Tchaikovsky, Peter
Eugene Onegin (Original edition) (1877-78)
Duration: 150 minutesLyrical Scenes in three acts (seven scenes)
Libretto by the composer after Alexander Pushkin; original German version by A. Bernhard, revised by Max Kalbeck; new German version by Karlheinz Gutheim; new German version by Felix Wolfes (R,G)
Scoring
S,2M,A,2T,Bar,3B,mime; chorus;
2(II=picc).2.2.2-4.2.3.0-timp-harp-strings
Cyrillic vocal material with German phonetic notation available upon request.
Abbreviations (PDF).
Territory
This work is available from Boosey & Hawkes for the world.
World Premiere
3/29/1879
Little Theatre, Imperial College of Music, Moscow
Company: unknown
Roles
| MADAME LARINA, estate owner | Mezzo Soprano |
| TATYANA and OLGA, her daughters | Soprano, Contralto |
| FILIPPEVNA, nurse | Mezzo Soprano |
| EUGENE ONEGIN | Baritone |
| LENSKY | Tenor |
| PRINCE GREMIN | Bass |
| A CAPTAIN | Bass |
| ZARETSKY | Bass |
| MONSIEUR TRIQUET, a Frenchman | Tenor |
| GUILLOT | silent role |
| Peasants, fruit-pickers (female), guests at ball |
Time and Place
1820s, at a country estate and in St Petersburg
Synopsis
On the Larin family's country estate, people are merrily dancing and celebrating the harvest. Their fun is disturbed only by their concern for the daughter Tatyana who, unlike her rather foolhardy sister Olga, has a tendency towards melancholy. She becomes even more upset when she discovers that she has feelings for Onegin, who accompanies Lensky, Olga's fiancé, on a visit to the Larin estate. Onegin, however, has no intention whatsoever of embarking upon a liaison with a woman. He does not even seem to enjoy dancing with Tatyana when he returns to the estate on the occasion of her name-day. Instead, he decides to play a trick on his old friend Lensky by flirting with Olga. As a matter of course, this results in a duel between the two friends, during which Onegin strikes his friend a mortal blow. – Years later, Tatyana, who is now happily married to Prince Gremin, and Onegin meet again at a ball in the Prince's palace. Their feelings for each other are awakened…
Moods
Poetic, Tragic
Subjects
Relationships, Society
Recommended Recording
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden/Sir Georg Solti
Decca 4174132
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