ASTANA – The last month of the winter season has almost come to an end and there are still many interesting events to attend in the capital. The Astana Times has picked out some special events to make your last winter weekend unforgettable.
Astana. Photo credit: iStock/Andrey Orekhov.
Maslenitsa in ESIL CAMP on Feb. 25
Pancake station at ESIL CAMP. Photo credit: Instagram @astanaevent.kz.
Maslenitsa is an East Slavic traditional festival that welcomes spring. It is celebrated during the week before the Great Lent, which has preserved a number of elements of pre-Christian Slavic mythology. It is known as a “pancake week” for its traditional Slavic blini (pancakes).
If you want to feel the atmosphere of Maslenitsa, ESIL CAMP invites guests and residents of the capital to welcome spring and the renewal of nature. The public will have a chance to try pancakes at a pancake station, buy hot drinks at the bar, sample the honey, participate in active outdoor games, and see the dancing and traditional scarecrow burning.
Time of burning: 6 p.m. Full information here.
Address: the playground between the tennis federation and St. Regis Hotel, 1 B, Kabanbay Batyr Avenue.
“Abai” opera on Feb. 24-25.
“Abai,” a masterpiece of Kazakh classics by Akhmet Zhubanov and Latif Hamidi will appear in a new interpretation by conductor and director Giancarlo del Monaco.
The main character of the opera is the great Kazakh poet, educator and philosopher – Abai Kunanbayev.
The main feature of the production is the use of the latest technical innovations in scenography and the modern interpretation of the plot of the well-loved musical work.
The opera is performed in Kazakh and accompanied by a simultaneous translation into Russian and English.
Venue: Astana Opera, 1, Kunaev Street. Tickets are available here.
NEOCLASSICA Fest Astana on Feb. 25.
Takahiro Kido and Yuki Murata. Photo credit: Soundcloud account of TKYM music production.
Takahiro Kido and Yuki Murata are prominent neo-classics from Japan, who are paying a visit to Astana. Besides their numerous albums, Takahiro and Yuki record music for film, advertising, festivals, brands and exhibitions. The composers collaborated with brands and companies like Armani, Louis Vuitton, Google and Panasonic.
They won prizes for the best soundtrack at film festivals in Venice and Sapporo, and wrote music for the short film “Takara Sagashi” written by Hayao Miyazaki.
Gulmira Ishimbaeva is a Kazakh composer and an author of several albums. She will perform compositions from the last album DEM with a string quartet.
Address: KazNUI College, 33, Zhenis Avenue.
Entry is free.
Concert of the La Stravaganza symphony orchestra on Feb. 25
The extravagant and eclectic concerto for the cello and brass orchestra of the Austrian composer Friedrich Gould and “Danzon” of the Mexican classic Arturo Marques will perform for the first time in Astana.
Photo credit: astanaballet.com.
The concert program features the “Abai” song, adapted to the sound of a large orchestra by talented melodist Kuat Shildebayev and accompanied by a symphony orchestra.
Don’t miss the opportunity to listen to the luxurious sound of the majestic symphonic poem “Vltava” by one of the main composers of the Czech Republic – Bedrich Smetana and the great Romanian musician George Enescu’s famous “Rapsodia” No.1.
Venue: Astana Ballet, 9, Uly Dala Street. Tickets are available on ticketon.kz.
The Argymak Open Jumping Cup on Feb. 26
The Open Jumping Cup will be held at the Argymak equestrian-sports health complex. Participants will come from Astana, Almaty, Karagandy and Shymkent.
Photo credit: tengrinews.kz.
The total prize fund of the competition stands at 12 million tenge (US$26,280).
Address: Argymak equestrian-sports health complex, 1, Karkaraly Highway. Entry is free.
