Publisher's Synopsis
Duration: full evening Translation: German (W. Ebermann/M. Koerth), Engl. (D. Llyod-Jones), French (M. Delines) Place and time: Partly on the estate, partly in Petersburg, in 20ies of the 19th CenturyCharacters: Larina, Owner of the Estate (mezzo-soprano) - Tatiana (soprano) and Olga (alto), her Daughters - Filipjewna, Wet Nurse (mezzo-soprano/alto) - Eugen Onegin (baritone) - Lenskij (tenor) - Prince Gremin (bass) - A Commander (bass) - Saretzkij (bass) - Triquet, a French Man (tenor) - Guillot, a Valet (silent part) - Country Folk, Ball Guests, Squire, Officers (chorus) - Waltz, mazurka, polonaise and Russian dance (Ballet ) There is an interesting parallel between the subject of the opera and Tchaikovskys life during the year he wrote the work (1877): in each case, a letter provokes fateful developments in the lives of the protagonists. In the opera, Tatyanas love letter to Eugene sets off the tragedy, whereas in real life, the love letter of a pupil led the composer into a marriage, which lasted all of . . . three months. Tchaikovsky took this doomed decision "without love, solely because the circumstances want it and because I cannot act differently. Certain allusions made, for example, in a letter of January 1878 to Taneyev suggest that the composers personal situation also flowed into the work: "I did not want anything to do with the so-called grand opera. I am looking for an intimate but powerful drama which is built on the conflict of circumstances which I myself have seen and experienced, a conflict which truly moves me. Partly for this reason the composer decided to call the work not an "opera but "lyrical scenes. "Eugene Onegin", conceived by Tchaikovsky for "limited resources and a small stage, is the most frequently performed Russian opera today along with Mussorgskys "Boris Godunov", which represents a completely contrary aesthetic stance.
