RBO crest

The Royal Opera

Music Director Designate

Jakub Hrůša

Director of Opera

Oliver Mears

Eugene Onegin

LYRIC SCENES

Cast sheet

The 125th performance by The Royal Opera at the Royal Opera House.

Please note that casting is subject to change up until the start of the performance. Please continue to check the website for the most up-to-date information.

Approximate timings

The performance lasts about 3 hours, including one interval

SCENES ONE TO FOUR

95 minutes

INTERVAL

25 minutes

SCENES FIVE TO SEVEN

55 minutes

Credits

Music

Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky

Libretto

after the verse novel by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin

Konstantin Stepanovich Shilovsky, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky

Conductor

Henrik Nánási

Director

Ted Huffman

Set Designer

Hyemi Shin

Costume Designer

Astrid Klein

Lighting Designer

D. M. Wood

Movement Director

Lucy Burge

Cast

Eugene Onegin

Gordon Bintner

Tatyana

Kristina Mkhitaryan

Lensky

Liparit Avetisyan

Olga

Avery Amereau

Prince Gremin

Dmitry Belosselskiy

Madame Larina

Alison Kettlewell

Filipyevna

Rhonda Browne

Monsieur Triquet

Christophe Mortagne

Captain

Siphe Kwani

Zaretsky

Jamie Woollard

Guillot

Alex Gotch

Peasant Singer

Timothy Parker-Langston

Children

Chloe Pujade-Lauraine Portocarrero, Kevin Tolbaru

Dancers

Lauren Bridle, Viva Foster, Alex Gotch, Sebastien Kapps, Dak Mashava, Milo McCarthy, Sam Morris, Audrey Page, Sophie Tierney, Róisín Whelan

Siphe Kwani and Jamie Woollard are Jette Parker Artists

Chorus and Orchestra

Chorus

Royal Opera Chorus

Chorus Director

William Spaulding

Orchestra

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Principal Guest Concert Master

by Arrangement with TRITTICO

Vasko Vassilev

Extra Chorus

Sopranos

Christine Cunnold, Celeste Gattai, Alison Rayner, Elinor Rolfe Johnson, Rosalind Waters, Vanessa Woodfine

Mezzo-sopranos

Siobhain Gibson, Zoë Haydn, Frances Jellard

Tenors

Simon Biazeck, Phillip Brown, Andrew Busher, Andrew Friedhoff

Basses

Oscar Castellino, Oliver Gibbs, James Quilligan, Jonathan Wood

Production credits

Music Preparation

Sergey Rybin, Christopher Willis, Richard Fu

Assistant Directors

Simon Iorio, Eleanor Burke

Assistant to the Movement Director

Róisín Whelan

Language coach

Liuba Orfenova

Fight Director

Carlotta De Gregori of RC-Annie Ltd

Intimacy Director

Yarit Dor

Richard Fu is a Jette Parker Artist

In the garden of the Larin country estate, Tatyana and her sister Olga are singing an old love song.

SCENE ONE: AUTUMN

In the garden of the Larin country estate, Tatyana and her sister Olga are singing an old love song. Their mother Madame Larina reflects with the girls’ nurse Filipyevna on the days before her marriage. A group of neighbours arrives to celebrate the harvest with song and dance. Vladimir Lensky, Olga’s childhood friend and suitor, arrives at the estate and introduces his new neighbour Eugene Onegin to the sisters. Tatyana falls deeply for Onegin.

SCENE TWO: THAT NIGHT

Unable to sleep, Tatyana asks Filipyevna about her own youth and early marriage. Tatyana writes a letter to Onegin confessing her love for him. At dawn, she asks Filipyevna to arrange for the letter to be delivered to Onegin.

SCENE THREE: THE NEXT MORNING

Onegin tells Tatyana that he was touched by her letter, but that he would not be a good husband for her or anybody. He warns her to be more cautious in the future.

SCENE FOUR: WINTER

At a party celebrating Tatyana’s name day, neighbours gossip about her and Onegin. He dances with Olga instead, and Lensky becomes jealous. Monsieur Triquet, an elderly Frenchman, sings a song composed by Lensky for Tatyana. Lensky confronts Olga. She dismisses his anxiety and continues to flirt with Onegin. Lensky challenges Onegin to a duel.

INTERVAL

SCENE FIVE: EARLY THE NEXT MORNING

In a field near the Larin estate, Lensky waits for Onegin and reflects on the possibility of meeting an early death. Onegin arrives and both privately regret being in this circumstance. The men prepare their pistols. Lensky dies.

SCENE SIX: YEARS LATER

Onegin returns to St Petersburg after years travelling alone. He meets his relative Prince Gremin at a society ball. Gremin introduces Onegin to his wife: Tatyana. The unexpected meeting stirs up old feelings for both Onegin and Tatyana. Gremin describes to Onegin how happy Tatyana has made him. Onegin realises his terrible mistake in rejecting her and writes a letter, declaring his love for her.

SCENE SEVEN: THE NEXT MORNING

Onegin, having no answer to his letter, arrives at the Gremin palace and begs Tatyana to run away with him. Tatyana admits that she still loves him, but that she has made her decision and will not leave her husband. Onegin is devastated.

Guidance

Suitable for ages 8+

There are gunshots 15 minutes into Scene Five. This production contains themes of suicide.

Language

Sung in Russian with English surtitles. Captions and translations in English will be displayed on screens above the stage and around the auditorium.

Further information