Eugene Onegin

Composed by Tchaikovsky from the Pushkin's novel of the same name. It's only recently that I fallen in love with it. I also love to point out that it's related to data science through the Markov Chain as the methodology was used on the Pushkin novel.

Synopsis

The young Tatyana lives in the countryside of Russia. The dandy—Eugene Onegin—arrives with his friend Lenkski. Tatyana falls in love immediately and sends him a letter of her infatuation.

He condescendingly rebuffs her. Then a party happens. He insults his friend Lenski. They duel. Onegin wins but has to leave Russia. Some years later, Eugene Onegin comes across Tatyana. Instead of the provincial country girl, she is now of high nobility as she married another. Infatuated with her, Eugene Onegin begs for her to abscond with him. However, she refuses.

Eugene Onegin collapses as he laments his fate.

Why I love it

1. The music is just gorgeous with a lot of Russian folk music incorporated into it
2. The dance music of the Mazurka and the Polonaise is gorgeous
3. The Letter Scene is, of course, the main show stopper
4. My opera class professor in undergrad told me that Tchaikovsky, a homosexual, viewed himself as Tatyana.
5. Baritone lead

Favorite music parts

1. The Peasant's Chorus and Death
2. The titular letter scene
3. The duet with the Nanny and Tatyana right after the letter scene
4. Mazurka as well as the arias leading up to the duel
5. Polonaise
6. Finale

Favorite quotes

Let me perish, but first
let me summon, in dazzling hope,
bliss as yet unknown.
Life's sweetness is mine to taste!

I drink the magic potion of desire!
I am beset by visions!
Everywhere, everywhere I look,
I see my fatal tempter!
Wherever I look, I see him!

• Tatyana, the Letter Scene

Favorite singers

1. Asmin Grigorian as Tatyana. Amazing singer and actress - I love the video recordings of her where she is about to cry about her new found infatuation
2. Iurii Samoilov as Eugene Onegin. Eugene Onegin should be a douchebag fuckboy and Samoilov does it so well. I like Dmitri Hvorostovsky but Eugene Onegin is supposed to be 26 at the end of the opera-Hvorotostovsky had too much gravitas.

Albums

[
It's a fantastic album. Mirella Freni sings so beautifully, people say that her Russian is quite good.

Productions

1. 2026 Met Opera starring Asmin Grigorian and Iurri Samoilov is my favorite. Absolutely beautiful production. Though my least favorite thing was that they used hunting rifles for the duels?
   • Also Eugene Onegin kissing Tatyana after she confesses and he rejects her… THEN FOR Tatyana to kiss him after SHE REJECTS him at the end. Amazing
2. 1984 Mariinsky Opera starring Tatyana Novikova and Sergei Leiferkus. Very old timey. The singing is beautiful and I enjoyed.
3. 2026 Wiener Staatsoper starring Asmin Grigorian and Boris Pinkhasovich. I really, really hate the furniture stays in place the entire opera trope (it's a large dining room table). Grigorian is great in it, but there are these forced laughter scenes that drive me nuts.
   • The lighting is gorgeous in this production though
   • The climax of the letter scene has Tatyana on top of the dining room table as the windows burst open and makes the long curtains billow.
4. 2007 Met Opera starring Renee Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Just kind of a dry opera— they're too reserved and mature. I want the lust and infatuation and they give me tired middle-aged people.

Movies

There's a beautiful 1958 movie adaptation of the opera. Just gorgeously shot: