Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin
Laurent Pelly (stage director), Alain Altinoglu (conductor) — With Stéphane Degout (Eugene Onegin), Bernadetta Grabias (Larina), Sally Matthews (Tatyana) …
Cast
Laurent Pelly — Stage director, costumes
Massimo Troncanetti — Set designer
Marco Giusti — Lighting
Lionel Hoche — Choreographer
Jean-Jacques Delmotte — Assistant costume designer
Bernadetta Grabias — Larina
Sally Matthews — Tatyana
Program notes
Pushkin's 1830 verse novel Eugene Onegin is a monument of Russian literature, in equal measure a biting satire of a society in the throes of ennui as well as a sweeping melodrama. In 1881, Tchaikovsky transformed this literary pillar into a set of "lyric scenes," with music that is deeply expressive of the characters' emotions and allows the orchestra to create a unified operatic language through subtle, obsessive themes. On the heels of other successful forays into Russian opera repertoire, Alain Altinoglu masterfully leads the La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra in this quintessential Tchaikovsky score while Laurent Pelly's staging highlights the drama of frustrated, deeply human characters subject to the whims of fate, led by a superb Stéphane Degout in the title role.
Photo © Karl Forster
