Eugene Onegin (Евгений Онегин in Russian, Yevgeny Onegin in transliteration) is an opera in three acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer, based on the novel of the same name by Aleksandr Pushkin. First performance: Malyi Theatre, Moscow, 1879. Transliteration in a narrow sense is a mapping from one system of writing into another. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (help· info) (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайкóвский, sometimes transliterated as Piotr, Anglicised as Peter Ilich), (7 May [O.S. 25 April] 1840 – 6 November [O.S. 25 October] 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. ... Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe; title page of 1719 newspaper edition A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... Eugene Onegin (Yevgeny Onegin, Евгений Онегин) is a novel in verse written by Aleksandr Pushkin. ... Aleksandr Pushkin by Vasily Tropinin Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin (Russian: Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Пу́шкин (help· info)) (June 6 [O.S. May 26] 1799 – February 10 [O.S. January 29] 1837) was a Russian Romantic author whom many consider the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: (help· info)) is the capital of Russia and the countrys principal political, economic, financial, educational and transportation center, located on the river Moskva. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Eugene Onegin is a well-known example of lyric opera; the libretto follows very closely Pushkin's original, retaining much of his poetry, to which Tchaikovsky adds music of a dramatic nature. The story concerns a selfish hero who lives to regret his blasé rejection of a young woman's love and his careless incitement of a fatal duel with his best friend. It is part of the standard operatic repertoire. There are a several recordings of it, and it is regularly performed. This page lists famous operas arranged by composer. ...

Characters

• Prinicipal roles
  • Eugene Onegin - baritone
  • Vladimir Lensky, his friend - tenor
  • Tatyana - soprano
• Minor roles
  • Olga - contralto
  • Madame Larina, a landowner, mother of Tatyana and Olga - mezzo-soprano or contralto
  • Filippyevna, her old nurse-maid - mezzo-soprano
  • Prince Gremin - bass
  • Captain - bass
  • Zaretsky - bass
  • Mr. Triquet, a Frenchman - tenor
• Other
  • Gillot, valet of Onegin - mute
  • Peasants, guests, officers, servants - chorus

In music, a baritone (from Greek βαρυτονος deeply, heavily sounding) is a male voice of intermediate pitch, between bass and tenor. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as a countertenor). ... Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary In music, a soprano is a singer with a voice ranging approximately from the A below middle C to high C two octaves above middle C (i. ... In music, an alto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a soprano. ... A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that... A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that... A basso (or bass) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. ...

History

In May 1877, the opera singer Lavrovskaya recommended creating an opera based on the plot of Eugene Onegin to Tchaikovsky. At first this idea seemed wild to the composer, according to his memoirs, however he was soon grew excited about the idea and created the scenarios in one night before starting the composition of the music. 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Tchaikovsky used the original verses from Pushkin's novel and chose scenes that involved the emotional world and fortunes of his heroes, calling the opera "lyrical scenes." The opera is episodic; there is no continuous story, just selected highlights of Onegin's life. Since the original story was so well known, Tchaikovsky knew his audience could easily fill in any details that he omitted. A similar treatment is found in Puccini's La bohème. The composer had finished the opera by January 1878. Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (December 22, 1858 – November 29, 1924) is regarded as one of the great operatic composers of the late 19th and early 20th century. ... La bohème is an opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de Bohème by Henri Murger. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Tchaikovsky worried whether the public would accept his opera, which lacked traditional scene changes. He believed that its performance required maximum simplicity and sincerity. With this in mind, he entrusted the first production to the students of the Moscow Conservatory. On March 29, 1879, the conservatory students gave the first performance on the stage of the Malyi Theatre in Moscow. It moved with great success to Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre in 1881 and Saint Petersburg's Maryinsky Theatre in 1884. The Moscow Conservatory is a prominent music school in Russia. ... March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in Leap years). ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Bolshoi Theatre (For the rock music band Bolshoi, see The Bolshoi. ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... The Maryinsky (or Mariinsky) Theatre (or Theater), is the St Petersburg theatre where the Mariinsky Ballet is located. ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Noted arias

• "Ah, Tanya, Tanya" (Olga)
• "Were I a man whom fate intended" (Onegin)
• Letter aria (Tatyana)
• Lensky's aria (Lenski)
• Prince Gremin's aria (Gremin)

Synopsis

Act 1

Scene 1: The garden of the Larin country estate
Madame Larina (mezzo-soprano) and the nurse (mezzo-soprano) are sitting outside: her two daughters, Tatyana (soprano) and younger sister Olga (contralto), can be heard from inside the house. A group of peasants sing a comic song about the serenading of a miller's daughter. Tatyana is reading a romantic novel but her mother tells her that real life is different. Visitors arrive: Olga's fiancée Lensky (tenor), a young poet, and his friend Eugene Onegin (baritone), a world-weary St Petersburg 'drawing-room automaton' (Nabokov). Lensky introduces Onegin to the Larin family. Onegin is initially surprised that Lensky has chosen the extrovert Olga rather than her romantic elder sister. Tatyana for her part is immediately and strongly attracted to Onegin.

Scene 2: Tatyana's room
Tatyana confesses to her nurse that she is in love. Left alone she writes a letter to Onegin driven by the realization that she is fatally and irreversibly drawn to him (the celebrated 'Letter Scene'). When the old woman returns Tatyana asks her to arrange for the letter to be sent to Onegin.

Scene 3: Another part of the estate
Onegin arrives to see Tatyana and give her his answer to her letter. He explains, not unkindly, that he is not a man who loves easily and is unsuited to marriage. Tatyana is crushed and unable to reply.

Act 2

Scene 1: The ballroom of the Larin house
Tatyana's name-day party. Onegin is irritated with the country people who gossip about him and Tatyana, and with Lensky for persuading him to come. He decides to revenge himself by dancing and flirting with Olga. Lensky becomes extremely jealous. Olga is insensitive to her fiancé and apparently attracted to Onegin. There is a diversion, while a French neighbour called Monsieur Triquet (tenor) sings some couplets in honour of Tatyana, after which the quarrel becomes more intense. Lensky renounces his friendship with Onegin in front of all the guests, and challenges Onegin to a duel, which the latter is forced, with many misgivings, to accept.

Scene 2: On the banks of a wooded stream, early morning
Lensky is waiting for Onegin, and sings of his uncertain fate and his love for Olga. Onegin arrives. They are both reluctant to go ahead with the duel but lack the power to stop it. Onegin shoots Lensky dead.

Act 3

Scene 1: At a ball in the house of a rich nobleman in St Petersburg
Some years have passed. Onegin reflects on the emptiness of his life and his remorse over the death of Lensky. Prince Gremin (bass) enters with his wife, Tatyana now transformed into a grand, aristocratic beauty. Gremin sings of his great happiness with Tatyana, and introduces Onegin to her. Onegin is deeply impressed by Tatyana, and is fired by a desperate longing to regain her love.

Scene 2: Reception room in Prince Gremin's house
Tatyana has received a letter from Onegin. Onegin enters and begs for her love and her pity. Tatyana wonders why he is now attracted to her. Is it because of her social position? Onegin is adamant that his passion is real and absolute. Tatyana, moved to tears, reflects how near they once were to happiness but nevertheless asks him to leave. She admits she still loves him, but will remain faithful to her husband. Onegin implores her, but she finally leaves him alone in his despair.

[This synopsis by Simon Holledge was first published on Opera japonica http://www.operajaponica.org and appears here by permission.]

External links and references

• Libretto
  • Russian libretto in HTML
  • Russian libretto in zip file for Word
• Summary of Eugene Onegin (Russian)
• Upcoming performances at major halls