballet was the diptych “The Legend of the White Bird” by Gaziza Zhubanova consisting of two one-act performances: “Akkanat” and “Hiroshima” (1967).

In 1964, at the Abay SAOBT Bulat Ayukhanov made his debut as a ballet master - the Diploma work "An Evening of Classical Ballet" in 2 parts, 18 dance numbers of various forms and styles.

In 1971, D. Abirov created the national ballet of Y. Brusilovsky "Kozy-Korpesh and Bayan-Sulu".

In the mid-1970s, a new generation of innovative ballet masters such as Mintai Tleubayev and Zhanat Baidaralin came to the theater. During his work at the Abay SAOBT M. Tleubayev (ballet master - 1975-1986; chief ballet master - 1986-1990) staged the original ballets "Russian Fairy Tale" (1975), "Aksak-Kulan" (1976), "Three Little Pigs" (1982), "My Brother Mowgli" (1984), "Eternal Flame" (1985), "Doctor Aibolit" (1987), "Classical Symphony" (1987), "Farewell to Petersburg" (1988), "The Lady of the Camellias" (1989), etc. Zh. Baidaralin staged the ballets "Old Photography" (1974), "Revival" (1974), "Aliya" (1978) etc. at the theater.

Leading dancers and solo performers of the 1970-1980s: T. Nurkaliyev, U. Mirseidov, A. Burkitbayev, M. Kadyrova, B. Eshmukhambetov, B. Baitemirov, M. Karakulova, A. Semenov, Yu. Vasyuchenko, O. Vasyuchenko, L. Akylbekova, A. Askarbekova, S. Askarbekov, A. Burakanova, G. Tutkibayeva, G. Aliyeva, B. Abdrakhmanov, M. Adyrkhayev, D. Tuboltsev, E. Asylgazinov, M. Tukeyev, M. Tukeyeva, Sh. Musakhanova, B. Smagulov, A. Nusupov, V. Bogomolov, A. Zhumagaliyeva, S. Turebayev, O. Vol, N. Likucheva, Z. Umbetkulova, R. Tulegenova, S. Ashimova, S. Rakhmedova, A. Mussinova and others.

In 1990, the guest Georgian ballet master G. Aleksidze revived the national theme with a production of G. Zhubanova's ballet “Karagoz”.

In the 1990s, the ballet troupe was significantly strengthened by young staff: N. Kanetov, L. Alpiyeva, M. Valchik, D. Sushkov, K. Sarkytbayeva, Zh. Atymtayev, N. Abugaliyev, N. Baibusinov, E. Doskarayev, A. Doskarayeva, Zh. Ussin, D. Kulsartova (Arzamova), D. Nakipova, M. Abubakhriyeva and others.

From June 1995 to December 13, 2000, a general reconstruction was carried out in the theater building. Upon its completion, the golden repertory fund of opera and ballet was restored in new colorful scenery and costumes. In the 2000s, A. Sapugova, N. Konokbayev, N. Krebayeva, A. Dzhumagulova, D. Chinybayev, Y. Mergaliyev, D. Tabyldy, A. Safronov, E. Khomkina-Safronova, Zh. Tukeyeva, G. Kurbanova, F. Buriyev, A. Abilgazina, D. Shomayeva, A. Murzakulov, R. Urazov, D. Shmanov, R. Imangaliyev, A. Zheksenbek, A. Egisbayeva, R. Dairov, D. Yesentayeva, N. Mirseidova, A. Duysekova, O. Nurzhankyzy, M. Kenzhebekova, D. Batyrkhanova, R. Kadyrov and others, became the performers of the leading and solo roles.

During this difficult period, the leading soloist of the ballet Murat Tukeyev became the leader of the team, combining his career as a dancer with the position of the head of the ballet troupe (1996-2001) and its director (2001-2002).

The repertoire list of ballet premieres consisted mainly of experimental performances of small forms: "Space of the Soul" and "Mask Theater" (2001, choreography by G. Tutkibayeva), "The Miraculous Mandarin" (2003, choreography by V. Goncharov), "RE Time" (2004, choreography by V. Goncharov), “The Triumph of Athena” (2004, choreography by D. Fadeyeva), “Suite in Antico Style” and “Charlie” (2005, choreography by G. Tutkibayeva).

In 2012, the international project of Kazakhstan, the USA and Germany was implemented - the production of the national ballet "Tlep and Sarykyz" by A. Serkebayev.

International cooperation is an important direction of the theatre's repertoire policy. In the 1940s-1990s, choreographers of the leading theaters of the Union republics collaborated with the troupe: L. Kramarevsky (“Raymonda”, 1940), G. Ulanova (“Giselle”, 1943), Y. Reinke (“Rivals”, 1949), V.Kozlov (“Raymonda”, 1952), Y. Romanovsky (“Coast of Happiness”, 1953), R. Zakharov (“The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”), A. Shulgina (“The Great Waltz”, 1960), V. Burtsev (“Swan Lake", 1969; "La Bayadere", 1971), Y. Druzhinin ("Sleeping Beauty", 1972), U. Sarbagishev ("Cholpon", 1973), Y. Sekh ("The Fountain of Bakhchisarai", 1981), N. Dudinskaya, K. Sergeyev ("Giselle", 1981; "Chopiniana", 1981; "Don Quixote", 1982), K. Ter-Stepanova ("La Sylphide", 1983), A. Dementiev ("Juno and Avos", 1987), M. Aleksidze ("Serenade", "The Moor's Pavane", 1990), N. Yananis, E. Mikhasev ("The Nutcracker", 1991).

With gaining of sovereignty by Kazakhstan, the geography of cooperation expanded. In 1991-2019, productions were stagedby A. Maki, K. Mitani (Japan, “Madama Butterfly”, 1992), O. Gerolf (Belgium, “Carmina Burana”, 1992), V. Vladimirov, S. Krupko (Russia, "Le Corsaire", 1995; "Sleeping Beauty", 1996), T. Lavrenyuk (Russia, "Carmen Suite", 2006), Y. Grigorovich (Russia, "Legend of Love", 2007), Y. Grigorovich (Russia, " Romeo and Juliet", 2010), B. Eifman, A. Solonskaya, S. Zimin (Russia, "Red Giselle", 2010), B. Eifman, O. Kalmykova, O. Paradnik (Russia, "Anna Karenina", 2011 ), T.Vashakidze (Georgia, “The Great Waltz”, 2012), G. Komleva (Russia, “La Bayadère”, 2013), T. Candeloro (Italy, “Scheherazade”, 2013), M. Parilla (Italy, “Pulcinella”, 2013), R. Amarante (Brazil, “Bolero”, 2019), D. Jonathan (Australia, “Rediscovering Bach”, 2019) and others.

Classical, neoclassical, national choreography is being organically mastered by a new generation of ballet troupe led by Gulzhan Tutkibayeva, who in 2005 became the leader of the ballet troupe as artistic director. G. Tutkibayeva staged the cantata-ballet "Carmina Burana" (2012), the national ballet "Legends of the Great Steppe" (2015), the ballet "Coppelia" (2017). “Sleeping Beauty” (2014), “The Nutcracker” (2015), “Swan Lake” (2016), “Le Corsaire” (2020), “Don Quixote” (2018), “Chopiniana” (2019), “Frescoes” have been renewed (2022), Y. Vasyuchenko and G. Shlyapina (2023) were invited for the renewal of the “Giselle”.

In 2010-2020, the performance of solo and leading roles was entrusted to a new generation of dancers such as A. Askarov, A. Askarova, D. Kudabayeva, M. Elchibayeva, B. Verbovoy, A. Ashirbek, A. Hashimoto, A. Baratova, M. Jumaniyazov, D. Kubashev, E. Abilov, A. Tusupbekov, N. Alpamysuly, S. Ayupov and others.

From the first years of the theatre's creation, the artists Anatoly Nenashev, Latifa Munaitpasova, Kulakhmet Khodzhikov, Vsevolod Telyakovsky, Ural Tansykbayev, Vladimir Kolodenko, Sergey Kalmykov worked on the design of the performances. Since the 1960s and 1970s, the performances have been designed by Vladimir Semizorov, Mikhail Ushats, Vasily Mamontov, Igor Korogodin, Gulfairus Ismailova, Aitymbay Moldabekov, Evgeny Sidorkin, Nurlan Rymzhanov, Lyudmila Kuzhel, Vladimir Kuzhel, Orynbasar Zhanbyrshiyev, Tolkyn Yessaliyeva. The guest Kazakhstani and foreign artists: Pavel Dragunov, Sofia Tasmagambetova, Vyacheslav Okunev (Russia), Rene David Salazar (Brazil), Paula Rosa Santana (Brazil), William Orlandi (Italy), Daniele Amenta (Italy), Jari Molinari (Italy) and others.

Theater conductors: Fyodor Kuzmich, Evgeny Manayev, Vladimir Piradov, Grigory Stolyarov, Leonid Shargorodsky, Boguslav Vrana, Isidor Zak, Nurgisa Tlendiev, Gaziz Dugashev, Turgut Osmanov, Fuat Mansurov, Abram Movsh, Valery Rutter, Tolepbergen Abdrashev, Renat Salavatov, Raisa Sadykova, Abzal Mukhitdinov, Sergey Skrypnik, Kanat Akhmetov, Nurlan Zharasov, Mukhtar Kaldayakov, Arman Urazgaliyev, Nurzhan Baibusinov, Erbolat Akhmedyarov, Kuanysh Ismailov, Rustem Kabylbay, Naryn Kazhgali, Kanat Omarov and others.

By the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 753 dated November 11, 2020, the theater was assigned the status of "National".