Power, pathos and an affair to remember

Eugene Onegin (Komische Oper Berlin, Festival Theatre) Russian to its core ★★★★✩

TODAY, Tchaikovsky’s eugene Onegin is considered to be a masterwork and one of the cornerstones of russian opera – but ‘twas not ever thus.

During its genesis in the late 1879s, Verdi’s aida was new and novel to russians – and Italian grand opera had taken the nation’s fancy. Indeed, when Tchaikovsky first saw it, he considered it ‘foul’. So he decided his own new opera would be russian to the core.

Taking his libretto from the great verse novel by russia’s beloved national poet alexander pushkin, he imbued it with the musical heart of his motherland.

Not that it was an instant success, being much criticised for its lack of dramatic action and theatrical effects. Deeply wounded and in the midst of one of his periodic fits of depression, Tchaikovsky defended his work by writing: ‘I am looking for intimate but powerful drama, based on a conflict of situations which I have experienced or observed and which can touch me to the quick.’

His words capture the essence of his opera – and Komische Oper Berlin’s artistic director Barrie Kosky has clearly taken them to heart. This production concerns itself with the soul and character of the story, rather than trying to conjure up dramatic firecrackers.

Kosky has chosen to set it mostly outdoors – even the ballroom scenes.

I was not altogether convinced by this decision, though the scenes where individual characters were picked out in a pool of light on an otherwise darkened stage were visually magnificent.

I couldn’t help but wonder if the entire opera might not have been presented in such fashion, playing to its psychological strengths and eschewing all external frippery. But whatever you may think of the setting, it certainly serves to concentrate the mind on the text. and you could scarcely have a better text to work with – and a uniformly excellent cast concentrated on it superbly. asmik Grigorian, pictured, delivered a finely judged performance as Tatyana, a young girl wronged – and years later uncontrollably compelled to turn the tables on her first and only true love. as said swine, Gunter papendell’s eugene Onegin was a tour de force. as the man with everything is reduced to nothing, the power and pathos of his performance was a joy to behold. The supporting cast ably upheld the excellence of the principals, especially Karolina Gumas as Olga and Oleksiy palchykov as Lensky, while ainars rublkis conducted the orchestra with effortless grace.