{"id":24088,"date":"2021-08-22T09:23:59","date_gmt":"2021-08-22T16:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=24088"},"modified":"2021-10-05T10:15:16","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T17:15:16","slug":"eugene-onegin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/eugene-onegin\/","title":{"rendered":"Eugene Onegin: a review by Victor Cordell"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Lucas Meachem (Eugene Onegin), dancers and Wise Fool New Mexico. Production photos by Curtis Brown.<\/p><\/div>\n

The indelible mark of the Russian soul is stamped on the operas of even the most Europeanized of 19th century Russian composers. Tchaikovsky\u2019s \u201cEugene Onegin\u201d falls in that camp with its pathos revealed in rich, melodious music. Not to mention that it competes perhaps with Mussorgsky\u2019s \u201cBoris Godunov\u201d as Russia\u2019s most important opera, both for its artistry and its cultural connectedness. Santa Fe Opera has overcome Covid obstacles to produce a vivid and highly rewarding production of this significant work.<\/p>\n

The opera derives from Pushkin\u2019s novel of the same name, a revered literary masterpiece. The narrative, composed entirely in verse, reveals a panoply of social themes including love, honor, social hierarchy, and convention.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sara Jakubiak (Tatyana) and Lucas Meachem (Eugene Onegin).<\/p><\/div>\n

Tchaikovsky\u2019s musicality characterizes the Romantic Era, with emotional melodies supported by lush (not having used that word in my last three reviews, I\u2019m now entitled!) orchestration that stands on its own thanks to the composer\u2019s inestimable talent with instrumental composition. Haunting leitmotifs and beautifully turned musical phrases occur throughout, though at times they seem a bit repetitive. Whole passages introduced by Lensky\u2019s aria and Tatyana\u2019s letter scene in Act 1 recur repeatedly.<\/p>\n

The plot line deals with the tragic side of romance, but as with librettos of many other operas, significant moments sometimes occur with little prior development. Nonetheless, \u201cEugene Onegin\u201d not only represents the greatness of Russian opera but is one of the fine representatives of the whole operatic idiom.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sara Jakubiak (Tatyana).<\/p><\/div>\n

Director Alessandro Talevi marshals the creative team to give a look that blends traditional and modern elements. Contemporary set design generally calls for each venue in an opera to be separately represented, yet, oddly, Tchaikovsky\u2019s stage concept called for no scene changes, embracing visual simplicity. The versatility of Gary McCann\u2019s formal interior derives from moveable furnishings, while a steeply raked exterior to the rear adds appealing contrast carpeted with golden fall colors. Costumes of the principals are traditional. Those of the dancers and spirit animals are gaudy, colorful, and highly sequined with full face-and-headress covers, some with Dia de los Muertos themes that would certainly be foreign to Russians.<\/p>\n

The title character Onegin acts as the antagonist in the story by engaging in a senseless duel with a dear friend and in rejecting Tatyana\u2019s love overtures. Despite the opera\u2019s title, she is the central character in Act 1, dominating the stage and commanding the emotional involvement of the audience. She also exercises control over Onegin in the final sequence of the opera.<\/p>\n

Tatyana is performed by Sara Jakubiak, who shimmers with dark vocal hues and rich tremolo. Rising to the occasion, she delivers the 13-minute letter scene soliloquy in which she pours her heart out to Onegin on paper, demonstrating total command and conviction. In this pivotal aria, the motifs and the insistent and incessant chases between flute and other wind instruments contribute to an ethereal delight.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dovlet Nurgeldiyev (Lensky) and Lucas Meachem (Eugene Onegin).<\/p><\/div>\n

Onegin exemplifies the idle rich and all that they represent. The arrogance and lack of empathy that they embody are well captured by baritone Lucas Meacham. Tatyana\u2019s attraction to him is indicative of the draw that men of power and place possess despite their character shortcomings. Onegin\u2019s crassness shows through in his pathetic excuses for rejecting Tatyana\u2019s early advances in contrast with his slavish infatuation when she becomes a princess. Meanwhile, Jakubiak transitions convincingly from the na\u00efve, rustic ingenue to a noble\u2019s wife.
\nMeacham is a dynamic force as Onegin, displaying power, agility, and tone. In the final duet between Onegin and Tatyana, both Meacham and Jakubiak demonstrate consummate emotion, vocal fireworks, and control.<\/p>\n

Lensky, sung by Dovlet Nurgeldiyev, is given some of the finest music in the opera. His aria, leading into the duel with Onegin, is among the most memorable. Harking dolefully back on his life and love for Tatyana\u2019s sister Olga and foreboding a tragic end, his lustrous and pure tenor voice is wondrous.<\/p>\n

Santa Fe Opera overcame many Covid-19 related obstacles to put on this fine production. While losing their initial castings for the two key roles because of visa restrictions, their replacements could not have been finer. Because of staging restrictions, the rousing Polonaise is danced in the round by the Wise Fool New Mexico dancers rather than as a stage-filling formal couples dance as would be true to the music\u2019s roots. Contemporary dance movements also distinguish the pageantry, but the dancers lacked the precision necessary for a performance of this importance.<\/p>\n

\"This

Magnificent 2,000 seat Santa Fe Opera House, from outside Orchestra Right. Among stunning features, note open sides, suspension for roof, curved acoustic arc ceiling to direct sound, baffles (seven white vertical features on poles) to diffuse wind.<\/p><\/div>\n

Finally, there is an only-at-Santa-Fe-Opera-House modification. Public health restrictions determined that the chorus could not appear on stage. For those who are not familiar, the stunning opera house is open to nature on the sides, so temporary seating for the chorus was built outside of the orchestra-left seating, facing the audience from the side. I can\u2019t speak for those in other locations, but from my seat on the center-left aisle, the sound of the chorus has never been more immediate and thrilling. Incidentally, choristers are “apprentices” who are accomplished artists that often sing principal roles in this and other opera companies. Thanks to Santa Fe Opera for finding a way to bring their wonderful opera productions back to their astounding edifice.<\/p>\n

“Eugene Onegin” composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky with libretto by Konstantin Shilovsky after the novel of the same name by Alexander Pushkin is produced by Santa Fe Opera and plays at Santa Fe Opera House, 301 Opera Drive, Santa Fe, NM through August 26, 2021.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The indelible mark of the Russian soul is stamped on the operas of even the most Europeanized of 19th century Russian composers. Tchaikovsky\u2019s \u201cEugene Onegin\u201d falls in that camp with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[664],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-24088","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-victor-cordell"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"