San Francisco Opera Nov. 19, 1997 KDB Nov. 23, 1997
The San Francisco Opera's production of Tchaikovsky's "Eugene
Onegin" comes from The Kirov Opera in St. Petersburg and is
directed and conducted by Yuri Temirkanov. It's a richly beautiful
staging set in the 1820's with authentic costumes. It opens happily
enough in the garden of the Larina's. The house is in the background.
There are two benches, a planter with flowers, and hanging vines,
like wisteria almost enclose the stage on top. We meet the lightly,
impetuous Olga, and the deeply dreamy Tatyana, along with Lensky and
Onegin. As night falls, the lights come on in the house, and all go
inside. Tatyana's room is a simple accessory, with the dresser, a
tall window at the rear, and the writing table with a candle.
Prokina's Tatyana dominates the scene with fiery passion as she pours
her heart out in the love letter to Onegin. When we return to another
point in the garden, we have the first signs of the trouble to come
with a tree on the left stretching it's bare branches over the stage,
under the wisteria against a backdrop of a lake with rolling hills.
Onegin tells Tatyana he can only love her as a brother. In the second
Act, at the ball in Madam Larina's house, the overhanging wisteria,
which was once lush and green has turned to barren tendrils of
branches that come together at the chandelier to bridge the action on
the stage. Lensky simmers on one end of the stage, while Onegin and
Olga flirt on the other. Monsieur Triquet sings to Tatyana in the
middle. As Lensky challenges Onegin to a duel, the party goers gasp
in horror. The next morning on the bank of the stream against a stark
gray sky with a streak of blood red, Lensky walks among the bare
trees. He senses his death as he sings of his love for Olga. All is
desolate, with a broken tree in the foreground. Both he and Onegin
want to make up and be friends, but they are bound by the tradition
of the duel, and Onegin rushes to grab his friend who dies in his
arms. Act 3 takes place in the lavish ballroom in St. Petersburg.
Erik Halfvarson's Prince Gremin is stately dignity as he tells Onegin
of his happiness since winning the love of his beautiful wife,
Tatyana. In the Gremin's mansion Onegin pleads with her to leave her
husband for him in the searing final duet. Tchaikovsky's wish list
for the staging of "Eugene Onegin" called for very steady
singers who will act simply but well. The action called for the human
element over the luxurious, and this San Francisco/Kirov Opera
production is elegant passion brought to a fever pitch. Tchaikovsky's
"Eugene Onegin" continues at the newly refurbished War
Memorial Opera House with 8 p.m. performances November 25 and 28, and
December 2 and 5. There will be matinees at noon November 29 and 2
p.m. Sunday December 7 at The San
Francisco Opera.
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Oregon |
"Channel City" |
"Sleeping Beauty" |
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"Taking Sides" |
"Don Pasquale" |
"Mediterranea" |
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"Fedora" |
"Flying Dutchman" |
"Camelot" |
"Sweet Charity" |
"Cinderella" Ballet |
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"Florencia" |
"Death In Venice" |
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Updated on Wednesday, February 25, 1998 by Paul
Berenson 