# eugene onegin



## oistrach13 (Jul 14, 2004)

any body ever heard that opera?

I bought it online, and it arrived a few days ago. its really something, the only opera I ever heard in full (although I've heard about 200 separate arias).

the orchestration and the music are heavenly, I have the old version (1937), with some of the best voices in russia singing.

what do you think of this opera? everybody here seems to be a mozart fan :lol:


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## Daniel (Jul 11, 2004)

Yes i heard one aria. It is amazing. Tschaikowskis instrumentation is ingenious and the music heart moving.


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## Quaverion (Jul 20, 2004)

It is by Tchaikovsky, and called "Eugene Onegin"? I've never heard of it, but I'll have to look it up. It probablty won't be at the local Blockbuster, though. :lol:


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## baroque flute (Jul 21, 2004)

I have only heard the waltz from Eugin Onegin. BUt I like that one a lot. I have very mixed feelings about Tchaikovsky. SOme of his music I strongly dislike, and some of it I love passionately!


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## Daniel (Jul 11, 2004)

> * I have only heard the waltz from Eugin Onegin. BUt I like that one a lot. I have very mixed feelings about Tchaikovsky. SOme of his music I strongly dislike, and some of it I love passionately! *


I totally have the same feeling. His "trara, tschingarasabum"-music with cymbals..... i really don't like, it is kinda superficcial and only on effect.

But his concerts (violin and piano) and some ballets (not all) and songs are really awesome.


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## oistrach13 (Jul 14, 2004)

> _Originally posted by baroque flute_@Aug 7 2004, 08:18 AM
> *I have only heard the waltz from Eugin Onegin. BUt I like that one a lot. I have very mixed feelings about Tchaikovsky. SOme of his music I strongly dislike, and some of it I love passionately!
> [snapback]1322[/snapback]​*


I didn't know there was a waltz :huh:
last time I heard it there was a polonaise. :lol:

it might surprize alot of people that the polonaise, while being the most famous part of the opera, is really less special than the rest of the opera, however, it is so famous because it's the only part that could be cut out, and could make a concert piece by itself. (some of the arias could stand on their feet, but people aren't generally interested in someone babbling about in russian)

the overture is short, and very much to the point, not exactly a standalone piece, more like a prelude or something of that sort.

I think I understand what you mean about some of tschaikowsky's music, particularly the cymbal use, referred to by daniel.

my theory is, tschaikowsky often feels upset at that the people going in the streets, being happy, oblivious of anybody else, and generally being "superficial", while feeling somewhat "left out", the use of cymbals, brass, and other means of making something loud and vulgar are tschaikowsky's way of emphasizing the superficiality and self absorbance of the general public, while in the same movements, slipping in a couple of sad themes expressing his solitude, and his inability to blend in with all the "happy" people.

this occurs for example in the last movement of his violin concerto, which was seen by the viennese critics as quite vulgar, due to its gypsy like character and orchestration... in the same generally happy and "boucy" movement, tschaikowsky slips in a theme of incredible sadness, carried by the woodwinds.

I guess this is tschaikowsky's way of expressing his isolation from all the crowds and noise going around him.

then again, it could just be that tschaikowsky really sucks at trying to be happy :lol:

(this also occurs in the last movement of the fourth symphony for example, while it beginns in quite a messy, fast, loud, and cymbal-heavy part, tschaikowsky himself wrote in a letter that he was trying to express the crowds, running about in superficial happiness. oh, and he finds alot of room for melodies in the middle of the movement, particulary sad ones).

sorry for being so defensive (tschaikowsky is after all my favourite )
Amr


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## Daniel (Jul 11, 2004)

Talking about Tschaikovsky, I must say the symphonies are something special: Now the 5 th is in the CD-Player the 2 nd movement is just magic. In the emotion and instrumentation are Dvorak and Tschaikovsky very similiar for me, not in its gestus and stylistic colour.

They are heavy, but he has the right feeling how to enlight the structure and how to make it to a great deal!


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## P The D (Aug 25, 2009)

I have herd the opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Eugene Onegin. After many listens to it I have a significant affection for it. Of my limited experiences with classical music my journey through it is one of the most emotional I have had. Having listened to only one other opera (Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo) I have come to the conclusion, largely becuase of my admiration & enjoyment of Eugene Onegin, that opera is something that I will greatly enjoy upon further exposure.

I enjoy many parts of the opera with The Finale of Act 2 Scene 1 & Triquet's Couplets being some of the more compelling bits. The pieces I enjoy most, above & beyond those previously mentioned, are the Entr'acte & Waltz that begin the second Act & most particulary the Chorus & Peasent's Dance scene near the very begiing of the opening Act.

The Polonaise that opens Act 3 is, as mentioned by oistrach13, a piece easily taken apart from the opera & enjoyed. Not the least of reasons for this is that it is brilliant musicaly & of an energetic nature that imediatly captures interest with it's Rhythm. It is however definitly not my favorite part of the opera. It has no vocals & was added by Tchaikovsky some time after he had already finished the composition of the opera. The knowledge that it was added later, combined with my lack of interest in Act 3 compared to the first two acts along with it's tendency to be the most known part of the opera have all contributed to my slight disalusionment with the Polonaise. I don't mean to say I don't like it, I just experience it as a singular musical pleasentry that comes after all my favorite parts are over, and as such my interest in the drama of the performance has already reached a summit & gone by the tiime the Polonaise ushers in the less than compelling, for me at least, last act.

Another well known part of the opera that I am even less taken by than the Polonaise is the Letter Scene of Act 1 Scene 2. None of it reaches out & grabs me. I know it is one of the better known parts, but I can't understand why, not musicaly anyway.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

I'm somewhat of a long-time vocal music/opera fan, but I have admittedly neglected Russian opera until only recently. I've just begun to explore a number of operatic works by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovitch, Rimsky-Korsakov, and others. I just listened to Eugene Onegin for the first time only last week, and while I have not fully digested the work (that'll surely take several more listenings) I must state that I found the work to be quite marvelous. Tchaikovsky has never been among my favorite composers as I find he can get overly "sappy"... but this was not the case with Eugene Onegin. It certainly makes me anxious to listen to the opera again... as well as others by Tchaikovsky.


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## Rachmaninov (Sep 11, 2007)

Eugene Onegin, what a nice opera by Pytor Tchaikovsky! 

But as I know, the story of Eugene Onegin was originally written by the Russian poet - Alexander Pushkin. This tragical novel in verse has 5 main characters, they are Eugene Onegin, Lensky, Olga, Tatyana and the narrator. 

Tchaikovsky's composition inspired a lot by Pushkin and Shakespeare's literature, like the overtures 'The Storm', 'Romeo & Juliet', 'Hamlet'; opera 'Eugene Onegin', 'The Queen of Spades' etc...


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## tahnak (Jan 19, 2009)

Thiugh I regard Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelungen as the greatest opera, Tchaikovsky's Yevgeny Onegin remains my favourite for its colour and emotions.


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## bongos (Nov 27, 2008)

New Zealand Opera Company are performing Eugene Onegin in Auckland Sept 17 to 26


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

bongos, I hope you go see it! I certainly would if it were near me.

Onegin is a nice listen on the stereo but is better still live on the stage. Easy to follow and to relate to the main characters, the various scenes are quite engrossing. The letter scene, the duel, the dance. You could safely take an opera newcomer to it.


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## bongos (Nov 27, 2008)

I am a new comer to opera .I saw Don Giovanni in Auckland .It was the 1st date, 4 years ago with my lady companion that I am still with.She was much more into opera .I think she was impressed that I went along .We sat in the front row above the orchestra pit .I quite enjoyed it but I may have had other things on my mind that night HAHAHA


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## classidaho (May 5, 2009)

This is such a nice, heartfelt, spontaneus, encouraging thread......love it and agree with most!


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

*I've seen this opera at least 25 times*

I have 4 versions on CD and 5 on DVD.

This group seems to be a bit elementary....disolve it.

Martin Pitchon


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Well this is one thread we could move to the Tchaikovsky thread in the opera forum :lol:

Well done myaskovsky2002 for finding it & resurrecting it.


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

or go to Tchaikovsky's operas....People here don't know what they're talking about. Nobody knows this opera even the guy who launch the group! It is incredible.

Disolve it!

I am not entitled to do so...I'd like to disolve a thread I created for Nibelungen...I wanted to know which version to buy. Finally I have decided the thread should disappear now.

This group, I'm sorry to tell you, seems weird. Nobody is feeding with knowledge, I am not interested. I consider myself (I'm sorry to say that) as an expert in Russian opera. The Russian opera group and the Tchaikovsky's operas groups are cool! You have all kind of people, here you have all kind of low profile people. THEY KNOW *NIENTE, RIEN, NADA, NOTHING, NICHTO!*MARTIN, bored


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

We'll get Gaston on the case


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

Eвгений Oнегин is the name of this opera...In English you should pronounce:

Yevgegni Onieguin.

The book was written by Alexandre Pushkin, a long poem. Beautifully written but the story is kind of simple.

This is just one of the 10 operas Tchaikovsky composed. Go to th egroup Tchaikovsky's opera for more information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Onegin

I'm pretty sure people here don't read...but anyways...

Martin


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

Some videos (à l'appui)

First act: Lensky met Olga and Onieguin met Tatiana
Lensky sings he starts with Ia liubliu vas (respect) and finishes with "Ia liubliu tiebia" familiar (I love you Olga)






Tatiana is in love with Oniegin...Is she corresponded?
She writes a letter to him opening her heart:






This one is in German...is much better in Russian.

Second act:

your waltz!






Lensky's aria just before the duel (Pushkin also died in a duel!!!!) (end of 2nd act)






The end:
Onieguin realizes he loves Tatiana but she is married now, she cannot accept his love anymore. She leaves...






I hope I contribute to show some music of this wonderful opera. Wonderful is a small word, indeed. Enormous would be better. A master piece.

Sincerely

Martin Pitchon

:tiphat:


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Eugene Onegin is a masterpiece!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

But isn't this old thread in the wrong section? It should be in the opera forum.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

GregMitchell said:


> But isn't this old thread in the wrong section? It should be in the opera forum.


Yes. I'll get a mod to switch it.

EDIT: Request is in.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

It's a wonderful opera . not very dramatic in the sense of having a lot of action , but a kind of intimate tragic romance . I've known is for who knows how long, and have heard recordings by Solti and Oskar Danon on Decca, Rostropovich with the Bolshoi opera , Boris Khainkin with the same, both with Vishnevskya as Tatiana, the DG recording with Levine and the Staatskapelle Dresden , Semyon Bychkov on Philips , plus the DVD with Rozhedestvensky from the Badne Baden festival in Germany . 
I also saw it at the Met back in the early 80s , where I just happened to meet none of than Tony Randall at the Lincoln Center library nest to the Met and told him I was going to see it there ! , as well as the more recent Met production on PBS conducted by Gergiev .


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

who was that absurd character myaskovsky2002?

banned anyway I see.

Well sorry people - I dont rate Eugene Onegin as highly as the rest of you. I have heard it a couple of times - the star aria - Lensky's emotional meltdown - is the highlight I suppose but I could never connect with it.

having said that I would rather listen to this opera if the only other alternatives were Prince Igor or Boris Goudonov.

Sorry to ruin the thread.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

stomanek said:


> _who was that absurd character myaskovsky2002?
> 
> banned anyway I see.
> 
> ...


If you have some time on your hands try to find an old thread where the Naxos record label is discussed and the chances are you will see some of his posts. I will leave it at that...


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

It's a wonderful opera. I've seen it a few times, but the most memorable remains an Andrei Serban production for Welsh National Opera.

The best recording remains, for my money anyway, the old Bolshoi recording under Boris Khaikin, with a young Vishnevskaya as Tatyana.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

GregMitchell said:


> It's a wonderful opera. I've seen it a few times, but the most memorable remains an Andrei Serban production for Welsh National Opera.
> 
> The best recording remains, for my money anyway, the old Bolshoi recording under Boris Khaikin, with a young Vishnevskaya as Tatyana.


That is THE recording to have (and I have to get, but very high pricing).


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

stomanek said:


> who was that absurd character myaskovsky2002?
> 
> banned anyway I see.
> 
> ...


If you watch the Fleming/Hvorostovsky DVD, you might really love the finale duet. Also there is a wonderful letter scene sung and superbly acted by Tatiana (fitting name) Monogarova in the recent (within this decade) Bolshoi DVD .


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

elgars ghost said:


> If you have some time on your hands try to find an old thread where the Naxos record label is discussed and the chances are you will see some of his posts. I will leave it at that...


I found his does naxos suck thread - looked at his last posts and cant find anything too controversial.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

stomanek said:


> I found his does naxos suck thread - looked at his last posts and cant find anything too controversial.


The posts that get people banned are usually deleted by the admins/mods.


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