“MURA”: Abai Theatre’s Grand Open-Air Concert Draws Thousands of Spectators
MURA Open-Air Gala Concert Marks the Opening of the 93rd Season of the Abai Theatre in Almaty
With the support of the Akimat of Almaty, the MURA Open-Air Gala Concert was held to mark the opening of the 93rd season of the Abai Kazakh National Theatre of Opera and Ballet and Almaty City Day. The large-scale cultural event brought together more than 250 artists and welcomed several thousand residents and visitors of Almaty.
The concert presented a broad panorama of the Abai Theatre’s artistic repertoire. A symphony orchestra, leading opera soloists, the choir, ballet company and jazz band performed on the same stage. The programme featured around 30 numbers combining national and international classical music, opera and ballet, jazz, ethno music, film scores and iconic world hits.
The opera programme featured theatre soloists Jamila Baspakova, Gulzat Daurbayeva, Zarina Altynbayeva, Oksana Davydenko, Nadiya Nadenova, Nargiz Satmukhambetova, Andrey Tregubenko, Oleg Tatiamirov, Damir Saduakhasov, Tolegen Rakhymbayev, Baluan Berkenov and other artists of the theatre. One of the key classical highlights was the famous Calaf aria from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot.
Special guest Jamila Serkebayeva presented a medley of Kazakh songs from the repertoire of legendary singer Yermek Serkebayev. Together with Oleg Tatiamirov, she performed Salve d’Esposito’s famous Neapolitan song “Anema e core” (“Soul and Heart”).
The jazz section brought a distinct atmosphere to the evening. Alexander Tregubenko performed Bart Howard’s iconic “Fly Me to the Moon”, while Gulzat Daurbayeva sang Jerome Kern’s “All the Things You Are”, accompanied by a jazz orchestra. One of the memorable closing numbers was Freddie Mercury’s legendary “We Are the Champions”, performed by Damir Saduakhasov.
A special musical section was dedicated to Almaty. The festive medley “Beloved Almaty” featured melodies that have become part of the city’s cultural memory, including Mansur Sagatov’s “Almatym Menin” and Alexander Zatsepin’s “Gul Almaty.”
The programme also featured a symphonic cinematic panorama. Under the open sky, audiences heard iconic themes from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “The Godfather,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Avatar,” “The Witcher” and “Game of Thrones.” Familiar music performed by a large symphony orchestra took on a new scale in the open-air setting.
Throughout the evening, the conductors were Kuanysh Ismailov, Mukhtar Kaldaiakov, Rustem Kabylbai and Abilkaiyr Beisekov.
The central theme of MURA was the national environmental initiative “Taza Kazakhstan.” The beauty and grandeur of Kazakhstan’s nature were reflected throughout the evening’s visual concept. Steppes, mountains, water, sky and natural landscapes became an integral part of the large-scale projections accompanying the music.
The historic façade of the Abai Theatre became a vast artistic canvas. 3D projections, laser installations, lighting effects, fire and pyrotechnic elements, along with more than 500 stage costumes, created the visual scale of a major international open-air show.