The West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Kazakhstan’s own Marat Bisengaliev, caught the eye of Karl Jenkins, one of the most successful contemporary British composers alive today. The WKPO’s recording of Jenkins’ "Requiem" (2005, EMI Classics) was the first time any Kazakh orchestra had been recorded by a Western label. Marat Bisengaliev and the WKPO’s recordings of Jenkins’ "In These Stones Horizons Sing" and "Requiem" were later chosen for EMI Classic’s Karl Jenkins: The Platinum Collection (2007, EMI Classics).
Through his close association with Marat Bisengaliev, Jenkins was invited by the government of Kazakhstan to compose a work based on Kazakh folk tunes, celebrating the capital city of Astana. The completed work, "Tlep", was released in May, 2006.