Acclaimed German director Christof Loy (Arabella, Rusalka and Capriccio) is set to stage this classic Tchaikovsky opera. A collaborative production between Teatro Real, Den Norske Opera & Ballett in Oslo and Gran Teatre del Liceu, it will run on selected dates in January and February to commemorate 225 years since the birth of Alexander Pushkin, author of the original novel.
Originally premiered at the Maly Theatre of the Moscow Conservatory on 29 March 1879 and at the Bolshoi Theatre on 23 January 1881, this version first graced the Teatro Real stage on 7 September 2010 and now returns 15 years later.
The opera transports the audience to 19th-century Russia, telling a moving tale of unrequited love and the search for redemption. Eugene Onegin is a young aristocrat who, despite his privileged social position, feels bored and disillusioned with life. Existential ennui leads him to make impulsive and selfish decisions, vainly trying to fill the emptiness he feels inside.
Tatiana, a naive and romantic young woman, falls hopelessly in love with Onegin, but he cruelly and dismissively rejects her, causing her deep pain. Onegin in turn becomes embroiled in a duel with Lensky, a poet who seeks to defend the honour of his fiancée Olga, after Onegin flirts with her. The duel ends with Lensky's tragic death, plunging Onegin into guilt and remorse.
The production stands out not only for its moving story but also for its brilliant music, filled with melodies that perfectly capture the characters' feelings, from love and passion to sadness and regret.
Artistic File:
- Musical Conductor - Gustavo Gimeno and Kornilios Michailidis (18 Feb)
- Director - Christof Loy
- Stage Design - Raimund Orfeo Voigt
- Costumes - Herbert Murauer
- Lighting - Olaf Winter
- Movement Director - Andreas Heise
- Choirmaster - José Luis Basso
Cast:
- Larina - Katarina Dalayman
- Tatiana - Kristina Mkhitaryan
- Olga - Victoria Karkacheva
- Filipyevna - Elena Zilio
- Eugene Onegin - Iurii Samoilov
- Lensky - Bogdan Volkov
- Prince Gremin / Zaretsky - Maxim Kuzmin-Karavaev
- Captain - Frederic Jost
- Monsieur Triquet - Juan Sancho
- Choir and Orchestra - Teatro Real Resident Choir and Orchestra
Programme:
Lyrical scenes in three acts
- Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
- Libretto by composer Konstantin Shilovsky, based on the novel of the same name (1931) in verse by Aleksander Pushkin
- Premièred at the State Academic Maly Theatre in Moscow on 29 March 1879 and at the Bolshoi Theatre on 23 January 1881
- Premièred at Teatro Real on 7 September 2010
- New production by the Teatro Real, in co-production with Den Norske Opera & Ballet (Oslo) and Gran Teatre del Liceu
