Eugene Onegin

Eugene Onegin – Piotr Ilich Chaikovski 1840-1893

Lyric scenes in three acts
Libretto by Konstantin Shilovski and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, based upon the eponymous novel by Alexander Pushkin

Eugenio Oneguin, letters for a misunderstanding

The serialised novel in verse that inspired and gave its name to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's opera, written by Alexander Pushkin between 1823 and 1831, tells the dramatically parallel and irreconcilable life stories of three young people - Tatiana, Lenski and Onegin - marked from the beginning of their short lives by cultural differences: Tatiana, who writes in French but reveals her pure Russian soul; Lenski, educated in the Germanic tradition; and Onegin, an aspiring English dandy with melancholic Byronic outbursts. The composer combines the Russian nature through instrumental contributions with the universality of the human message in the dramatic treatment. He turns the verse novel’s Onegin stanzas, with their curious constant dialogue between the masculine and the feminine rhymes, into a succession of lyrical scenes that, in keeping with the theatrical convention of the time, are presented in three acts centred on the scene of Tatiana's letter to Onegin.

The young and promising conductor Timur Zangiev, a disciple of Gennady Rozhdestvensky, makes his debut as Music Director of this second production of Eugene Onegin at Les Arts. He has been praised for his impeccable technique and arrives with the endorsement of successful performances of Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades at La Scala and Prokofiev's The Gambler at the Salzburg Festival, as well as Onegin at La Scala and, soon, at the Metropolitan and the Vienna State Opera. The thorny love triangle at the heart of the opera's plot has been entrusted to a trio of vocal aces led by Mattia Olivieri - a former student of the Centre de Perfeccionament, currently enjoying an international career - who makes his debut as Onegin in Valencia, alongside veteran Dmitry Korchak, once again as Lenski, and soprano Corinne Winters - who made such a pleasant impression in Jenůfa - in the role of Tatiana. Laurent Pelly, following his successful Cenerentola, shows his dramatic side in this acclaimed production at La Monnaie in Brussels, which is moving and visually stunning, highlighting the poetic essence of Pushkin's eponymous work.

Synopsis

Time: The 1820s

Place: St Petersburg and surrounding countryside

Act 1

Scene 1: The garden of the Larin country estate

Madame Larina and the nurse Filipyevna are sitting outside in the garden. They can hear Madame Larina's two daughters, Tatyana and her younger sister Olga, singing a love song. Madame Larina begins to reminisce about her own courtship and marriage. A group of peasants enter, and celebrate the harvest with songs and dances. Tatyana and Olga watch. Tatyana has been reading a romantic novel and is absorbed by the story; her carefree sister, on the other hand, wants to join in the celebrations. Madame Larina tells Tatyana that real life is very different from her novels. Filipyevna announces that visitors have arrived: Olga's fiancé Lensky, a young poet, and his friend Eugene Onegin, visiting the area from St Petersburg. The pair are shown in and Lensky introduces Onegin to the Larin family. Onegin is initially surprised that Lensky has chosen the extrovert Olga rather than her more subtle elder sister as his fiancée. Tatyana for her part is immediately and strongly attracted to Onegin. Lensky expresses his delight at seeing Olga and she responds flirtatiously. Onegin tells Tatyana of his boredom in the country and describes the death of his uncle and his subsequent inheritance of a nearby estate. Filipyevna recognizes that Onegin has had a profound effect on Tatyana.

Scene 2: Tatyana's room

Tatyana is dressed for bed. Restless and unable to sleep, she asks her nurse Filipyevna to tell her about her youth and early marriage. Tatyana confesses that she is in love. Left alone, Tatyana pours out her feelings in a letter to Onegin. She tells him that she loves him and believes that she will never feel this way about anyone else, and begs him to understand and help her. She finishes writing the letter at dawn. A shepherd's pipe is heard in the distance. Filipyevna enters the room to wake Tatyana. Tatyana persuades her to send her grandson to deliver the letter to Onegin.

Scene 3: Another part of the estate

Servant girls pick fruit and sing as they work. Tatyana waits anxiously for Onegin's arrival. Onegin enters to see Tatyana and give her his answer to her letter. He explains, not unkindly, that he is not a man who loves easily and is unsuited to marriage. He is unworthy of her love and can only offer her brotherly affection. He warns Tatyana to be less emotionally open in the future. The voices of the servant girls singing are heard again. Tatyana is crushed and unable to reply.

Act 2

Scene 1: The ballroom of the Larin house

A ball is being given in honour of Tatyana, whose name day it is. Onegin is dancing with her. He grows irritated with a group of neighbours who gossip about him and Tatyana, and with Lensky for persuading him to come to the ball. He decides to avenge himself by dancing and flirting with Olga. Lensky is astounded and becomes extremely jealous. He confronts Olga but she cannot see that she has done anything wrong and tells Lensky not to be ridiculous. Onegin asks Olga to dance with him again and she agrees, as "punishment" for Lensky's jealousy. The elderly French tutor Monsieur Triquet sings some couplets in honour of Tatyana, after which the quarrel between Lensky and Onegin becomes more intense. Lensky renounces his friendship with Onegin in front of all the guests, and challenges Onegin to a duel, which the latter is forced, with many misgivings, to accept. Tatyana collapses and the ball ends in confusion.

Scene 2: On the banks of a wooded stream, early morning

Lensky is waiting for Onegin with his second Zaretsky. Lensky reflects on his life, his fear of death and his love for Olga. Onegin arrives with his manservant Guillot. Both Lensky and Onegin are reluctant to go ahead with the duel, reflecting on the senselessness of their sudden enmity. But it is too late; neither man has the courage to stop the duel. Zaretsky gives them the signal and Onegin shoots Lensky dead.

Act 3

Scene 1: The house of a rich nobleman in St Petersburg

Five years have passed, during which Onegin has travelled extensively around Europe. Standing alone at a ball, he reflects on the emptiness of his life and his remorse over the death of Lensky. Prince Gremin enters with Tatyana, his wife, now a grand, aristocratic beauty. She is greeted by many of the guests with great deference. Onegin is taken aback when he sees Tatyana, and deeply impressed by her beauty and noble bearing. Tatyana, in turn, is overwhelmed with emotion when she recognizes him, but tries to suppress it. Gremin tells Onegin about his great happiness and love for Tatyana, and re-introduces Onegin to his wife. Onegin, suddenly injected with new life, realizes that he is in love with Tatyana. He determines to write to her and arrange a meeting.

Scene 2: A room in Prince Gremin's house

Tatyana has received Onegin's letter, which has stirred up the passion she felt for him as a young girl and disturbed her. Onegin enters. Tatyana recalls her earlier feelings and asks why Onegin is pursuing her now. Is it because of her social position? Onegin denies any cynical motivation: his passion is real and overwhelming. Tatyana, moved to tears, reflects how near they once were to happiness but nevertheless asks him to leave. He asks her to have pity. Tatyana admits she still loves Onegin, but asserts that their union can never be realized, as she is now married, and determined to remain faithful to her husband despite her true feelings. Onegin implores her to relent, but she bids him farewell forever, leaving him alone and in despair.

Program and cast

Conductor - Timur Zangiev
Stage Director and Costume Designer - Laurent Pelly
Set Designer - Massimo Troncanetti
Lighting Designer - Marco Giusti
Choreography - Lionel Hoche

Eugenio Oneguin - Mattia Olivieri+
Tatiana - Corinne Winters
Olga - Ksenia Dudnikova
Lenski - Dmitry Korchak
Príncipe Gremin - Giorgi Manoshvili
Lárina - Alison Kettlewell
Filippievna - Margarita Nekrasova

Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana*
Chorus master Jordi Blanch Tordera
Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana
Alumni Centre de Perfeccionament+