Eugene Onegin

Synopsis

Based on Pushkin's masterpiece of Russian literature, Tchaikovsky's great opera tells of the fated love between the innocent Tatyana and the world-weary cynic Eugene Onegin. The opera includes the famous ?letter scene', a tour-de-force of the soprano repertoire, in which Tatyana dramatically and magnificently declares her true love for Onegin, a love that is tragically rejected. The ensuing maelstrom of emotions ends in duel between Onegin and his best friend, the poet, Lensky, which leaves Lensky dead and Onegin devastated. Years later, at the St Petersburg Ball, Onegin meets Tatyana again and realises his mistake, but now the married Tatyana is unable to accept his love.

Our Review:

Keith McDonnell - 4 February 2013

The sense of excitement that permeated the bars and foyers of The Royal Opera House before the curtain rose on the first night of last Monday’s new staging of Eugene Onegin was palpable. Not only was this the first new offering of 2013, but more importantly it marked the stage debut of the company’s director of opera, Kasper Holten. He’s had his feet under the table for eighteen months, and in that time has embraced social media, given the impression of being very much a ‘hands-on’ director and has outlined plans for contemporary opera at the House up until 2020. All exciting stuff, so when it was announced last year that rather than revive the late Stephen Pimlott’s staging of Tchaikovsky’s most popular opera, the money had been found for him to put a brand new staging together, there was a unanimous chorus of approval.

Given his work across continental Europe, and his stunningly original staging of Wagner’s Ring C...