ICBC (Asia) Sponsors the HKAF Festival Finale: The State Ballet Company of Astana Opera Theater—Spartacus

Ballet on an epic scale—heroic dancing, a heartbreaking love story and magnificent music

Spartacus is a name that has echoed down the centuries as a symbol of resistance to oppression and injustice: the gladiator who defied the power of the Roman Republic and died fighting for freedom. The story was immortalised in dance in Yuri Grigorovich’s Spartacus, which was created for the Bolshoi in 1968 and has become famed as a pinnacle of Soviet ballet.

The work returns to the grandeur and decadence of ancient Rome, with all the excitement and sensuality of the era. The production is celebrated for its heroic male dancing—soaring leaps and powerful lifts make Spartacus and his adversary, the Roman general Crassus, two of the greatest male roles in ballet history. The women match them in force: Spartacus’ wife, Phrygia, is heartrending in her fear and grief, while Crassus’ scheming mistress, Aegina, produces feats of virtuosity to rival the men.

These roles demand not only breathtaking technique but superb acting, contrasting the courage and humanity of Spartacus and Phrygia with the cruelty and lust for power of Crassus and Aegina through vivid characterisation and Grigorovich’s choreography.

Aram Khachaturian’s score is among the finest composed for ballet, and its Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia, often performed in concert, is one of the most recognised melodies in the repertoire. The production preserves the complete Grigorovich choreography with the original scenic and costume designs. Kazakhstan’s Astana Opera Theater is Central Asia’s largest opera house, and its ballet troupe, under Artistic Director Altynai Asylmuratova, is among the few companies with the calibre to mound Spartacus. In the pit, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra brings Khachaturian’s orchestral writing to life, its weight and warmth inseparable from the drama unfolding on stage.

Advance Bookings will start at 10am on 7 October 2026

The State Ballet Company of Astana Opera Theater

Artistic Director: Altynai Asylmuratova

The Astana Opera Theater, which opened in 2013, is Central Asia’s largest opera house, home to an opera company, ballet company and orchestra. Its ballet troupe is led by Artistic Director Altynai Asylmuratova, who trained at the renowned Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in Leningrad and danced with the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet for more than two decades, earning recognition for her exquisite classical style and flawless technique. She later performed with The Royal Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet and Roland Petit’s Ballet National de Marseille.

In 2000–13, Asylmuratova served as Artistic Director of her alma mater, the Vaganova Academy. She returned to her homeland in 2015 to lead the Astana Opera Ballet, building an outstanding ensemble of dancers, developing a rich and varied repertoire and establishing the company on the international stage.