Bath Opera – Eugene Onegin

Remaining tickets for Friday 25th available on the door at The Roper Theatre prior to the show.
Saturday 26th SOLD OUT.

Eugene Onegin - the opera with everything

Bath Opera productions always have a large, strong chorus. Eugene Onegin is an extraordinarily varied opera: it does indeed contain large thrilling choruses in which our chorus has to play a number of different roles and sing in different styles from Cossack peasants to aristocracy. For this production this year their numbers are swelled further by dancers for the large spectacular Ball scenes. But it also contains one of the longest solo scenes in any opera - the famous letter scene. So the audience is taken on a roller coaster ride: one minute large scale excitement and the next exquisitely subtle intimacy all propelled by the misunderstood and frustrated passions of four young would-be lovers leading to the poignant duel where the two young men - scarcely more than boys -  back themselves into a corner from which one cannot return.

Tchaikovsky’s orchestral writing is breathtaking and of course no-one writes a better foot tapping dance tune: the famous Waltz and Polonaise are staple favourites of the concert platform but how much better in context and with dancers.

Eugene Onegin is considered by many to be the most perfectly formed Opera and their personal favourite. It also allows Bath Opera to fulfil one of its objectives of giving opportunities to young singers. The four principal roles demand a phenomenal vocal technique and stamina, and we are hugely fortunate to have found four outstanding young singers who are willing to take on the challenge and gain valuable experience as they head out to audition for the opera houses of the world.

So this is truly the opera which has got the lot - great orchestra, dancers, fabulous music, thrilling choruses, beautiful moving arias, lavish costumes and imaginative staging.  Eugene Onegin is such a great work of art that we are making no attempt to 'play around' with it or update it. We will set it around 1820 exactly as Tchaikovsky and Pushkin intended and sing it in English so that the audience can come on the journey with us.