Eugene Onegin 1980

Synopsis
Artists

Pushkin’s epic poem set in Imperial Russia…

…a story of young Tatiana’s unrequited love for the worldly Onegin.

Music By

Peter Tchaikovsky

Libretto By

Konstantin Shilovsky and Peter Tchaikovsky based on a verse novel by Alexander Pushkin

Act I

The scene is set in Russia in the late 1820’s and in 1830.

Scene 1: The Visit Late summer on the estate of Madame Larina, a gentlewoman and widow in somewhat reduced circumstances.

The song of Tatiana and Olga from inside the house reminds Larina of her own youth, infatuations and the arranged marriage she was forced to accept.

Her fieldworkers come to celebrate the end of the Harvest and to make the symbolic gift of a corn-doll to their mistress. Olga teases Tatiana, and the girls reveal the enormous difference in their characters. Tatiana is lost in romantic reveries while Olga, always ready to sing and dance, confirms that sighs and dreams are not for her.

There is a feminine flutter as Lensky, a young poet and Olga’s fiancé, arrives to introduce his worldly friend, Eugene Onegin, who has recently inherited a nearby estate. Tatiana realizes that Onegin is the long-awaited hero of her dreams. Onegin only indicates his boredom with life in the country. Larina calls them indoors as night falls.

Scene 2: The Letter Tatiana’s bedroom, that night.

Tatiana, restless and devoured with love for Onegin, cannot sleep. She pours out her heart in a long and passionate letter to Onegin. By sunrise the letter is finished and Tatiana has committed her love to paper. When Filipievna comes to waken Tatiana, she is sent to deliver the letter.

Scene 3: The Interview In the garden the next morning.

Tatiana runs in, full of foreboding and regret at the impending meeting with Onegin. He arrives to keep the appointment. He is charming and even brotherly as he explains that love and marriage are not for him. Had it been otherwise, he might have chosen Tatiana. Onegin quietly leads the humiliated Tatiana from the scene.

Act II

Scene 1: The Country Ball At Madame Larina’s house, the following winter.

Tatiana’s name day, the twelfth of January, is being celebrated with a ball. However, what could have been a delightful occasion is clouded for Tatiana by the presence of Onegin. Onegin overhears some disparaging remarks about himself, confirming his own regret that he yielded to Lensky’s persuasion to attend the ball. He decides to take his revenge and flirts with Olga. What should have been a mere tease develops into something more serious.

Tatiana and Lensky are both aghast when Olga again agrees to dance with Onegin. Lensky publicly insults Olga and challenges Onegin to a duel, which he feels obliged to accept.

Scene 2: The Duel At dawn next morning.

Lensky and his impatient second, Zaretsky, await the arrival of Onegin. Onegin appears and tries to make light of the situation; he even provides his valet to act as his second, to Zaretsky’s indignation, in the hope that Lensky will see the absurdity of it all and relent. Injured pride and convention inexorably lead to the duel. To Onegin’s horror, it is his friend Lensky who falls dead.

Act III

Scene 1: The Ball in St. Petersburg In St. Petersburg in 1830.

Four years have passed, during which Onegin, haunted by Lensky’s death, has been travelling far and wide, and Tatiana has married the distinguished, elderly Prince Gremin.

At the ball Onegin is amazed to discover that the elegant and beautiful woman on Gremin’s arm is Tatiana. Gremin confirms that she has brought warmth and affection to his old age. Tatiana has also observed Onegin, but manages to betray nothing of the agitation she feels. Onegin realizes that he is now desperately in love with Tatiana and only she can redeem him from his present despair.

Scene 2: The Parting A room in Gremin’s house the next morning.

Tatiana has persuaded her husband to close the house and return to the country. This decision has been prompted by the arrival of a passionate letter from Onegin, begging her to see him. When Onegin arrives, she reminds him of his rejection of her love. Both muse on the lost happiness that could have been theirs, but now their situation is reversed. Tatiana admits her love for him, but affirms her devotion and duty to her husband. She bids farewell to Onegin forever, leaving him distraught behind her.

Synopsis

Act I

Act II

Act III

Artists

Patricia Wells

Patricia Wells

Richard Stilwell

Richard Stilwell

Sandra Walker

Sandra Walker

David Rendall

David Rendall

Philip Booth

Philip Booth

Jean Kraft

Jean Kraft

Fredda Rakusin

Fredda Rakusin

Robert Grayson

Robert Grayson

Joseph Rich

Joseph Rich

Susan Hartley

Susan Hartley

Sherman Ray Jacobs

Sherman Ray Jacobs

Ken Davis

Ken Davis

Matthew Lau

Matthew Lau

John Nelson

John Nelson

James L. Dickson

James L. Dickson

John Conklin

John Conklin

Suzanne Mess

Suzanne Mess

Peter Kaczorowski

Peter Kaczorowski

Francis Patrelle

Francis Patrelle

Colin Graham

Colin Graham

George Manahan

George Manahan

Eugene Onegin 1980