ASTANA – The Astana Opera audience was treated to a thrilling display of talent with a May 16 premiere of three one-act ballets by a world-renowned French choreographer Roland Petit.
Bakhtiyar Adamzhan as Young Man in “Le Jeune Homme et la Mort.” Photo credit: Astana Opera press service
The three ballets were presented as part of the Operaliya 2025 International Festival.
Petit’s name holds a special place in the history of 20th-century ballet, created the works for which he is still remembered today. The Astana Opera has brought three of his masterpieces to the stage: “L’Arlesienne” (The Girl from Arles), “Le Jeune Homme et la Mort” (The Young Man and Death) and “Carmen.”
Petit sought to rethink the conventions of classical dance, giving it a modern take. His ballets are cohesive, dramatic works that combine keen emotionality, expressive movements, and a deep connection with the music.
In the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Petit’s ballets remain a rarity, as the Roland Petit Foundation entrusts their performance only to companies of the highest caliber. Kazakhstan stands out in this regard, thanks to Altynai Asylmuratova, an artistic director of Astana Opera’s ballet company. A former prima ballerina with Petit’s legendary Ballets de Marseille, Asylmuratova spent five years working closely with the choreographer. This invaluable experience laid a strong foundation for bringing his iconic productions to the Astana Opera stage.
“I’m sure our artists feel truly happy knowing they have the chance to work with such masterpieces and take part in the creative process. And I’m hopeful, even confident, that we’ll bring real joy to the audience, because these are three truly exceptional ballets. As always, Roland Petit stands apart—there’s no one like him and we love him deeply,” said Asylmuratova during the press conference dedicated to the premiere.
“Le Jeune Homme et la Mort”
Astana Opera principal dancer Bakhtiyar Adamzhan took the lead role in Petit’s “Le Jeune Homme et la Mort.” This is not his first encounter with Petit’s choreography. Previously, he has danced in the roles of Quasimodo in “Notre-Dame de Paris” and Franz in “Coppélia.”
According to Adamzhan, Petit’s choreography raised the bar of dance and artistry for him.
“I can say that Roland Petit is the choreographer who proved to be a turning point in my career. Thanks to him, I began to understand the intricacies of other ballet styles, not just classical ballet. I was able to develop myself as an actor,” said Adamzhan.
“Classical ballet has established forms, its own formula, and you can’t go beyond it. While in Roland Petit’s ballet, you can completely convey your inner self to the audience, it allows you to dance the way you feel. That’s why I fell in love with Roland Petit’s ballets from the moment I saw them. From the very beginning, ‘The Young Man and Death’ ballet was a dream ballet for me. Today, my dream is about to come true,” he said.
The ballet, first presented to the audience in 1946, tells the story of a tormented young painter who is cruelly rejected by a woman in a bright yellow dress – the death, seductive and merciless. It is a piercing drama that demands a tremendous emotional commitment from the performers.
Adamzhan compeled attention from the very first moment, handling a cigarette with the quiet intensity of someone who knows all too well what it means to be a lonely artist. His eyes wild and his muscled body trembling with rage, as he performed leaps that seemed to challenge gravity.
Soloist Anastasia Zaklinskaya delivered a striking portrayal of death as a seductive siren, playing with the young man’s fate. With a subtle smile and serpentine movements, she exuded an aura of danger and deceit.
“L’Arlesienne”
The first part of the evening was “L’Arlesienne” to Georges Bizet’s music. Petit founded Ballets de Marseille in 1972 at the request of the city’s municipality, creating “L’Arlesienne” for this company in 1974.
The ballet tells the tragic story of the young Provençal Frédéric, torn between his real love for Vivette and his destructive passion for the unattainable Arlesienne. Petit, inspired by the Provençal zest, created a unique stage language: mass peasant scenes are filled with ritual movements, and their closed nature emphasizes the hero’s desperate attempts to break through to his dream.
Principal dancer Yerkin Rakhmatullayev as Frédéric and soloist Shugyla Adepkhan as Vivette brilliantly portrayed the intimacy that animate their characters in “L’Arlesienne.” Photo credit: Astana Opera press service.
Principal dancer Yerkin Rakhmatullayev as Frédéric and soloist Shugyla Adepkhan as Vivette brilliantly portrayed the intimacy, tension, and conflict that animate their characters.
The closing apotheosis in “L’Arlesienne,” when the tormented Frédéric throws himself out of the window against the backdrop of the night sky is truly breathtaking.
“Carmen”
Just as “Carmen” caused a sensation when it debuted in London in 1949, so did it at Astana Opera with fierce, sensual and wilful principal dancer Madina Unerbayeva bringing her character to life. Unerbayeva has everything from the gaze to the devilment in her moves to convince viewers of Carmen’s recklessness.
Madina Unerbayeva as Carmen. Photo credit: Astana Opera press service
Petit radically reworked the plot of the opera: Don José kills a passerby for money, instead of becoming a murderer out of jealousy, musical fragments are freely redistributed, even the famous Habanera sounds in unexpected places.
As Don José, soloist Galymzhan Nurmukhamet revealed the complex spiritual palette of his hero. Don José is a soldier in love, torn apart by an internal conflict. High leaps, sharp phrases of movement, nervous accents born under the influence of flamenco – all this becomes part of the story in which each movement speaks of the struggle between passion and duty.
