In Alexander Pushkin’s 1833 novel and Tchaikovsky’s subsequent opera adaptation, we follow the eponymous Eugene Onegin’s misfortunes in love and friendship, the story extending over many years to show the lasting consequences of pride and jealousy.
Two sisters, Olga, engaged to misty-eyed Lensky, and Tatyana, engaged in her romantic novels and daydreams, find their comfortable country lives upturned by the entrance of Lensky’s suave friend Onegin. Onegin declines Tatyana’s advances despite their mutual attraction, but turns his attention to Olga instead, putting Lensky’s honour on the line and prompting a senseless and fatal duel between the two friends. While this material could easily be played for farce, the Edinburgh Studio Opera production carries the heavy plot with dignity overwhelmingly due to the enormous musical talent of its lead cast.
Two early duets, between the young Olga and Tatyana and between their mother and her hand servant Filipyevna, are a treat with voices perfectly matched, but the first act really belongs to Annie Loveday-Hill as Tatyana, whose powerhouse voice effortlessly carries the agonised songs of first love and heartbreak. She is equally matched and contrasted by Alexandra Dinwiddie who brings a sparkling energy to Olga as the “lively little sparrow dancing”. Niall Kennedy is an excellent Onegin: proud, dignified, but almost bursting with tumultuous emotion by the final act — and a cracking singer to boot. Likewise Connor James-Smith brilliantly portrays Lensky as a caricature of love-struck youth, complete with adoring eyes for Olga and soppy promises that “you’re my past and my tomorrow.” The audience doesn’t miss Olga’s eyes flicking to Onegin across the stage, however. A brief mention must be made to the small role of Triquet, an inebriated Frenchman — apparently the actor “went method” — who brought a welcome levity to the otherwise weighty proceedings.
Another success of the production was the costume design. The chorus, dressed in white with black aprons, could remove or otherwise restyle the aprons to be party guests in one scene and anonymous, haunting spectres in the next. This simplicity also added to the timeless and universal feel. The dashes of colour — warm washes of light to signify dawn; props such as books, roses and pocket-hankies all sharing same shade of red — made for a stylish and coherent framework. It thus seemed a shame that the stage was left so bare; when Onegin and Tatyana go punting on the lake, their movement is conveyed very effectively with props. More touches of this sort would have been welcome. Otherwise, the drama is staged well, making use of the length of the stage and different vertical levels. A lot of thought is also given to symmetry — a dancing scene from early on is repeated later with inverted colours, with Onegin left alone in the circle.
Overall a strong production, Eugene Onegin could have been lifted higher with a more discernible message or take-away thought. Unusually, Tatyana chooses not to forgive Onegin at the end, but having followed the two characters equally, it is unclear whether we should support this decision. ESO doesn’t particularly take a view on the interesting idea of Tatyana’s agency; we are given an excellent spectacle but never challenged by what we see. Regardless, it’s a dignified production that does justice to the source material.
Eugene Onegin
Roxy Assembly
Run ended
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