Product: Eugene Onegin (2009)
Rating: 5.0
fabulous reinvention of a much performed masterpiece
Well, I have to disagree with both of the previous reviewers - i've seen this production twice live, in Beijing and London, and I own this DVD, and I think, while the approach is controversial, the perception and depth that the director invests in the characters is extraordinarily nuanced and, unlike so many concept productions, thoroughly grounded in musical logic, even if it goes against the letter of the original mise-en-scene. Tchaikovsky's 'Onegin' lacks the sharp social satire and cold eye of Pushkin, but instead shows itself to be akin to the ambiguous theatrical style of Anton Chekhov (one of the great lost works was a possibility of Chekhov and Tchaikovsky collaborating on an opera together). The conceit of the action taking place around a large family table works wonders for the discursive first scene - where the big folky chorus - which so often seems like an interpolation from another piece, here is seamlessly integrated into the action. And as for Madame Larina being hyperactive - I see it as a tour de force, illuminating a rather dysfunctional relationship with her two daughters, who are so contrasted. I was riveted from beginning to end each time I witnessed it live, and while it is not the only version I would wish to see, as 'Onegin', like a Chekhov play is multifaceted and open to all sorts of interpretations, it is a bracing reminder that opera at its best is not about divas and loud high notes, but a true synthesis of emotion and drama. Such is the conviction of this performance that the ins and outs of the singers become irrelevant - yes, I'm sure you can be nit-picky and find better individual performances among the singers in comparative versions, but I can't remember seeing a production of this piece that is so theatrical, psychological and compelling. Certainly the recent Met DVD with Renee Fleming and Hvorostovsky though very good, doesn't have a fraction of the voltage on display here. Thoroughly recommended.