On October 12, a concert of the symphony orchestra conducted by the famous French conductor Christophe Mangou took place at the Astana Ballet Theatre. The concert featured not only popular works by French composers, but also works by Kazakh composers.
The concert program was sophisticated and varied. It is sometimes easier to perform one large piece with a general form in a concert, rather than many different pieces. Especially if these are the works by different composers. The concert’s program included such symphonic poems as “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by Paul Dukas and “Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint-Saëns. Maurice Ravel’s compositions were also performed: the rarely performed “My Mother Goose” and the widely known “Bolero”, which is included in the repertoire of the best orchestras in the world. It is a more difficult task for musicians and a conductor in such a situation. It is necessary to change the approach and perception of music every time. But the symphony orchestra and conductor Christophe Mangou managed these challenging tasks perfectly. Enthusiastic reviews and thunderous applause testify this.
Christophe Mangou worked with the Astana Ballet Symphony Orchestra for the first time and was delighted with this collaboration. “It is a great pleasure to work with this orchestra,” said Christophe Mangou. — They have a special energy. There are a lot of young musicians here, they want to do everything at the highest level, and this does not always happen in orchestras. In other orchestras, including those in France, I have seen that some musicians give 100%, while others do not. I was amazed at what magnificent colours they created, even without my instructions. They have a great sensibility. The sound they created was just astonishing. I am so delighted.”
The audience highly appreciated the balanced sound at the concert. The musicians presented to the audience the special sound that is peculiar to French music and reflects the style features of one of the most interesting and influential musical cultures in the world.
The concert program was extremely interesting also because the audience was presented with not only French classics, but also the work of Aktoty Raiymkulova named “Dala Syry”, which the orchestra performed together with “TURAN” ethno-folklore ensemble, and despite the fact that the concert program included completely different compositions by French and Kazakh composers, they sounded together naturally. According to Christophe Mangou, French and Kazakh music have common features: “There is something you can link with that. For example, the Kazakh steppes and their meditative nature. This can be compared to the impressionist music of composers such as Ravel and Debussy. Their works, composed at the beginning of the 20th century, also feature a kind of “meditation” and a colourful sound palette similar to a landscape.” Christophe Mangou was also impressed by his work with “TURAN” ethno-folklore ensemble: “I really like traditional Kazakh music. Dombra, kobyz — all this is amazing. Making music with these instruments as part of an orchestra is a marvellous experience. There is an important point in Aktoty Raiymkulova’s “Dala Syry”: the balance between meditativeness and strength. On the one hand, it has calmness and shamanistic motives, as well as inner concentration, and on the other hand, it has energy, like a horse or a festivity. It’s something very masculine, strong, almost opposite elements joined together.”
As an encore, to the delight of the audience, Abai’s famous composition “Kozimnin Karasy” was performed. In Mangou’s interpretation, this melody, which is well known to Kazakhstani people, sounded with fresh colours. Weightless and gentle, this composition was presented to the audience as a gratitude for the warm welcome, sincere response and as a hope for new meetings.