Kraków Opera: Eugene Onegin

Onegin - Don't Hesitate!

Two friends and two beautiful sisters in the idyllic setting of the 19th century Russian countryside - an operatic recipe for a happy ending? Nothing of the sort, for in Eugene Onegin it is the audience alone that emerge contented...

Pyotr Tchaikovsky's work was staged for the first time in 1879. The libretto was created by Konstantin Shilovsky and Modest, the composer's brother, on the basis of Alexander Pushkin's most famous verse novel. Its content was so well known in Russia that the composer could allow himself real liberty with it and content himself with the presentation of selected scenes which most fully expressed the protagonists' emotions. For the main theme of this opera is certainly their feelings: on the one hand the straightforward Tatiana, who musters the courage to confess her love and bears her subsequent rejection with unusual grace, and on the other - Onegin, an individualist, the "superfluous man", seeking meaning and his place in the world. Apparently he lacks nothing, while in reality he is losing everything - he spurns Tatiana's advances and kills his friend, Lensky, in a duel.

How will the Onegin created by Mariusz Kwiecień at the Kraków Opera turn out? On being asked how he prepares for his roles, the singer replied: "I always try to find features characteristic of the main character in myself. (...) I learn the role and look at what kind of person Don Giovanni or Onegin is, and create my own Don Mariusz or Eugene Kwiecień". Testament to the fact that he does this in masterly fashion are the successes that he has garnered on the world's largest opera stages. His marvellous voice, acting abilities and tough work ethic have led to Kwiecień being enrolled into the exclusive club of Polish stars being snapped up by the largest opera theatres - in New York, Paris or London. He has already taken on the role of Eugene Onegin several times, including at the Bolshoi Theatre, where his baritone blew away Moscow's ordinarily restrained listeners.

When it was suggested to the composer that he set to work on this very poem, he hesitated for quite a long time. Later, however, he was seized by delight: "What a mine of poetry is in Onegin" - he wrote to Modest. The genius of Pushkin, mastery of Tchaikovsky and artistry of Kwiecień (and also of Łukasz Borowicz, who has been entrusted with the show's musical direction) mean that we should not hesitate to head down to the Kraków Opera. (Barbara Skowrońska)

Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Conductor: Łukasz Borowicz

Premiere: 10 December 2010