Opera Australia has dug into the library and revived its 2014 production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin by Danish Director Kasper Holten. Holten showed early promise in his career and, at the age of 27 was appointed the youngest Artistic Director of a major theatre in Europe, with the Royal Danish Opera. After 11 years, he made a move to the Royal Opera House in London and Eugene Onegin was one of his early productions for them. He has grown a reputation for works, similar in interpretation to this one, where he veers away from accurate period realism and heads more towards metaphorical symbolism.
The Direction
The opera itself, based on an 1820’s story by Alexander Pushkin, is split into two main periods. The first is when the main characters are just teenagers. After a dramatic scene that splits them apart, we see them again 6 years later. Their worlds have taken dramatically different paths, yet have somehow landed them together again in the same room. Rather than having the principal artists play their roles all the way through, Holten (through Revival Director Heather Fairbairn) substitutes in a dance/mime artist for each character to play out the most dramatic scenes (well played by Brayden Harry and Keeley Tennyson). The singers stand aside and sing as they watch the scene play out in their memory. It’s an interesting idea which proved to be a little confusing for those in the audience whose sight is not 20/20, particularly when Tatyana’s double arrives in a different red dress for just one scene.
Personally, it feels like opportunities lost for the principals to fully embrace their characters and show the full scope of their dramatic abilities. The most powerful scenes were taken away from them and they stood by, mournfully watching someone else take the meaty parts of the role.
Another Direction oddity is the Duel scene. The libretto has the character of Zaretsky being a stickler for detail, that all rules and customs must be followed yet, when one man falls, Zaretsky, as his second, does not tend to the body. Instead, it is left, forgotten like yesterday’s sock on the side of the stage long after the storyline has moved on. If the Director’s theme is about memory, I guess such a death is a heavy memory not easily removed.
The Production
The sets by Mia Stensgaard feature towering panelled columns, iron lace work and neatly fitting cupboards, reminiscent of period homes where double doors can be thrown open to the outside air with long floating drapes. In the early country scenes, the columns are coloured a depressing grey as if burnt, yet, they take on a golden hue as we move from the country estate to St Petersburg. It’s a stylised version of interiors of the period without being completely accurate.
The lighting and projections by Wolfgang Göbbel are outstanding, mirroring the hand scribbled words from the famous letter scene, shadows of dancing couples and other accents to support the storyline. Dramatic, projected backdrops are impressionistic and brutally bold in style showing the change of Russian seasons passing from harvest and sweaty summer nights through to crippling snow blizzards.
Costumes by Katrina Lindsay were not a favourite. We do tend to get tired of the amount of black themed productions that pass through the Sydney Opera House Joan Sutherland Theatre. The peasant costumes were not at all accurate where Russia’s rich culture usually reaches all the way down to the lowest surfs. Principal artists were boldly highlighted in block colours. Yes, it made them stand out but we, the audience, are not school children. There are more subtle ways to show the difference between soloists and the rest of the cast. There was very little difference between the aristocratic Onegin and his country neighbours (Lensky looked better dressed), just as there was not enough contrast between the surfs and the St Petersburg nobility. Why not take the opportunity to delight us with the magnificent colours of the era expressed through the different classes? Tchaikovsky’s music is so magnificent, why not stimulate the visual senses as well?
The Cast
In the titular role of Onegin is Baritone Andrei Bondarenko from Ukraine, known to OA audiences for his Count Almaviva in recent seasons of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. Bondarenko played Onegin very subtly, only looking completely committed to the character in the final scenes. It may have been the Direction but the contrast that is possible in this role, starting as an arrogant, high prancing city slicker and descending, by the end, to a disturbed and desperate lover, was not as defined as it could be. This lack of character development meant the opportunity to blow the audience away did not eventuate. That aside, Bondarenko’s vocals were excellent and he received good applause at the curtain.
In the opposite role of Tatyana, Australian Soprano Lauren Fagan is already familiar. She played Tatyana for the Canadian Opera Company and, more recently, featured pieces from Onegin in a concert for the Scottish Opera. Trained in the Royal Opera House Covent Garden’s Jette Parker Young Artist Programme, Fagan is gaining reputation for her powerful rich vocal tones and great dramatic skills. Once again, she was directed to step aside during the best bits of the story, which was a pity, but the audience were still delighted with her. It is also Tchaikovsky’s bias to give Tatyana the strongest character story to follow, which helped the role’s popularity with the audience.
Australian Tenor Nicholas Jones was thrilling in the role of the young poet Lensky. With a long list of roles over the past 11 years with Opera Australia, he has featured more in the contemporary, comic, light hearted and musical works. With a fine vibrato and light, lyrical voice, this is a great opportunity for him to grasp a more serious role and stretch his vocal and dramatic abilities. He did a great job, though, there is room to develop the character even further if he chooses. Lensky wears his heart on his sleeve. Everything is a drama for this boy! He lives fully in life, love and death and Jones pleased the audience greatly.
In supporting roles, Sian Sharp played the young, shallow Olga perfectly, Helen Sherman played Larina with finesse. Angela Hogan as Filipyevna was superb (loved her more traditional costume too). Elias Wilson played Monsieur Triquet well – here again Direction might have limited his character but, for such little stage time, it is a fun role to push to the comic limits if desired. Ryan Sharp sang powerfully in the role of Zaretsky and David Parkin did a truly excellent job, both vocally and dramatically, as Gremin.
All supporting roles were superb and provided a great framework around the main story line.
The Opera Australia Chorus and Orchestra were as fabulous as usual, this time under the baton of German conductor Anna Skryleva making her debut with the company.
Black and grey bits aside, the opera is an absolute stunner. It’s highly recommended for veteran audience members as much as newbies. A clear cut story that is easy to follow via the English surtitles (sung in Russian). The cast are great, the music is heavenly and you are bound to recognise a few tunes in there which are favourites with our local radio stations. Go see it! Support your Opera company and share it on Social.
The season runs until end of March 2026.
Related Links
Book your tickets via Opera Australia here: https://opera.org.au/productions/eugene-onegin-sydney/
What’s on at the Opera House? https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whats-on
More about the original production at Royal Opera House: https://www.rbo.org.uk/tickets-and-events/eugene-onegin-2013-digital
