Abstract
This article examines the first Kazakh opera ‘Kyz Zhibek’ is considered from thepoint of view of the philosophy of intertextuality. Intertextuality is a concept first outlinedin the works of poststructuralism theorists Julia Kristeva and Roland Barthes, and refers tothe emergence and understanding of any single text from the vast network of discourses andlanguages that make up culture. No text, in the light of intertextuality, stands alone; all texts,including musical ones, are interconnected with the preceding texts, while the author of thetext, determining in the process of creativity the relation of his text to others, not only entersinto the dialogical context of the preceding, present and subsequent culture, but also developshis aesthetic and ideological position and artistic forms that most adequately allow it to beexpressed. The concept of intertextuality goes back to the fundamental idea of postmodern nonclassical philosophy, which allows us to consider the phenomenon of opera not only from purelymusicological, but also from philosophical, cultural, linguistic positions. Opera is consideredas a system of signs: a combination of songs, different types of arias, dances, as well as variousstorylines and musical framing. The use of the concept of intertextuality as an expression ofthe highest theoretical achievements of Western philosophy in relation to the national domesticmusical and artistic material allows us to take a fresh look at the famous opera work and provethat the opera ‘Kyz Zhibek’ is a unique product of the era, based on both the Kazakh musicaland Western European opera tradition.