Opera in three acts to a libretto by Konstantin Shilovsky, inspired by the verse novel Eugene Onegin by Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin
Evgeny Onegin (1877-1878) is the first of three operas written by the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky based on the texts of Alexander Pushkin, the writer whose work marks the beginning of modern Russian literature and the transition from positions of romantic perception of the present to a realistic reflection of the topics addressed.
The script of the opera, composed by Tchaikovsky during a single night, highlights the psychological patterns of the characters and their evolution during the situations encountered in Saint Petersburg, at the Larin family mansion and in the surrounding area. Tatiana Larina - the type of Russian woman, simple, shy, melancholic, wise - transforms from a naive country girl into a high society lady with a strong sense of morality, after the declaration of love that she io face to Evgheni Oneghin - the romantic character misunderstood by society, reluctant to the mediocrity of the surrounding world - is met with coldness and indifference by him. The killing, out of jealousy, following a duel, of his best friend - Lenski - deeply marks Onegin. After a long period of absence and the unsuccessful attempt to banish the regrets of the committed deed, Evgheni returns to Saint Petersburg, where he is met again by a charming Tatiana, together with her current husband - Prince Gremin. His heart now comes to know the feeling he had long ago ignored, but it is too late. His love has no chance of fulfillment, Tatiana being determined to honor her status as a married woman.
The coldness with which the work Evgeni Onegin was greeted at the beginning by the public was due, in the opinion of the Russian critic Sergei Flerov, to the novelty of the subject, which centered on characters from everyday human reality, instead of the "lovers" or "rivals" with whom he it was so common. The same critic, however, appreciated Tchaikovsky's work as being, from the point of view of musical achievement, worthy of the quality of Pushkin's text. We invite you, therefore, to let yourself be transposed into the atmosphere of Russian society of the 19th century, where candid or passionate love, pride, jealousy, remorse, devotion - emotional valences masterfully integrated into the music of the great symphonist Tchaikovsky - leave their definitive mark on human destiny !
