Eugene Onegin
When Eugene Onegin enters Tatyana's orderly life, he appears to her like a character from her novels. The young, inexperienced woman falls head over heels in love with the urbane bon vivant. But he rejects her affection; his restless lifestyle is not suitable for a long-term relationship. Years later, the two meet again. The mature Tatyana has entered into a marriage of convenience with the much older Prince Gremin and has become a wealthy woman. How Tatyana and Onegin’s situations have changed; how will the former now respond to the latter’s passionate declarations?
Based on author Alexander Pushkin’s novel in verse, Eugene Onegin had its world premiere in 1879. The opera was groundbreaking for its time: instead of focusing on fast-paced, dramatic events, Eugene Onegin describes the inner worlds of its young protagonists. Tchaikovsky’s emotional music ensures that the opera has continued to captivate audiences ever since. Tatyana’s transformation, from the deeply serious adolescent of her great letter scene into the mature yet desperately unhappy woman who finally dismisses the man she loves, is one of greatest portrayals in all opera. Finnish National Opera’s production is directed by Marco Arturo Marelli who said during rehearsals: ‘There was something completely new in Eugene Onegin: it featured realistic young people, with all their feelings, longings, disappointments and doubts. Every one of us has experienced something similar. That is what makes Eugene Onegin so very valuable.’
CAST
Eugene Onegin | Iurii Samoilov |
|---|---|
Tatjana | Aistė Piliba |
Lensky | Tigran Hakobyan |
Olga | Anna Erokhina |
Larina | Natalia Vinogradova |
Filipyevna | Merle Silmato |
Prince Gremin | Matti Turunen |
Triquet | Roland Liiv |
Captain | Sampo Haapaniemi |
Zaretsky | Sampo Haapaniemi |
Guillot | Juhana Suninen |
Chorus soloist | Yusniel Estrada Viciedo |
Orchestra | Finnish National Opera Orchestra |
Chorus | Finnish National Opera Chorus |
| ... | |
Music | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky |
|---|---|
Text | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Konstantin Shilovsky |
Conductor | Alan Buribayev |
Director, sets and lights | Marco Arturo Marelli |
Revival directors | Charlotta Sevon Kim Amberla |
Costumes | Dagmar Niefind |
Assistants Choreographer | Rauno Marttinen Sampo Kerola |
Assistant conductor | Kurt Kopecky |
Chorus Master | Marge Mehilane |
Assistant Chorus Master | Tatu Erkkilä |
| ... | |
STORY
Act I
In the countryside, four women spend their time reflecting on their memories and desires. While the widow Larina and the nurse Filipevna soberly evaluate their thwarted expectations of happiness; the young daughters of the house, Tatyana and Olga, look to the future full of optimism. Unlike the carefree Olga, whose marriage to her childhood friend Vladimir Lensky seems assured, the self-effacing Tatyana dreams of a romantic love affair that will transform her life. When Lensky brings the worldly Eugene Onegin with him to visit the estate, Tatyana is convinced that he is just the hero that she has been yearning for. Throwing all convention overboard, she declares her feelings to Onegin. However, he rejects the young woman coolly: his life is constantly changing and unsuited to a lasting relationship. After telling her coldly that she should pull herself together more in future, Onegin abandons the distraught Tatyana.
Act II
Larina hosts a party for Tatyana, to which Lensky again brings Onegin. To everyone’s amazement, Onegin and Tatjana dance together, which prompts talk among the guests of an approaching marriage between the two. Irritated by these rumours, Onegin provokes his friend Lensky by repeatedly asking his fiancée Olga to dance. Lensky is hurt by this and cuts off his friendship with Onegin, challenging him to a duel… in which Lensky is shot by Onegin.
Act III
Years have passed, during which Onegin has tirelessly travelled the world. At a ball in St. Petersburg, he and Tatyana meet each other again. In the meantime, Tatjana has married the highly-decorated Prince Gremin and has risen to become a grand, influential figure in Petersburg society. Shocked by the Princess’s magnificent appearance, Onegin confesses his love for Tatyana. This time, however, it is Tatyana who rejects Onegin: even though she still loves him, she has chosen another life with her husband. Onegin is too late.
GALLERY
