Eugene Onegin (Russian: Евгений Онегин, written in Russian letters) is an opera called "lyrical scenes" with three acts (seven scenes). It was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The opera's text, created by Tchaikovsky himself, closely follows parts of Alexander Pushkin's 1825–1832 verse novel. Much of Pushkin's poetry is included in the opera. Tchaikovsky's friend, Konstantin Shilovsky, wrote the words for a character named M. Triquet in Act 2, Scene 1. Tchaikovsky arranged the text for a song by a character named Lensky in Act 1, Scene 1, and for most of a song by Prince Gremin in Act 3, Scene 1.

Eugene Onegin is a famous example of a lyric opera. Tchaikovsky added dramatic music to this style. The story follows a selfish main character who later regrets rejecting a young woman's love and causing a deadly duel with his best friend.

The opera was first performed in Moscow in 1879. It is often performed today, and many recordings of it exist. The title of the work refers to the main character.

Composition history

In May 1877, the opera singer Yelizaveta Lavrovskaya suggested to Tchaikovsky that he create an opera based on the story of Alexander Pushkin’s verse novel Eugene Onegin, written between 1825 and 1832. Tchaikovsky believed the novel’s plot was not very strong—its story involves a wealthy man who rejects a young country girl, who later becomes a successful and sophisticated woman, and who then tries to seduce her but is too late. However, Tchaikovsky recognized the novel’s value in its development of characters, its comments on society, and the beauty of its writing. After a night without sleep, Tchaikovsky decided to accept the idea. He created the opera’s scenes in one night before beginning to write the music.

With some help from Konstantin Shilovsky, Tchaikovsky used original lines from Pushkin’s novel and selected scenes that focused on the emotions and experiences of the characters. He called the opera “lyrical scenes.” The opera is made up of separate scenes rather than a continuous story, showing only important moments from Eugene Onegin’s life. Tchaikovsky completed the opera by January 1878.

Performance history

Tchaikovsky was worried that people might not like his opera because it did not use traditional scene changes. He believed the performance needed to be as simple and sincere as possible. To ensure this, he gave the first production to students at the Moscow Conservatory. The premiere happened on 29 March (17 March O.S.) 1879 at the Maly Theatre in Moscow. Nikolai Rubinstein conducted the performance, and Karl Valts (Waltz) designed the sets. Despite his concerns, the public accepted the opera over the next century, and it is now often performed worldwide.

Two years later, the first performance at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow took place on 23 January (11 January O.S.) 1881. Eduard Nápravník conducted this performance.

Outside Russia, the opera was not immediately popular. It took time to reach European cities, where it was often seen as a Russian curiosity. The first performance outside Russia was in Prague on 6 December 1888. Tchaikovsky conducted this performance, though Adolf Čech was responsible for rehearsals. The opera was sung in Czech, with a translation by Marie Červinková-Riegrová.

The first performance in Hamburg occurred on 19 January 1892. Gustav Mahler conducted the performance, with Tchaikovsky present. After each scene, the audience applauded Tchaikovsky, and he received curtain calls at the end. He credited Mahler’s success to his talent, calling him "a genius burning with a desire to conduct."

The first performance in England was on 17 October 1892 at the Olympic Theatre in London. Henry J. Wood conducted the performance, and Eugène Oudin played the title role. Fanny Moody performed the role of Tatyana. The opera was sung in English, with a translation by Henry Sutherland Edwards.

The first performance in Vienna was on 19 November 1897, conducted by Gustav Mahler.

The United States premiere was on 24 March 1920 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The opera was sung in Italian. The first Russian performance by the Metropolitan Opera took place on 15 October 1977.

Instrumentation

The musical composition includes the following instruments:

• Woodwinds: Piccolo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets (A, B-flat), 2 Bassoons
• Brass: 4 Horns (F), 2 Trumpets (F), 3 Trombones
• Strings: Violins I, Violins II, Violas, Cellos, Double Basses, Harp
• Percussion: Timpani

Synopsis

Place: St. Petersburg and the surrounding countryside

Scene 1: The garden of the Larin country estate

Madame Larina and her nurse, Filipyevna, are sitting in the garden. They hear Madame Larina’s two daughters, Tatyana and her younger sister Olga, singing a love song. Madame Larina begins to think back to her own courtship and marriage. A group of peasants enters and celebrates the harvest with songs and dances. Tatyana and Olga watch. Tatyana has been reading a romantic novel and is deeply focused on the story, while her more carefree sister wants to join the celebration. Madame Larina tells Tatyana that real life is different from the stories in her books. Filipyevna announces that visitors have arrived: Olga’s fiancé, Lensky, a young poet, and his friend, Eugene Onegin, who has come from St. Petersburg. The visitors are welcomed, and Lensky introduces Onegin to the Larin family. Onegin is surprised that Lensky chose the outgoing Olga instead of her more thoughtful older sister, Tatyana. Tatyana, however, is immediately and strongly attracted to Onegin. Lensky expresses happiness at seeing Olga, and she responds with flirtatious behavior. Onegin tells Tatyana about his boredom in the countryside and shares that he inherited a nearby estate after his uncle’s death. Filipyevna notices that Onegin has deeply affected Tatyana.

Scene 2: Tatyana’s room

Tatyana is getting ready for bed. She is restless and unable to sleep, so she asks Filipyevna to tell her about her own youth and early marriage. Tatyana confesses that she is in love. Alone, she writes a letter to Onegin in which she tells him she loves him and believes she will never feel this way about anyone else. She pleads with him to understand and help her. She finishes writing the letter at dawn. A shepherd’s pipe is heard in the distance. Filipyevna enters to wake Tatyana. Tatyana convinces her to send her grandson to deliver the letter to Onegin.

Scene 3: Another part of the estate

Servant girls pick fruit and sing as they work. Tatyana waits anxiously for Onegin’s arrival. Onegin enters to meet Tatyana and respond to her letter. He explains, not unkindly, that he does not love easily and is not suited for marriage. He says he is not worthy of her love and can only offer her brotherly affection. He warns Tatyana to be less emotionally open in the future. The servant girls’ singing is heard again. Tatyana is deeply hurt and cannot reply.

Scene 1: The ballroom of the Larin house

A ball is being held to honor Tatyana’s name day. Onegin is dancing with her. He becomes annoyed with neighbors who gossip about him and Tatyana, and with Lensky for convincing him to attend the ball. He decides to take revenge by dancing and flirting with Olga. Lensky is shocked and becomes very jealous. He confronts Olga, but she does not see what she has done wrong and tells Lensky not to be ridiculous. Onegin asks Olga to dance again, and she agrees as “punishment” for Lensky’s jealousy. The elderly French tutor, Monsieur Triquet, sings a song in honor of Tatyana. (In the opera, this song has different lyrics and is based on the romance “Dormez donc mes chères amours” from the vaudeville La Somnambule by Scribe and Delavigne, with music by Amédée de Beauplan. The lyrics begin: “Reposons-nous ici tous deux” in G major.) After this, the argument between Lensky and Onegin grows more intense. Lensky ends his friendship with Onegin in front of the guests and challenges him to a duel, which Onegin reluctantly agrees to. Tatyana collapses, and the ball ends in confusion.

Scene 2: On the banks of a wooded stream, early morning

Lensky waits for Onegin with his second, Zaretsky. Lensky reflects on his life, his fear of death, and his love for Olga. Onegin arrives with his manservant, Guillot. Both men are hesitant to proceed with the duel, thinking about the pointlessness of their sudden conflict. But it is too late; neither has the courage to stop the duel. Zaretsky gives the signal, and Onegin shoots Lensky dead.

Scene 1: The house of a rich nobleman in St. Petersburg

Five years have passed, and Onegin has traveled widely across Europe. At a ball, he stands alone and reflects on the emptiness of his life and his regret over Lensky’s death. Prince Gremin enters with Tatyana, his wife, now a grand and aristocratic beauty. She is greeted respectfully by the guests. Onegin is surprised when he sees T

Recordings

• 1936, Vasiliy Nebolsin (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Panteleimon Nortsov (Onegin), Sergei Lemeshev (Lensky), Lavira Zhukovskaya (Tatyana), Bronislava Zlatogorova (Olga), Maria Botienina (Larina), Konkordiya Antarova (Filipyevna), Aleksandr Pirogov (Gremin), I. Kovalenko (Triquet)
• 1937, Alexander Melik-Pashayev (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Panteleimon Nortsov (Onegin), Ivan Kozlovsky (Lensky), Elena Kruglikova (Tatyana), Elizaveta Antonova (Olga), Ludmila Rudnitskaya (Larina), Vera Makarova (Filipyevna), Maxim Mikhailov (Gremin), Sergei Ostrumov (Triquet)
• 1948, Aleksander Orlov (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Andrey Ivanov (Onegin), Ivan Kozlovsky (Lensky), Yelena Kruglikova (Tatyana), Maria Maksakova (Olga), B. Amborskaya (Larina), Fayina Petrova (Filipyevna), Mark Reyzen (Gremin), I. Kovalenko (Triquet)
• 1955, Oskar Danon (conductor), Chorus and Orchestra of the National Theatre, Belgrade, Dušan Popović (Onegin), Drago Starc (Lensky), Valerija Heybal (Tatyana), Biserka Cvejić (Olga), Mira Verčević (Larina), Melanija Bugarinović (Filipyevna), Miroslav Čangalović (Gremin), Stepan Andrashevich (Triquet)
• 1956, Boris Khaikin (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Yevgeniy Belov (Onegin), Sergei Lemeshev (Lensky), Galina Vishnevskaya (Tatyana), Larisa Avdeyeva (Olga), Valentina Petrova (Larina), Yevgeniya Verbitskaya (Filipyevna), Ivan Petrov (Gremin), Andrey Sokolov (Triquet), Igor Mikhaylov (Zaretsky)
• 1957, Dimitri Mitropoulos (conductor), The Metropolitan Opera, George London (Onegin), Richard Tucker (Lensky), Lucine Amara (Tatiana), Rosalind Elias (Olga), Martha Lipton (Larina), Belén Amparám (Filipyevna), Giorgio Tozzi (Gremin), Alessio De Paolis (Triquet), George Cehanovsky (Zaretsky)
• 1961, Lovro von Matacic (conductor), Wiener Staatsoper, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Onegin), Anton Dermota (Lensky), Sena Jurinac (Tatyana), Biserca Cvejic (Olga), Hilde Konetzni (Marina), Hilde Rössel-Majdan (Filipyevna), Walter Krempel (Gremin), Peter Klein (Triquet)
• 1970, Mstislav Rostropovich (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Yuri Mazurok (Onegin), Vladimir Atlantov (Lensky), Galina Vishnevskaya (Tatyana), Tamara Sinyavskaya (Olga), Alexander Ognivtsev (Gremin), Tatiana Tugarinova (Larina), Larisa Avdeyeva (Filipyevna), Vitaly Vlasov (Triquet) Le Chant du Monde
• 1974, Sir Georg Solti (conductor), Orchestra of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and John Alldis Choir, Bernd Weikl (Onegin), Stuart Burrows (Lensky), Teresa Kubiak (Tatyana), Julia Hamari (Olga), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Gremin), Michel Senechal (Triquet) Decca 417 413–2
• 1979, Mark Ermler (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Yuri Mazurok (Onegin), Vladimir Atlantov (Lensky), Tamara Milashkina (Tatyana), Tamara Sinyavskaya (Olga), Evgeny Nesterenko (Gremin), Tatiana Tugarinova (Larina), Larisa Avdeyeva (Filipyevna), Lev Kuznetsov (Triquet) Melodiya
• 1986, Vladimir Fedoseyev (conductor), Moscow Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra and Choir, Yuri Mazurok (Onegin), Alexander Fedin (Lensky), Lidiya Chernikh (Tatyana), Tamara Sinyavskaya (Olga), Alexander Vedernikov (Gremin), Yannis Sprogis (Triquet) APC 101.751
• 1987, James Levine (conductor), Staatskapelle Dresden and Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Sir Thomas Allen (Onegin), Neil Shicoff (Lensky), Mirella Freni (Tatyana), Anne Sofie von Otter (Olga), Rosemarie Lang (Larina), Ruthild Engert (Filipyevna), Paata Burchuladze (Gremin), Michel Senechal (Triquet) DG 423 959–2
• 1993, Semyon Bychkov (conductor), Orchestre de Paris, Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Onegin), Neil Shicoff (Lensky), Nuccia Focile (Tatyana), Olga Borodina (Olga), Sarah Walker (Larina), Irina Arkhipova (Filipyevna), Alexander Anisimov (Gremin)
• 1992, Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor), Orchestra and Chorus of Welsh National Opera, Thomas Hampson (Onegin), Neil Rosenshein (Lensky), Dame Kiri Te Kanawa (Tatiana), Patricia Bardon (Olga), Linda Finnie (Larina), Elizabeth Bainbridge (Filipyevna), John Connell (Gremin), Nicolai Gedda (Triquet), Richard Van Allan (Zaretsky/A captain)
• 1992, Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor),

Allusions

In Anton Chekhov's play Three Sisters, the characters Vershinin and Masha hum part of Prince Gremin's song "Love Knows No Age" from Act III, Scene I.

Screen versions

In 1958, Lenfilm (USSR) made a film called Eugene Onegin. Roman Tikhomirov directed the film, and the main roles were played by Vadim Medvedev as Onegin, Ariadna Shengelaya as Tatyana, and Igor Ozerov as Lensky. The main solo singing parts were performed by famous opera singers from the Bolshoi Theatre. The film received good reviews from critics and audiences.

In 1988, Decca / Channel 4 (Great Britain) created a movie version of the opera. Petr Weigl directed the film. Sir Georg Solti conducted the music, and the cast included Michal Docolomanský as Onegin and Magdaléna Vášáryová as Tatyana (with Teresa Kubiak singing the role of Tatyana).