Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Eugene Onegin, Op. 24 (1877-78)
Mariusz Kwiecien – Eugene Onegin
Tatiana Monogarova – Tatiana
Makvala Kasrashvili – Madame Larina
Margarita Mamsirova – Olga
Emma Sarkisyan – La nourrice
Andrey Dunaev – Lenski
Anatolij Kotscherga – Prince Gremin
Valery Gilmanov – Zaretski
Bolshoi Theatre Soloists, Chorus & Orchestra/Alexander Vedernikov
Chorus Master – Valery Borisov
Dmitri Tcherniakov _- Stage Direction and Set Design
Maria Danilova – Costume Design
Gleb Filshtinski – Lighting
rec. live, September 2008, Paris Opera
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean
Picture Format: 1BD50 Full HD 16:9; Sound format: PCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Bonus: Eugene Onegin at the Palais Garnier
Reviewed in stereo
BEL AIR CLASSIQUES Blu-ray BAC446 [177 mins]
This Dmitri Tcherniakov production of Tchaikovsky's best known opera, Eugene Onegin, created quite a controversy at its 2006 Bolshoi premiere. Among other protests, famed soprano Galina Vishnevskaya called the event a “public desecration” and canceled her eightieth birthday celebration which was to be held later at the Bolshoi in her honor. Further, she refused to have anything to do with the opera house thereafter, despite her strong previous association with it. This production has drawn sharp criticism elsewhere as well, though overall it has probably received a greater measure of acclaim among critics. Further, the Paris audience in attendance during the performances from which this account was drawn cheered and applauded very enthusiastically at the end.
Tcherniakov takes the opera out of the extroverted world and places it into an introverted one. For example, there are no outside rural scenes and all the action takes place in a single large room with a long table at its center but pushed to the back, far away from the audience, as if to convey a withdrawn, more detached manner. While the last act takes place at Gremin's estate, the room is the same but with a different background and a chandelier. Dancing has in effect been removed: at Tatiana's celebration in the first scene of Act II Onegin and Olga and then later some guests briefly take to the floor for a few, hardly stylish dances—no choreographer was needed for these playful romps. Thus, there is no actual dancing, not even during the famous polonaise.
There's more: Tatiana, sung here stunningly by Tatiana Monogarova, is something of a loner, withdrawn from others in her avoidance of interaction with them, almost as if she is a social misfit. Costuming is updated from the 1820s and suggests a mixture of later time periods: it would appear that styles move from early to late 20th century through the three acts. Yet, most things in this production—radical though it will be to some—work most effectively. Tcherniakov's reinterpretation gives us a new and valid take on Tchaikovsky's great opera. Actually, if you have never seen Onegin staged before, you would likely find this production mostly a success and not radical at all. It would be much the same as seeing a movie and thoroughly enjoying it, after which a friend tells you it was a remake and the original version was truer to the story upon which the film was based. Those of you who are strongly skeptical of the growing number of “reinterpretations” being staged in opera houses these days will probably find this production objectionable, and I'm often among the skeptics myself, but in this instance we have a considerable success.
That said, not everything works here: as Lenski, portrayed most impressively by Andrey Dunaev, sings his heart out in his famous aria Where have you gone... near the end of the Second Act, the camera shot includes a very elderly female guest sitting prominently in the background who sniffs cocaine from the table to lift her spirits while listening to his sorrows. I thought this added sideshow was a bit ridiculous—either a pathetic sign of the times or something almost laughable. In any event, during this crucial aria one's focus shouldn't be turned away from Lenski for even a moment. During this same number an oblivious Olga drinks and searches for and then finds her lost earring. Both these incidents and others like them in the production are shown to convey people's self-centered or detached reactions to the woes of others, and while they arguably make a point, they often tend to serve as unnecessary distractions.
As mentioned earlier, the table is placed at the back of the room, which was likely done to cause an emotional distancing effect. While this might be a valid form of symbolism (as it is done in other ways in this production, sometimes very effectively), I think people in attendance at a live performance would prefer the table moved forward so they could better see and hear the characters sitting at or situated near it throughout the opera. True, we at home watching this video, with its close camera shots and state of the art miking, don't feel the impact of this effect as strongly, but I noticed it still and felt it too detracted somewhat from the production. In the end, these are clearly not serious flaws, but I feel compelled to mention them nevertheless. I must also say that despite this distancing aspect and other factors conveying a detached or self-centered manner from the guests, emotions among the principal characters run high still, but as if in claustrophobic environs, like steam building in a pressure cooker. The end result of this treatment is that Tcherniakov delivers a very dark, intimate, human and intense Eugene Onegin, full of symbolism and meaning.
But, you ask, what about the singers? I can say they are perhaps the strongest part of this Bolshoi effort: at least four roles are sung exceptionally well. Let me start with the aforementioned Tatiana Monogarova. Her portrayal of Tatiana is quite impressive. In the Letter Scene she is both vocally and dramatically convincing in every way, and really doesn't have a middling moment anywhere in the opera. Her acting captivates the eye, even during her silences where she always conveys a feeling or reaction most effectively. Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien, the only major cast member who is not Russian, turns in a fine portrayal of Onegin: confident, aloof, a dandy, but also passionate and in the end vulnerable. Throughout the opera, like Monogarova, he captures your attention. His singing is exceptional: his aria near the end of Act I, “You wrote to me...” is performed stunningly and in the last act, when his emotions and vulnerability show, he rises to the task, desperate, pleading and even threatening suicide here with a pistol—another Tcherniakov addition, but of questionable effect.
Andrey Dunaev as Lenski, a veteran in this role, is also excellent. I earlier mentioned his Second Act aria, which he sings with great passion here. Vocally and dramatically his portrayal is virtually beyond cavil. Let me mention two things regarding his Lenski: he sings Triquet's Song (quite brilliantly too), apparently to emphasize his somewhat naive character; and in the Duel Scene, Lenski is not killed in a duel but in a struggle over a rifle in which Onegin, attempting to avoid conflict with him, accidentally shoots him. Anatolij Kotscherga as Gremin is also impressive: try his last act aria, Love has no respect for age... and you can't help but admire the firmness, richness and burnished quality of his voice, and his dramatic talents are fully evident here as well. Amazingly, Kotscherga was sixty-one years old at the time and his voice then showed he had lost nothing compared with previous work. (Note: his name is usually spelled Anatoly Kocherga.) Other singers in the cast turn in fine work as well, especially Margarita Mamsirova as Olga.
Conductor Alexander Vedernikov draws excellent playing from the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and the Chorus sings splendidly. Vedernikov shapes the score with a keen sense for Tchaikovsky's febrile and passionate expressive manner, though I think his tempo for the Act II Waltz is a bit too fast. As suggested earlier, the camera work and sound reproduction on this Blu-ray disc are both first rate. Other aspects of the production such as the lighting are fine. There is a bonus feature included on this disc, offering behind-the-scenes interaction at the Paris Opera and interviews with Dmitri Tcherniakov, the conductor, principal singers and others involved in the production.
As for the competition on video, Opus Arte offers a Mariss Jansons-led performance from 2011 with Bo Skovhus as Onegin and Mariusz Kwiecien as Lensky from The Netherlands Opera in a Stefan Herheim production. It has excellent performances but is another controversial take on the opera, placing the action in three different time periods and taking other liberties. On Kultur Video there is a production from Valencia's Palau de les Arts "Reina Sofia" led by Omer Meir Wellber and featuring Artur Rucinski as Onegin—it also has a marvelous Tatiana in the person of Kristine Opolais. It is another somewhat controversial effort, the work of Mariusz Trelinski, a well known Polish opera, theater and film director. It is less radical than many modern versions and overall offers very good performances. In the end, my recommendation is that if you're looking for a highly inventive (albeit slightly flawed) production of this Tchaikovsky masterpiece, this new one from Bel Air Classiques won't let you down, especially in its excellent singing.
Robert Cummings
