Upon arrival at the Astana Opera House, guests are immediately greeted with a breathtaking experience, even before taking their seats. Visitors can admire the intricately decorated classical entrance hall while checking their coats and sustaining themselves with red wine. The opera house, which was constructed in 2013, is the largest in central Asia, and the 3rd largest in the world. The grand building is adorned with suites dotted along walls, a full orchestra, and a spectacular chandelier as its centerpiece. The architecture and size of the building are nothing short of spectacular, as is the case with many other buildings in Astana. However, one may wonder if the quality of the ballet performances matches the grandeur of the building.
The plot of Giselle revolves around a young peasant girl named Giselle who falls in love with a nobleman disguised as a commoner named Albrecht. When Giselle discovers that Albrecht is engaged to another woman, she becomes overwhelmed with grief and dies of a broken heart. In the second act, Giselle’s spirit joins a group of supernatural beings called the Wilis, who seek revenge on men by dancing them to death. When Albrecht visits Giselle’s grave, he is confronted by the Wilis, and inevitably falls victim to his hauntingly beautiful dancing. First performed in Paris in 1841, Giselle was quick to solidify itself as a classic in the world of ballet. Unlike many others, the ballet wasted no time rising to fame immediately after its release due to its intriguing plot, and Giselle’s character.
Both times in which curtains rose on one of France’s finest ballets, a truly stunning stage was revealed to the audience. The incredible designs of Ezio Frigerio were complemented both by Vincenzo Raponi’s lighting, and the pure size of the stage, which altogether made for the most impressive stage I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. Finally, the costumes were impeccable, as they matched the moods of each act perfectly, bringing detail and immersion to the experience, without being overly distracting. I hope not to sound too repetitive, but truly each of these elements was of the highest quality and is on par with what I’ve seen from the likes of the Metropolitan Ballet. Interestingly, it seems that even the opera house itself wants the audience to fully focus on these elements. One reason I’m able to name these contributors by name is that they are quite prominently featured in the program, which surprisingly lacks much mention of any actual dancers. This revealed the intentions of the ballet and helped explain the surprising quality of these elements. I would, however, appreciate more focus on the dancers who put their blood, sweat, and tears into this show, which is little to no mention in the program.
Giselle’s first act delivered an energetic, colorful garden party of a ballet. The cheerful, flirtatious energy was refreshing and could be found everywhere from the costumes to the footwork. The dancing was traditional, but quite well executed. The middle portion of the section was dominated by a pas de deux, which, again, is well done. To me, this repeated duet was impressive, but difficult to stay completely focused on. This may be a critique of me as an audience member rather than the ballet, but I struggled to stay fully immersed without the plot moving forward at its usual pace. The highlight of this act, and possibly the show itself, was the final scene of Act 1. The audience witnessed a jaw-dropping performance as Giselle delivered simultaneously an emotional acting and stunning dancing performance at once. As the plot takes a sharp turn from its traditional fairy-tale plot, the audience is left engrossed in the action as the curtain closes. Excluding this final scene, this act played it safer than the second but lacked any notable flaws.
The setting and tone of this second act strongly contrasts with the first, with the dark, misty colors, and haunting music. This sudden shift immediately draws one into action, which provides even more impressive dancing. Here more than ever the background dancers serve as a pallet on which the main dancers can play with. Just like in other art forms, this background truly elevates the ballet as a whole. The dozens of unnamed ballerinas were the heroes in this act, as they cleverly crafted shifting geometric shapes, from which the other leads could intertwine themselves. The astonishing amount of coordination it must take to pull these off is a testament to the quality of the Almaty ballet as a whole. Physically and literally on top of this, a few ballerinas got the opportunity to soar above the stage, namely Giselle herself, in ghostly forms. One moment Giselle would be gliding around the stage on foot, then in only seconds she could be found dozens of feet in the air, soaring above. While these provide jaw-dropping moments, it was the more subtle dancing that really took my breath away.
One of my biggest gripes from the show came not from the production itself, but from the audience. At one point, I counted 4 people directly in front of me on their phones, which detracted from the experience. Ballet is such a subtle and nuanced art form, and having screens blasting at full brightness competing for the audience’s attention is unfortunate. In addition, people tended to clap or even scream out in the middle of certain dances, again, throwing off immersion. I hate to sound grumpy, but I genuinely believe that the theater could use some enforcement of its cellphone policy.
The Astana Opera House is a grand building that offers a breathtaking experience to its guests. From the intricately decorated classical entrance hall to the spectacular chandelier as its centerpiece, the architecture and size of the building are impressive. The intricate choreography and emotional acting required to play the lead role of Giselle backed up with countless impeccable ballerinas made for a stunning performance. All this was on top of an unforgettable stage, which made for a well-rounded experience. While the audience was distracted by individuals using their phones and applauding at inappropriate moments, the overall experience remained impressive. If you’re a fan of classical music or ballet like me, the Astana Opera House is definitely worth visiting for its outstanding performances and stunning architecture.
– Charlie Ney
