Madrid, February 9, 2025.
Russian is the fourth language of opera, after Italian, French and German, considering the extensive operatic production in these four languages, and a handful of Russian operas stand in the repertoire today. From all these, there are three main ones: Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky, and The Queen of Spades and Eugene Onegin, both by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. When one thinks of opera sung in Russian, those three titles definitely come to mind. In addition, they are based on literary masterpieces by Alexander Pushkin, the Russian literary genius.
Onegin's story is that of a man who has everything to be happy, but is incapable of developping an feelings for anyone. He is the kind of person who does not realize that his unconsciousness and his superiority complex, his boredom with life, have terrible results: he breaks the heart of the innocent Tatiana and kills his friend Lenski in a duel after seducing his darling, Olga. But Onegin cannot imagine that he will come to regret having discarded Tatiana's love. This story has been popular in Russia since the very moment of its publication. And Tchaikovsky wanted to turn it into an intimate opera, with characters with whom the public could identify. Such a personal intention would require young singers capable of convincingly transmitting this story, far from the egos of the divos of the moment. Although it was premiered by students of the Moscow Conservatory, the beauty of the work would add it to the classical repertoire soon.
Despite being a very well-known opera, it has not been seen much in Madrid in recent times: at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in 1981 (on a tour of the Kirov Theatre -now the Mariinsky- and conducted by Yuri Temirkanov) and 1994 (with Carlos Álvarez and Karita Mattila). At the Teatro Real, it wasn't premiered until 2010, when the world-famed Bolshoi Theatre was invited with its choir, orchestra and cast for a few performances. However, despite its worldwide fame, the performances were uneventful, with an acceptable first cast (the same of the 2008 DVD with Mariusz Kwecień) and a second cast with mediocre male voices, as well as an orchestra that sounded disappointing. Fifteen years later, it returns in a production from Oslo and Barcelona, led by a regular on the Spanish stage, the German Christof Loy , who has made a version that has caused a division of opinions in the press and among the audience.
Loy's intention is to give this opera back, so often performed with stiff romantic settings and classical dances, to its initial intimacy, reduced to the essential: the characters' psychology. For this purpose, the scene is reduced to a minimum, as usual with this director. What matters here, more than the setting, is the unconsciousness of the protagonist and its dramatic consequences, an idea that becomes reinforced in the second part. However, such a radical simplification results boring to the eye, even affecting the musical performance. Like its predecessor at the Bolshoi, the production takes place on a small set, surrounded by a large void. The first part takes place in a monotonous room, with dull colours, which despite representing the village of Larina, seems more like a hospital ward. Onegin here is a hooligan, a wild seducer. Tatiana appears here more introverted than ever, unable to stand the world around her: for example is her furious reaction to some books are given to her om her birthday, and throwing them violently to the floor. However, something which mitigates such monotony but at the same time could become irritating because of its excess, is the hubbub of the peasants and servants who scream and flutter in their choral scenes, and the dancers frolicking in highly sexual choreographies. And even the sex ends up being incoherent and boring: Onegin rejects Tatiana in his Act One aria, to end the scene by kissing her passionately at the end.
The second part is the most interesting on an aesthetic level: an all-white set with bright lighting, which focuses on the consequences of Onegin's misbehaviour. The duel scene is powerful from a stage point of view, but Lenski does not die in the duel, but rather after his pistol goes off when he tries to approach Onegin to give him the embrace of reconciliation. Immediately, the famous Polonaise from the third act is played, and the dancers and choristers once again engage in a frenetic sexual dance. At the end of the piece, Lenski suddenly comes back to life and joins in the dance. The final scene is faithful to the original action, but too crude, with a nightgown-clad Tatiana tearing up sheets of paper around her, and with Onegin trying to force a reconciliation, but she leaves him alone, crying bitterly.
From next season, the Spaniard Gustavo Gimeno will replace Ivor Bolton as musical director of the Teatro Real. In 2022, he amazed the audience with a dazzling performance of Prokofiev's Fiery Angel.. Now he delights the audience again, leading the Teatro Real Orchestra , by achieving a fine orchestral conducting, making the orchestra to sound inspiring from the beginning, with strings shining brightly, especially the cellos, but each section had its chance to shine, in a performance that allowed one to recreate and enjoy each instrument, making one to forget the staging a bit, although sadly its frenetic sex dances distracted from focusing on the brilliant Polonaise from Act 3.
In an opera where the chorus has beautiful and lively interventions, the Teatro Real's Chorus has succeeded again. José Luis Basso 's group starts off strongly in its first intervention, which begins off-stage, adapting its powerful voices to the almost mystical music. However, it is in the fourth scene where they gave a powerful, unforgettable performance. The first choral number begins with a beautiful and brief solo introduction by a tenor, who is presumed to be the overseer, answered by the peasants. Two singers alternate in this small role, and in this performance it was sung by Alexander González , a tenor with a beautiful lyrical voice.
Iurii Samoilov is the undisputed leader of the cast, singing the role of Onegin. Despite having a voice that is not very dark, nevertheless he makes himself heard by the audience, with his considerable volume and sings the role with devotion. Although he starts well with the aria in the third scene, it is in the grand finale where he gives his best, in addition to acting heartbreakingly.
Kristina Mkhitaryan sings the role of Tatiana remarkably, with a somewhat dark-toned voice, reserving it for the most famous part of her great letter scene, which she sings with charm and sensitivity. Surprisingly, in the tense finale of the fourth scene, the phrase ona mnye szhala syerdtse bolno tak, zhestoko! was sung with overwhelming force. In the final duet with Onegin she again excelled.
Bogdan Volkov as Lenski has a youthful tone, but the volume does not match it, resulting in a voice that is rather small, taking away tension from the character in the second act, when it should sound most energetic. He reserved this for his famous aria Kuda, Kuda, when, standing on stage, he sang it with a convincing melancholy, especially when singing on the piano.
Maxim Kuzmin-Karavaev was an excellent Gremin, with a powerful voice and a well-sung aria in the third act. He also sang the brief role of Zaretsky in the duel scene, perhaps in an attempt by the stage director to expand Gremin's presence by merging the two characters.
Victoria Karkacheva played Olga, and although she performed with notable low voice in the first act, she was rather adequate afterwards, although she did well her job as an actress in the role, here transformed into a young girl with a light head. Katarina Dalayman as Larina appears with a rather worn voice after a great Wagnerian career in the past. On the other hand, the veteran Elena Zilio in the role of the nanny Filipyevna, sings surprisingly well for her 84 years: a voice that still stands strong, with a low note that continues to impress, and that cancels out Dalayman's Larina when they are together on stage. Sometimes I even thought if she still could sing Olga successfully. Juan Sancho was a very well sung Monsieur Triquet, and Frederic Jost also sang the role of the captain well.
The beauty of the music made a performance dominated by a boring coldness more bearable. This opera is so appreciated that the hall was almost full, and the audience rewarded the cast with many ovations. But the great winner was undoubtedly Tchaikovsky.
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