Presenter: The Bolshoi Theatre 
Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts - Opera House 
Dates: Apr. 24-27, 2010　  19:30 
 
Programme Introduction
 
Synopsis
Scene 1
(The Larins' home)
Lensky, a neighbor of the Larins and Olga's bridegroom, unexpectedly brings his friend Onegin, recently arrived from the capital, to visit them. The unknown guest causes a kerfuffle in the daily routine of the Larin household: no one hides their interest in him. Onegin doubts in the wisdom of his friend's choice. The meeting with Onegin has made a deep impression on Tatiana.

Scene 2
(Night-time)
Noticing Tatiana's agitation, her nurse tries to distract her and calm her down. Left alone, Tatiana writes a letter to Onegin. She sees him as her chosen one. At dawn, Tatiana asks her nurse to deliver the letter to Onegin.

Scene 3
(Day-time)
Tatiana anxiously awaits an answer to her declaration of love. Onegin arrives. He is touched by Tatiana's sincerity, but cannot reciprocate her feelings.

Scene 4
(Tatiana's Name-day)
Lensky has persuaded Onegin to pay another visit to the Larins. But he is irritated by everything. Deciding to punish Lensky for bringing him, he demonstratively flirts with Olga. Olga's prompt response to Onegin's advances afflicts Lensky. He picks a quarrel with Onegin and challenges him to a duel.

Scene 5
(Morning)
Lensky awaits Onegin. He thinks with pain and anguish about his life. Onegin, who arrives late, is reluctant to take the conflict to its conclusion. Both men feel privately that they have acted rashly. But it is too late, there is no going back. A shot is fired, Lensky is fatally wounded.

Scene 6
(Several years later)
After a long absence, Onegin has returned to life in the capital and meets Tatiana. She is married and social life in the capital now revolves round her. The transformation in Tatiana and the fact she is now out of reach arouse mad passion in Onegin.

Scene 7
Onegin manages to obtain a meeting with Tatiana. His words ring with repentance and regret. Demanding that his passion be reciprocated, he extorts from Tatiana the admission that she still loves him. But her decision to stay with her husband is final. Onegin is distraught.

 
The Bolshoi Theatre
The history of the Bolshoi Theatre begins in 1776 when the first permanent theatre company in Moscow was established. During the 1840's, the Bolshoi Theatre staged the first productions of Glinka's operas Ivan Susanin and Ruslan and Ludmila, works which marked the foundation of a truly national school of composition in Russia. Of equal importance to the history of both ballet and opera was the legacy of Pyotr Tchaikovsky, many of whose works received their first performance at the theatre. These include Eugene Onegin, The Queen of Spades and Swan Lake. Since then, the Bolshoi Theatre has received the premiere of numerous remarkable repertoires included Virgin Soil Upturned by Ivan Dzerzhinsky, and the first Moscow production of Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges, as well as classical repertoire ballets like Don Quixote by Marius Petipa and Cinderella by Prokofiev, etc.

Since the beginning of the new century, the Bolshoi Theatre has proved to be able to tackle various artistic tasks and to achieve successful results. A number of classical repertoire operas were staged such as Khovanshchina and Boris Godunov (second author's version) by Musorgsky, Ruslan and Ludmila by Glinka, Mazeppa, Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky, Die Zauberfloete by Mozart, Der Fliegende Hollander by Wagner as well as Carmen by Bizet, etc.

The development of the Bolshoi Theatre has been connected with Anton Arensky and Sergei Rachmaninov, who also appeared at the theatre as conductor, and other great artists in history. In recent decades, the Bolshoi Theatre boosted under the guidance of General Director Vladimir Kokonin (1988), Artistic & Principal Director Vladimir Vasiliev (1995), General Director Anatoly Iksanov (2000) and Music Director and Chief Conductor Alexander Vedernikov (2001). On the occasion of the centenary of Dmitry Shostakovich's birth for the first time in the world theatre history The Bolshoi showed all of his three ballets (The Bright Stream, Bolt and The Golden Age).

The Russian word "Bolshoi" means "large" or "grand", and The Bolshoi Theatre is grand by any standards. Today's Bolshoi Theatre combines a pride in its artistic heritage which it is determined to maintain, with an awareness that it must grow and develop to prosper in today's rapidly changing world. Theatre's achievements were marked by the State prize of Russia, and by the national theatrical prize "Golden Mask". Bolshoi's new production of Eugene Onegin was also awarded by Casta Diva Russian opera prize. Bolshoi's Eugene Onegin had a great success in Riga, Tokyo and Paris (this production opened the season at the Paris National Opera). The DVD recording done during the Paris Bolshoi Theatre season was highly acclaimed by critics.

 
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