Opera in Soviet Kazakhstan: An Introduction and Exploration

Kazakhstan's history of opera is relatively short, with Yevgeny Brusilovsky composing the first Kazakh operas between 1934-36. Despite the recent birth of the form, Kazakh opera grew significantly during the Soviet period, with significant works like Birzhan and Sara (Биржан и Сара) by Mukan Tulebaev, Abai (Абай) by Akhmet Zhubanov and Latif Khamidi, Enlik-Kebek (Еңлік-Кебек) by Gaziza Zhubanova, coming to the fore.

This talk by Ben Lunn will introduce the composers, and the thematic ideas, of these three operas (and others), as well as exploring the context within which they were composed. It will look at how Kazakh composers navigated the ideological feelings of the era, while also using them as a way to celebrate Kazakh culture and tradition within an art form that had ignored them until that point.

Ben Lunn has forged himself a unique position within the new music landscape. As a composer, Lunn's music reflects such areas as the material world around him, connecting to his North-Eastern heritage; or how disability impacts the world around him; or his working-class upbringing. Alongside this, he has become renowned for his championship of others, which has seen him create collaborations with musicians from across the globe, and develop unique concert experiences and opportunities for others. Alongside this, Ben's academic pursuits have included music in the Baltic, music and socialist politics, and music and disability. His PhD research focused on how composers incorporate politics into their work.

Please note: The talk will be recorded and a link to the recording will be emailed to those who book, within 24 hours after the talk ends. So do book and listen to the talk later, if you are not free to login live on the day.

Booking: When you book online, you will receive a booking confirmation email within half an hour, and then from 2 days before the event you will receive up to three reminder emails with the Zoom login details for the meeting. The SCRSS is aware that some email providers appear to block SCRSS booking emails generated by Eventbrite. If you do not receive your booking confirmation email within one hour of booking on Eventbrite, first check your Junk email folder and, if it is not there, email the SCRSS direct on ruslibrary@scrss.org.uk (not via Eventbrite) and we will confirm your booking and provide the Zoom link direct.