A masterpiece of unusual tenderness and sensitivity, Eugene Onegin is one of those operas in a category by itself. While his contemporaries composed ever more heroic, epic and grandiloquent operas, Tchaikovsky adapted for music an intimate novel by  Pushkin, a refined jewel of love and hate, happiness and despair. The composer’s music is here at the apogee of his art: a few references –as always – to Russian tradition, a rousing waltz, a shocking duel, but above all an intimate atmosphere and music that perfectly adheres to the text and its sentiments.

Eugene Onegin turns destiny on its head. No sooner does he catch the eye of Tatiana then she falls in love and writes to him a fatal letter from which she will never recover.  In a dispute that he knows is stupid, he challenges his friend Lenski to a duel and kills him. After his exile, Onegin finds back Tatiana, falling hopelessly in love with her, but alas too late!

Musician, actor, author and director, Jean-Yves Ruf has devoted himself for the past decade to theatre and more particularly to Shakespeare, appreciating the latter’s free and impertinent language, and to Pushkin, whose works he studies in the original language. With Eugene Onegin, he returns to his first love as a musician, applying all of his talents to orchestrate this flood of human emotions.

This story of young people and the follies of their youth, directed by Pascal Verrot at the head of the Picardie Ochestra, is told by singers who speak Russian and who are all the age of their role. The lead role is held by a magnificent revelation from the Oslo Competition (Queen Sonia Competition), Audun Iversen, who on this occasion makes his French debut. The role of Tatiana is performed by Dina Kutznetsova, who, after studying in America, has embarked on an international career from Covent Garden to the Chicago Opera; Lenski is a young tenor from Moscow, Sergei Romanovsky; Olga, the Briton Louise Poole; Prince Gremine,  the Pole Wojtek Smilek. The two old women are played by interpreters known for their character roles: Marie McLaughlin for Madame Larina, and Nina Romanova for the nurse Filipievna.

Opera in three acts. Libretto by the composer, based on Pushkin.
Created on 29 March 1879 at the Maly Theatre in Moscow.

Musicale Direction Pascal Verrot
Stage Direction Jean-Yves Ruf
Sets Laure Pichat
Costumes Claudia Jenatsch
Lights Christian Dubet
Choreography Philippe Saire
Assistant to the Stage Director Lucie Berelowitsch

With
Audun Iversen Eugène Onéguine
Dina Kuznetsova Tatiana
Sergei Romanovsky Lenski
Louise Poole Olga
Wojtek Smilek Prince Gremine
Marie McLaughlin Larina
Nina Romanova Filipievna
François Piolino Mr Triquet
Vincent Vantyghem Zaretski
Aurélien Pernay Capitaine

Lille Opera Choir, Choir Direction Yves Parmentier
The Picardie Orchestra

16 & 17 january 2010
2 rendez-vous related to Eugene Onegin

The 2010 year will start with the performances of Eugene Onegin. These are an occasion for the Lille Opera to share with the audience some Happy Times, made of free concert and performance in collaboration with the artists of Eugene Onegin.

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SATURDAY 16 JANUARY

4p.m. Concert / Foyer
Songs and russian airs by Tchaïkovski, Dargomizhski, Rubinstein, Glinka, Rachmaninov, Rimski-Korsakov,
after poems by Alexander Pouchkine.

With the soloists of Eugene Onegin :
Dina Kuznetsova soprano
Sergei Romanovsky tenor
Nina Romanova mezzo-soprano
&
Nikolaï Maslenko piano

Lecture / Great hall (timing to be precised)
« Et Tatiana, laquelle était-ce ? »
Staged excerpts from the poem Eugene Onegin by Pouchkine, translation by André Markowicz.

With Mélanie Bauer, Emilie Bobillot, Alain Borek, Baptiste Coustenoble, Marion Duval, Camille Mermet, Ludovic Payet, Lucie Rausis et Jean-Yves Ruf.

Production achieved with La Manufacture – Haute école de théâtre de Suisse romande – in the frame of worshops conducted by Jean-Yves Ruf.

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SUNDAY 17 JANUARY

19h15 / Great Hall (following the performance of Eugene Onegin)
Discussion with Pascal Verrot (musical direction) and Jean-Yves Ruf (stage direction)

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Free admission, no reservation (depending on availability of seats).
Saturday 16 january, access by Ticket office (rue Léon Trulin).
Sunday 17 january, access by the Great Hall.