Eugene
Onegin

Intense, romantic opera by Tchaikovsky

Eugene Onegin is a close encounter with youthful love. The opera is also a powerful portrayal of something we have all experienced – the passing of time, the chances we didn’t take, and the fact that, deep down, we’re all alone.

It’s called Eugene Onegin, but the title of Tchaikovsky's opera could just as well have been Tatjana Larin. After all, it’s as much her story as it is anyone else’s. It’s about when she sees him for the first time – the handsome, well-travelled and self-confident Onegin. And it’s about when, 16 years later, he sees Tatjana – a modern, well-read, and beautiful woman.  But by then it’s too late. 

«Audun Iversen was absolutely tremendous in the role of Onegin, his dark baritone giving a slightly dangerous edge to a character who at first might seem like an incurable flirt.» Bachtrack

Both audiences and critics were thrilled when Eugene Onegin premiered in 2020. Then as now, Audun Iversen and Svetlana Aksenova feature in the leading roles.

Transformative love

It’s a bitter cold winter. We’re at the Larin Family estate outside of St. Petersburg, where Mrs Larin lives with her daughters, Olga and Tatjana. While Olga dances and enjoys life, the contemplative Tatjana has escaped into the world of books. When Olga’s fiancee Lensky introduces Tatjana to his friend Onegin, the lives of the four youths change forever. 

Russian opera at its best 

Eugene Onegin is considered the most popular Russian opera. It is the brainchild of two giants in Russian cultural history, the writer Aleksandr Pushkin and the composer Peter Tchaikovsky. But while Pushkin identifies with Onegin, Tatjana is the one closer to Tchaikovsky’s heart. This can clearly be heard in the music he has written for her. The opera opens with Tatjana’s melody, which later expands into her grand, beautiful aria during the first act, when the brave girl writes a letter to Onegin and one of the most intense solo scenes for soprano voices.

Lyrical scenes

In Eugene Onegin, we enjoy impressive chorus scenes and grand music. Yet the opera is also an intimate one that takes us into the remote corners of the human mind. When it first premiered in 1879, it was performed by students of the Moscow Conservatory. Tchaikovsky referred to the opera as ‘lyrical scenes’ and could not imagine it being performed on major opera stages. He was wrong. Only two years later, in 1881, Eugene Onegin premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and has become an established opera in opera houses around the world ever since. 

Prizewinning director

German director Christof Loy is known for his strong directing skills. In May 2017, Loy was proclaimed Best Director during the International Opera Awards. No more than three times has he been nominated ‘Opera Director of the Year’ by the trade magazine Opernwelt. Opernwelt's critic Peter Krause also nominated Loy's Eugene Onegin from Oslo one of the best opera performances of 2020.