*Eugene Onegin,* May 12 2026
- ladiesvoices
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Stephanie and I saw Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin at the Met on May 12, 2026. I was in the chorus of this opera in college so I know it pretty well. I've always loved it, it's my second time seeing it at the Met. I saw this production (directed by Deborah Warner) when it was new in 2013 and I really didn't like it, I thought it was drab and dull. I decided to take my chances and see it again because Asmik Grigorian was playing the female lead - - I heard her as Lady Macbeth in Salzburg in August and wow, she knocked me out. I figured if anyone could wake up this production it would be her.
Here's how things work at the Met: one person (in this case, Deborah Warner) directs a production when it's new. It's rare that the original director is brought back for subsequent revivals, the Met generally has one of their on-staff directors work with the new cast. I have a feeling that Paula Williams tightened and/or livened things up, it was a more satisfying show. Still not magical like the previous Met production (directed by Robert Carsen) but I need to let go of that.
The conductor was Timur Zangiev. He generally did a good job but there were some balance issues (the brass was a little heavy in the polonaise) and synch issues (the chorus got out of synch with the orchestra almost every time they sang). I want to give a special shout-out to the dancers. They added a great deal to the production, as did the choreography of Kim Brandstrup.
Onegin was played by baritone Iurii Samoilov. He has a beautiful voice and gave a strong performance but I feel like he's a bit of an artist in development (he's 37). He's Ukrainian so his Russian was first class but he came at it from a more Italianate approach - - a creamy sound, not really digging into the peculiar sounds of the language. Here he is in a bit from his searing final scene with Tatiana:
The small role of Prince Gremin was played by Ukrainian bass Alexander Tsymbalyuk. He has a classic Slavic voice with a slight snarl and a touch of acid in the sound. It was thrilling to hear such old school Russian singing. The low G flat at the end of his aria was a little underpowered for my taste. I like a guy who really revels in his sound down there.
Olga was played by Russian mezzo Maria Barakova. Her aria was well sung but the real treat of her performance was her characterization. Her Olga was a lovable girl full of impetuous charm - - thankfully Barakova wasn't cute about it. Her performance was sincere and she knew how to work her dress.
Lensky and Tatiana were the two singers who I knew a bit. I saw a concert performance of Die Walküre on Medici TV last year that featured French tenor Stanislas de Barbeyrac as Siegmund. He impressed me in that performance and I was looking forward to hearing him live. Plus I thought he was totes adorbs and hoped that would be verified in person. He was even cuter in person and he has a handsome voice though he sounded a little bottled-up above the staff, that was a concern.
A tenor friend of mine back in the day said that every aria in the tenor repertoire says either "I love you so much" or "holy sh-t I can't believe I have to die." Lensky's aria is the "I have to die" category with a side dish of "I love you so much." He sang it with aching lyricism and a thrilling morbidezza. That's an Italian term for a rarefied vocal technique where you put a quiet, intense, and morbid sound in your voice. His aria was a high point of the evening and the tune was stuck in my head all day the next day (which says something). Here's a bit from that aria:
Can I have a sidebar about Tchaikovsky? Stephanie had never seen a Tchaikovsky opera before and she was blown away. His music is exceptionally expressive and just plain gorgeous. Plus his orchestration is extraordinary, he seems to write in an idiomatic way for every instrument. And he knows how to write for voices, not a skill every composer has. Stephanie noticed that little fragments were repeated and reworked throughout the opera. It makes me curious to listen for that the next time (I have a recording in Italian with Leyla Gencer, I've been meaning to take a deep dive into that).
Onegin is the title character but Tatiana is really the star of the show. The role was played by Lithuanian-Armenian soprano Asmik Grigorian, she was the reason I was there and I was eager to hear what she would do with the role. I couldn't quite put my finger on it but there was something lacking in her singing. I have a friend in the Met orchestra - - we visited her during intermission and her thought was that Grigorian has made her reputation on extreme characters like Lady Macbeth and Salome so a nice young woman like Tatiana seems a little bland in comparison. She has intense emotions and lets them out now and then but it's a better fit for someone with a more placid voice and stage manner. Opera is a balance of music and drama and Grigorian has an issue I don't believe I've run into before: her singing is inspired by the drama and Tatiana requires a singer who is inspired by the music.
Here she is singing an excerpt from the letter scene. It's a shame they stopped before she laid down on the floor - - Stephanie thought it was hilarious that in this seemingly well-appointed home they don't have a freaking COUCH. People were lying on the floor or perching on a windowsill. If a chair was needed, a servant brought one in and removed it as soon as the person stood up.
Something new happened during the bows. Usually everyone who has sung is onstage at the end of the show: the lead singers, the chorus, and all the supporting cast. The bows that night were for just the five lead singers. The roles of Tatiana and Olga's mother and nanny are both sizeable supporting roles so it seemed odd that they weren't given a bow. I wonder what that's all about.
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