Robert Carsen’s 1997 production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin got another outing at the Canadian Opera Company on Friday, with revival direction by Peter McLintock. In many ways it’s worn remarkably well and is still very beautiful to look at with its sense of space and its most effective use of lighting. I noticed too how careful the costume design is. There’s a real and historically accurate contrast between the ball gowns and uniforms in the country ball in Act 2 and the much grander outfits on display at the Gremins’ palace. That said, in some ways it does feel a bit “last century”: we have become unused to pauses between scenes, especially where it’s just a matter of shifting a few chairs. The very 1990s Carsen feel is strong too: Les Boréades meets Semele meets Dialogues des Carmélites, chairs, sweeping up snow/leaves, the chorus as a moving scenery element.
What mostly struck me this time though is how the minimalist nature of the production puts enormous pressure on the singer playing Onegin to create a credible psychological arc for the, on the face of it, rather improbable one Pushkin gives the character. Dmitri Hvorostovsky at the Met managed it, as did Gordon Bintner in COC’s 2018 production. I wasn’t convinced that Andrii Kymach, although he sang extremely well, managed it. I could find no real motivation for his spiteful behaviour in Act 2 and the transition to Act 3, where he comes straight from the duel to be dressed for the Gremins’ ball, completely lacked the sense of menace that Bintner created. Which leaves one completely at a loss as to how or why the stiff, unyielding character of the first two acts suddenly transforms into a man in passionate despair at the end.
The rest of the singing and acting was really rather good. Evan LeRoy Johnson was an attractive Lensky with a really pleasing tenor, heard to good advantage in “Kuda, kuda”, and he interacted well with the playful Olga of Megan Marino. Tatyana was sung by Lauren Fagan, returning to COC after an excellent Countess in the 2023 Marriage of Figaro. She managed a convincing transition from the naive girl of Act 1 to the polished aristocrat of Act 3 and sang a most beautiful Letter Scene. Dmitry Ivashchenko was a convincing Gremin, exuding dignity and sincerity and his aria was sung absolutely gorgeously.
There were serviceable contributions too from Krisztina Szabó as Madame Larina and Emily Treigle as a convincing and sympathetic Filipyevna. COC stalwart Michael Colvin was amusing as Triquet, a role I usually just find annoying. The dancers in Act 3 were excellent with Stephanie Bergeron managing a degree of athleticism in a hooped skirt that was rather remarkable. The COC Chorus was on top form as was the orchestra. I liked the way Speranza Scappucci managed the emotional pitch, from early restraint on to increasingly dramatic over the course of the evening.
There’s a lot to like in Carsen’s production and it's still a pretty good night at the opera, but there’s an emotional hole at the core of this revival.
