# Should I Go to the Met Live in HD Eugene Onegin Today?



## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

I am not really that crazy about Netrebko's singing but perhaps I will like her better in her native language. I certainly enjoy both Kwiecien and Piotr Beczala. Has anyone seen the new Met production (I think there have been a few performances in NYC already). Thanks for any feedback ...

Best Regards, :tiphat:

George


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I'm going on Wednesday to the re-broadcast. I haven't seen the production but understand it moves the action forward a few decades to the turn of the last century.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Her voice has changed a lot lately. I'm not sure it's right for Tatiana but you should go just to see how different it is!


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## margaretlb (Mar 4, 2013)

I attended today and loved it. This opera wasn't part of my subscription and I decided to attend in HD. I'm glad I did. I sit in the balcony at the Met but the acting in this opera grabbed me - I wouldn't have experienced that in the House. By the end of Act II, I was weeping...and continued to do so (intermittently) until Act III began. I do not have a trained ear and have only been listening to and attending opera for the past 5 years and to my ear, they all sounded beautiful. But, the heartfelt renditions by Beczala and Kwiecien were tremendously moving...very fine acting to match their wonderful voices. Anna Netrebko was also interesting to watch up close. She sizzled in Act III, and her final scene - the intensity of her encounter with Onegin -well, she blew me away!


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## Pip (Aug 16, 2013)

It's a tough sing for any soprano - the ones who are good at the beginning are sometimes to lightweight for the last act.
The ones who are great at the end can sound too old for the young girl.
I heard the first night broadcast and the singing was tremendous from all.
Good conducting - all in all a great first night of the new season.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Well, I went and am glad I did. I had never seen Eugene Onegin before but realized when the Big Tunes came up, that I had heard them all before. I have to say, I found Anna Netrebko more convincing as an actress (for the most part) here than most of her performances I have seen. Is it just me, or is she getting fat? Looks like she has packed on about 30 pounds, mostly on the backside. Perhaps it was the costume -- I hope for her sake. But her arms were bigger too. Anyway. I realized one thing I dislike about her voice is the sheer vocal quality. There's not a lot of vibrato, and it is rather a white sound. It is more attractive in the attack than in the release, where her middle voice sometimes sounds like bad violin strings getting scraped. 

I loved the lush music of the opera! Being Tchaikovsky, there were stretches of lush music that I had not heard, and the ecossaise and grand polonaise in the third act were stunning, as was Valery Gergiev's intimate feel for this music which he has obviously known for a very long time. I must say, the Met Chorus did an incredible job with their singing, a lot of tricky parts, obviously very well-prepared and not at all threatened by the Russian. Bravi to them! And some of the smaller bit parts were beautifully cast and sung, in particular Larissa Diadkova as Filippyevna, Tatiana's nanny.

Netrebko. Convincing to me in the first act as a young girl, and in her humiliation by Onegin. In the second act, after Lenski and Onegin agree to a duel over Olga, she seemed to be sleepwalking, not knowing what to do. She sort of stumbles off in a daze, perhaps that was her intent. But it was unconvincing to me. I think this is still a role in progress for Netrebko. 

The tenor Piotr Beczala absolutely stole the show, in my view. Of course this is the kind of role he so excels in, ardent lover (as in the Live from the Met Manon a couple of years ago), somewhat naive. Even though he has high notes to spare, as he said in his interview this role is not terribly difficult vocally, so his job was just to express what is in the music. But he was heartbreaking, completely convincing dramatically and vocally, from beginning to end. I thought his famous aria, "Kuda, kuda, kuda vwi udalilic' " was the single best moment of the whole show.

Mariusz Kwiecien was top-notch vocally although his acting seemed a bit one-sided, petulant sneers and boredom being the dominant themes. This is not a high-note fest for the baritone either, so he could not shine as much through his singing, which I think is better than his acting. Yes Mariusz you are sexy, but you might be a better actor if you let everybody else decide that for themselves rather than being so sure of it yourself. And I found his rolling around the stage when he finally discovers his love for Tatiana pretty absurd. But the final confrontation with Tatiana was super singing and acting overall, and I loved the touch of Tatiana stealing a sole kiss from the man she loves just before saying goodbye forever, just as he had done to the young girl she was many years ago, not being able to resist it even after humiliating her.

The drama. Am I the only one that finds this curious? Act II ends with the duel where Onegin kills his friend Lenski (and the boyfriend/fiance of Tatiana's sister Olga). Act III is all about Onegin returning abroad after several years, discovering Tatiana is now the married Princess Gremin, him finally realizing he loves her. But in their conversation there is not a word of reproach from Tatiana, e.g. "You SOB you killed your best friend and my sister's boyfriend?" Tatiana and Onegin say not a word.

The Met Orchestra were in top form. I have a new favorite Tchaikovsky piece.


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## Bix (Aug 12, 2010)

margaretlb said:


> I attended today and loved it. This opera wasn't part of my subscription and I decided to attend in HD. I'm glad I did. I sit in the balcony at the Met but the acting in this opera grabbed me - I wouldn't have experienced that in the House. By the end of Act II, I was weeping...and continued to do so (intermittently) until Act III began. I do not have a trained ear and have only been listening to and attending opera for the past 5 years and to my ear, they all sounded beautiful. But, the heartfelt renditions by Beczala and Kwiecien were tremendously moving...very fine acting to match their wonderful voices. Anna Netrebko was also interesting to watch up close. She sizzled in Act III, and her final scene - the intensity of her encounter with Onegin -well, she blew me away!


I saw this also and that final scene, just amazing. Beczala was phenomenal.


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

A little too late, but my answer is YES. Well, you will have read by now what you missed, I hope you can get another chance. Where I live, there is only on chance. Here's what I thought about it:

http://www.talkclassical.com/28006-my-opera-reviews-2.html#post538259


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Dongiovanni said:


> A little too late, but my answer is YES. Well, you will have read by now what you missed, I hope you can get another chance. Where I live, there is only on chance. Here's what I thought about it:
> 
> http://www.talkclassical.com/28006-my-opera-reviews-2.html#post538259


Read again and you will see that I did not miss it. Thank you!

Best Regards,

George


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## margaretlb (Mar 4, 2013)

As yuo know from my earlier comment, I loved the producion. So much so in fact, I just purchased a ticket for the encore HD showing on Wednesday evening. Can't wait to see this again!


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Barelytenor said:


> Well, I went and am glad I did. I had never seen Eugene Onegin before but realized when the Big Tunes came up, that I had heard them all before. I have to say, I found Anna Netrebko more convincing as an actress (for the most part) here than most of her performances I have seen. Is it just me, or is she getting fat? Looks like she has packed on about 30 pounds, mostly on the backside. Perhaps it was the costume -- I hope for her sake. But her arms were bigger too. Anyway. I realized one thing I dislike about her voice is the sheer vocal quality. There's not a lot of vibrato, and it is rather a white sound. It is more attractive in the attack than in the release, where her middle voice sometimes sounds like bad violin strings getting scraped.
> 
> I loved the lush music of the opera! Being Tchaikovsky, there were stretches of lush music that I had not heard, and the ecossaise and grand polonaise in the third act were stunning, as was Valery Gergiev's intimate feel for this music which he has obviously known for a very long time. I must say, the Met Chorus did an incredible job with their singing, a lot of tricky parts, obviously very well-prepared and not at all threatened by the Russian. Bravi to them! And some of the smaller bit parts were beautifully cast and sung, in particular Larissa Diadkova as Filippyevna, Tatiana's nanny.
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for the wonderful review! It's so nice to hear detailed opinions of everything you noticed - it's kind of another way of experiencing the opera, not quite as good as being there but some of the energy and intensity is conveyed and it's much appreciated.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I saw it last night. Beczala was superb in every way. I felt really, really sad when his Lensky died. Beczala reminds me a lot of Nicolai Gedda, both in appearance and in vocal color. The confrontation with Onegin in Act II was electrifying, and I liked that his Lensky looked truly terrified in his aria. As always, Anna Netrebko's acting impressed me. I've always liked the color of her voice -- it reminds me of autumn leaves or of flame -- and her smokey middle register. It's a very colorful and exciting sound to me. If there's anything about her singing that sets me on edge, it's that she tends to sound as though she's singing sharp. What will happen is that she'll hit a loud high note and be apparently on pitch, and then the sound will seem to "jump" or become a bit shrill, and she'll sound sharp. But whether she's _actually_ sharp or whether the bright, somewhat "hard" (and I don't mean that in a bad way) timbre of her voice makes her _sound_ sharp is something I'm not sure of. Mariusz has a first-rate voice, but I personally found his Onegin somewhat "incomplete." For me he conveyed Onegin's cold, jaded quality and even made me believe he was sorry for having killed Lensky; but I didn't quite believe he was an aristocrat -- his bearing lacked a certain nobility. I think Dmitri Hvorostovsky, whom I remember well from another Met telecast, did "nobility" and "bearing" better. On the whole, in fact, I prefer the previous Met production to this one. But I did like the parlor setting of the first dance scene (Act II, scene one) much better than the big ballroom setting the old production used. And as a lover of theatre, I appreciated that this director moved the action forward a few decades, because then the story's similarities to Chekhov plays like _Uncle Vanya_ become more obvious. All in all, a memorable evening.

Edited to add: Oh, and Valery Gergiev's gave a very emotional reading of the score -- as he did in the earlier Met telecast.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Bellinilover said:


> And as a lover of theatre, I appreciated that this director moved the action forward a few decades, because then the story's similarities to Chekhov plays like _Uncle Vanya_ become more obvious


But how is displaying any possible similiarities with Chekhov a goal for Onegin production? I get the impression that Met is trying to do their time setting updates as to please both traditionalists and those who want Met to follow the current fashion. To do the update and at the same time don't change anything that could upset anti-regie people. So the effect is neither here nor there, a forced and quite pointless change. The XIXth century Lucia di Lammermoor, risorgimento in L'Elisir d'Amore and now this Onegin - all seem to me this way. There is nothing important accomplished by the change and many things are lost because most of characters: Onegin, Lensky and Tatiana are essential types of 20's-40's of XIXth century - taken out of their era they seem largely out of place, particularly Lensky who represents typical young man of his generation (known from many literature works other than Pushkin's Eugene Onegin). In times choosen for background of this production a man such as he would seem bizzarely old-fashioned to his fellow young poets.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Who missed it? You can see it again (while it lasts):


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Barelytenor said:


> I am not really that crazy about Netrebko's singing but perhaps I will like her better in her native language. I certainly enjoy both Kwiecien and Piotr Beczala. Has anyone seen the new Met production (I think there have been a few performances in NYC already). Thanks for any feedback ...
> 
> Best Regards, :tiphat:
> 
> George


I would go, but be very careful.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Aramis said:


> But how is displaying any possible similiarities with Chekhov a goal for Onegin production? I get the impression that Met is trying to do their time setting updates as to please both traditionalists and those who want Met to follow the current fashion. To do the update and at the same time don't change anything that could upset anti-regie people. So the effect is neither here nor there, a forced and quite pointless change. The XIXth century Lucia di Lammermoor, risorgimento in L'Elisir d'Amore and now this Onegin - all seem to me this way. There is nothing important accomplished by the change and many things are lost because most of characters: Onegin, Lensky and Tatiana are essential types of 20's-40's of XIXth century - taken out of their era they seem largely out of place, particularly Lensky who represents typical young man of his generation (known from many literature works other than Pushkin's Eugene Onegin). In times choosen for background of this production a man such as he would seem bizzarely old-fashioned to his fellow young poets.


I don't know about all that. What I was trying to say, and perhaps I said it badly, is that since I've studied Chekhov extensively, _I personally_ appreciated the updating because it prompted _me_ to consider similarities between ONEGIN's story and characters and Chekhov's that before I'd considered only very briefly, if at all.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Bellinilover said:


> I saw it last night. Beczala was superb in every way. I felt really, really sad when his Lensky died. Beczala reminds me a lot of Nicolai Gedda, both in appearance and in vocal color.


I've never really enjoyed Beczala in anything, but I'm looking forward to his Lensky. Have you heard Shicoff's Lensky? He set a real standard.



> As always, Anna Netrebko's acting impressed me. I've always liked the color of her voice -- it reminds me of autumn leaves or of flame -- and her smokey middle register. It's a very colorful and exciting sound to me.


It's always interesting to get different people's impressions of how someone sounds! I always thought of her voice as having a kind of cranberry-colored metal in it, that wasn't in the periodic table. Before her big change, I mean. I notice the New York Times finally noticed her voice change, although they didn't say much about it. Last February it was really heavy and fruity, I thought. Really delicious.



> Mariusz has a first-rate voice, but I personally found his Onegin somewhat "incomplete." For me he conveyed Onegin's cold, jaded quality and even made me believe he was sorry for having killed Lensky; but I didn't quite believe he was an aristocrat -- his bearing lacked a certain nobility. I think Dmitri Hvorostovsky, whom I remember well from another Met telecast, did "nobility" and "bearing" better.


Hvorostovsky and Fleming were really special in that Live from the Met production they did together - first and only time I really loved Fleming's voice, strangely enough. It was lovely in every register, I thought. And you're right about nobility and bearing - Hvorostovsky did it well.



> I prefer the previous Met production to this one.


I'm going to miss the autumn leaves...


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

*Guythegreg:* Yes, I have the DG _Eugene Onegin_ recording from the 1980's with Neil Shicoff as Lensky. Shicoff was for the most part before my time; I never saw his Lensky but can tell that he was one of the great ones.

So when you say that a "big change" has come over Netrebko's voice, you mean that it has mellowed, right? Today I was listening again to her 2004 aria recital, and it seems that her voice then was smaller, more slender, and perhaps brighter and "harder" (and again, when I say "hard" I don't mean to imply "unpleasant"). When she sang Antonia in _The Tales of Hoffmann_ at the Met, I think I noticed that her voice had gotten bigger and warmer. That was shortly after she had her son, I believe. I don't really like to say this, but it does seem possible to me that her weight gain might have had something to do with this positive change in her voice.

Back to Lensky: I thought Ramon Vargas gave a beautiful, sincere performance in the older Met telecast, though I'm more than willing to admit that Beczala was more idiomatic and dynamic.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

I actually heard the earlier Hvorostovsky/Fleming/Vargas performance before I learned to enjoy the opera, and having heard it didn't make me a fan! I didn't become a fan until hearing the Hvorostovsky/Focile/Shicoff version.

And yeah, what you're talking about with Netrebko's voice, that sounds like a good description of it.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks to link posted by mamascarlatti I have now the whole thing safely downloaded on my computer and just finished watching. I think I will repeat it sometime, sooner or later. So I'll say now some things I didn't say before.

I love how Kwiecień chooses the right moment to break the note and shout instead of singing. The recently released Onegin with Opolais and Ruciński had it all wrong when the latter screamed in musical culmination where it was essential to hold a note. Kwiecień does it tastefully in more recitative-like parts that benefit from it, like "be silent or I kill you" in act II or in repeating "Lyublu tsyebya" in finale. In most brilliant way it reveals the desperate nature of these words, he's out of all these meaningful things he had to say and said to no effect, so in last desperation he just yells trivial "I love you, I love you". Kwiecień got it right, perfectly done. 

The argument scene on Tatyana's birthday is the high point, despite serious failings. Initial atmosphere seems to frivolous for that time period party with many guests in official outfits, and these annoying kids. And the french song, why did they make the poor man look so pathetic and sing badly on purpose? But the lively and sharp presentation of the conflict between Olga/Eugene/Lensky made it just thrilling. Most outstanding part of that performance when contrasted with others avaiable, in my opinion.

Oh, and did I say how I loved when during interview with Beczała, Kwiecień suddenly flies into the screen like some kind of creepy bird, hangs himself on Voigt and Beczała and goes on with his salutations - as when he did it on other Met broadcast(s), hostess looks pretty embarassed.


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

Aramis said:


> I love how Kwiecień chooses the right moment to break the note and shout instead of singing. The recently released Onegin with Opolais and Ruciński had it all wrong when the latter screamed in musical culmination where it was essential to hold a note. Kwiecień does it tastefully in more recitative-like parts that benefit from it, like "be silent or I kill you" in act II or in repeating "Lyublu tsyebya" in finale. In most brilliant way it reveals the desperate nature of these words, he's out of all these meaningful things he had to say and said to no effect, so in last desperation he just yells trivial "I love you, I love you". Kwiecień got it right, perfectly done.


Yes, I agree with that, he really got me there.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Well, I saw it myself Saturday night. Not the amazing and wonderful experience I was hoping for; but pretty good. Worth the wait.

Valeriy Gergiev has an interesting take on the music. He seemed to care an awful lot more about sensitivity of expression than about getting everyone on the same downbeat. When it was lovely it was very lovely. He has a way with phrasing.

The sets for the first act and for the duel scene were astonishingly good. Communicating, in one blow, a country both foreign and familiar, the country that was the 19th century Russian landlord class, cannot have been an easy task, but Set Designer Tom Pye sure made it look easy. And the Met’s dead tree, in the duel scene, made the twig Lensky was hauling around in the ROH production look a bit sick. No one had to ask about the symbolism, in this one.

That said, I really prefer the ROH conceit, the doppelgangers communicating over the years, over the Met’s passionate kiss at the end. The doppelgangers elevate the importance of Lensky and ensure he will not be forgotten. But the kiss is two-faced; either a devastating blow or a concealed invitation. Come to think of it, not so concealed. And what then of Lensky? Kaspar Holten’s ideas were better, I think.

And that dance. What on earth was the point? Three guys rolling a girl around in the wheat on the floor, while she lunges at Tatiana occasionally. What? I asked my seatmate what she thought and she said she had no idea.

I didn’t think Piotr Beczala did that well. In the first act I was pleased and surprised at how well he handled the tessitura; as time wore on, and every note was scooped, I got kind of tired of the move, like a monkey whose chain has been pulled too often. In the first act I was pleased and surprised at how well Marius Kwiecien sang; I thought his baritone had more bass in it, more bite, than Hvorostovsky, and that was all to the good. In the later acts, this feeling went away and I stopped hearing anything special in his interpretation.

I was a little worried about Netrebko; I’d read that others felt her voice was “white” or lacked character; I heard this too. Then in the third act the wonderful raspberry sorbet appeared in her voice again, and I began to feel that maybe she’ll be back and better than ever soon. Her intonation has been fixed, but (I guess) at the cost of some of her voice’s real character; hopefully her teachers will help her get that back for good. She seemed to be focusing largely on sensitivity, as I guess from Gergiev’s conducting he wanted her to do.

And Prince Gremin’s aria – ah, Paul Plishka, where have you gone? We need you. We miss you.

Well, in a month I’ll be seeing the B team do the same thing – Poplavskaya, Mattei and Villazon. Envy me.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Excuse me. Peter Mattei, the B team? Excuse me!

Seriously, I'm envious of that.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

mamascarlatti said:


> Excuse me. Peter Mattei, the B team? Excuse me!


Perhaps you think he would fit in A-team:






But somehow I think he would stand out.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Aramis said:


> Perhaps you think he would fit in A-team:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah he'd sing and the whole damn helicopter would explode from the glory.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

mamascarlatti said:


> Excuse me. Peter Mattei, the B team? Excuse me!


I know. It was a joke. I'm expecting it to be wonderful.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

guythegreg said:


> Well, in a month I'll be seeing the B team do the same thing - Poplavskaya, Mattei and Villazon. Envy me.


Pops covers Netrebko? ha. ha. ha.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Thinking about it, I think Pops could be a good Tatyana. She's certainly intense enough.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

deggial said:


> Pops covers Netrebko? ha. ha. ha.


This idea makes me laugh too. Poplavskaya is way too slim to cover Netrebko with her current figure.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

^ as a turban, perhaps?


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Honestly will you stop with the fat digs? Anyone would have thought that Netrebko was method acting Gloria the pig instead of looking like this:










If that is fat, people's world-view has truly been stuffed up by media-glorified stick insects who survive on a cup of tea a day.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

mamascarlatti said:


> If that is fat, people's world-view has truly been stuffed up by media-glorified stick insects who survive on a cup of tea a day.


It's just I keep forgetting that Almaviva is not here anymore to be vexed by fat Netrebko banter, I know she's not fat. Just chubby.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

I've been avoiding this thread 'til now since I've been holding tickets to see the Oct 16 performance since August and wanted to see it 'fresh'. 

I'll start by saying I adored the previous Robert Carsen production which I saw on Met HD and also live in Chicago several years ago, so I was braced for a least a mild letdown. I needn't have worried, if anything the new production surpasses the previous. 

I'll also add that in preparation I read an English translation of the original Pushkin poem/novel. (2008 Stanley Mitchell translation, highly recommended.) I must say, as operatic adaptations go, the opera is very faithful the original work. Not much is cut, and judging from the English translations, the text is almost word for word from the Pushkin, even following his rigid rhyming scheme. The letter, Lensky's aria: it's all in there.

Based on the characterizations, I'm guessing the director and production staff were well acquainted with the Pushkin too. Just one example: the extra attention given to the few lines of Zaretsky, Lensky's second, hints at his significantly greater role as instigator of the duel in the Pushkin. (One of the major differences between the libretto and the poem.)

As far as the cast, despite the big names involved, the overall impression it made on me was of a tightly knit dramatic ensemble. To as great as extent as I've seen anywhere, strong personalities were subsumed in the name of detailed and faithful characterizations - Netrebko most remarkably so. (In Elixir and Don Pasquale, it seemed the the director was just having Anna play her ebullient self.) The unity of purpose seemed even to extend to the vocal performance. Arias felt like a natural extension of the drama and not set pieces or star vehicles. Honestly, with the sumptuously detailed sets and costumes, it felt almost more like a stage play or, in all seriousness, an episode of Downton Abbey. My SO remarked that after the final scene, he was ready for next week's installment to see where the character's lives went from there.

I agree with Aramis that the 50 year update seemed rather pointless. However, I'm no expert in the fine points of 19th century Russian lifestyles, and whatever the era it looked and felt very realistic. Especially effective was the midstage wall and double doors which gave a view to into a rich upstage world that seemed to continue into the vastness of the Russian countryside. And I thought the falling snow in the final scene was nice nod to the Carsen version's signature falling leaves.


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## Turangalîla (Jan 29, 2012)

Yes, go! I was in NYC a few weeks ago when it was being broadcasted in Times Square—I really wanted to stay and watch but I had an engagement. The couple of minutes that I saw looked excellent.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> it was being broadcasted in Times Square


how odd! is broadcasting opera in TS a new thing?


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

deggial said:


> how odd! is broadcasting opera in TS a new thing?


I think they've been broadcasting opening night there for last the few years.

This summer they also had an outdoor HD festival in Lincoln Center, broadcasting previous HD performances on a big screen in the center plaza each night for a week.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Cavaradossi said:


> I've been avoiding this thread 'til now since I've been holding tickets to see the Oct 16 performance since August and wanted to see it 'fresh'.
> 
> I'll start by saying I adored the previous Robert Carsen production which I saw on Met HD and also live in Chicago several years ago, so I was braced for a least a mild letdown. I needn't have worried, if anything the new production surpasses the previous.
> 
> ...


Fabulous review Cavaradossi. I've got the poem & I'll read it before I watch the opera again (YouTube).


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