Oslo Opera House 15 February 2023 - Eugene Onegin | GoComGo.com

Eugene Onegin

Oslo Opera House, Oslo, Norway
All photos (11)
Wednesday 15 February 2023

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Important Info
Type: Opera
City: Oslo, Norway
Starts at: 19:00
Overview

Deep down, we’re all alone. Tchaikovsky’s romantic opera is a close encounter with intense, youthful love. At the same time, Eugene Onegin is a powerful portrayal of something we have all experienced – the passing of time, the chances we didn’t take and the fact that, deep down, we’re all alone.

It’s called Eugene Onegin, but the title of Tchaikovsky's opera could just as well have been Tatjana Larin. After all, it’s as much her story as it is anyone else’s. It’s about when she sees him for the first time – the handsome, well-travelled and self-confident Onegin. And it’s about when, 16 years later, he sees Tatjana – a modern, well-read and beautiful woman.  But by then it’s too late.

It’s a bitter cold winter. We’re at the Larin Family estate outside of St. Petersburg, where Mrs Larin lives with her daughters, Olga and Tatjana. While Olga dances and enjoys life, the contemplative Tatjana has escaped into the world of books. When Olga’s fiancee Lensky introduces Tatjana to his friend Onegin, the lives of the four youths change forever.

Russian opera at its best

Eugene Onegin is considered the most popular Russian opera. It is the brainchild of two giants in Russian cultural history, the writer Aleksandr Pushkin and the composer Peter Tchaikovsky. But while Pushkin identifies with Onegin, Tatjana is the one closer to Tchaikovsky’s heart. This can clearly be heard in the music he has written for her. The opera opens with Tatjana’s melody, which later expands into her grand, beautiful aria during the first act, when the brave girl writes a letter to Onegin and one of the most intense solo scenes for soprano voices.

Lyrical scenes

In Eugene Onegin, we enjoy two impressive ball scenes, impressive arias and impressive sounds. Yet the opera is also an intimate one that takes us into the remote corners of the human mind. When it first premiered in 1879, it was performed by students of the Moscow Conservatory. Tchaikovsky referred to the opera as ‘lyrical scenes’ and could not imagine it being performed on major opera stages. He was wrong. Only two years later, in 1881, Eugene Onegin premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and has become an established opera in opera houses around the world ever since.

In this production, director Christof Loy takes the intimate and lyrical qualities of the work seriously and brings us to the very heart of this personal drama.

A judge of character

German director Christof Loy is known for his strong directing skills, clear from his critically acclaimed Wozzeck with the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet in 2017, also with Audun Iversen in the title role.  In May 2017, Loy was proclaimed Best Director during the International Opera Awards. In 2008, he received the Faust Award for Così fan tutte at Oper Frankfurt and has been nominated three times as ‘Opera Director of the Year’ by the trade magazine Opernwelt.

Co-production with Teatro Real, Madrid and Liceu Opera, Barcelona. 

History
Premiere of this production: 29 March 1879, Maly Theatre, Moscow

Eugene Onegin is an opera ("lyrical scenes") in 3 acts (7 scenes), composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto, organised by the composer himself, very closely follows certain passages in Alexander Pushkin's novel in verse, retaining much of his poetry.

Venue Info

Oslo Opera House - Oslo
Location   Kirsten Flagstads Plass 1

The Oslo Opera House is the home of The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the national opera theatre in Norway. The building is situated in the Bjørvika neighbourhood of central Oslo, at the head of the Oslofjord. It is operated by Statsbygg, the government agency which manages property for the Norwegian government. The structure contains 1,100 rooms in a total area of 38,500 m2 (414,000 sq ft). The main auditorium seats 1,364 and two other performance spaces can seat 200 and 400. The main stage is 16 m (52 ft) wide and 40 m (130 ft) deep. The angled exterior surfaces of the building are covered with marble from Carrara, Italy and white granite and make it appear to rise from the water. It is the largest cultural building constructed in Norway since Nidarosdomen was completed circa 1300.

In 1999, after a long national debate, the Norwegian legislature decided to construct a new opera house in the city. A design competition was held and, of the 350 entries received, the judges chose that of Snøhetta. Construction started in 2003 and was completed in 2007, ahead of schedule and 300 million NOK (~US$52 million) under its budget of 4.4 billion NOK (~US$760 million). The gala opening on 12 April 2008 was attended by His Majesty King Harald, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and President Tarja Halonen of Finland and other leaders. During the first year of operation, 1.3 million people passed through the building's doors.

The Opera House won the culture award at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona in October 2008 and the 2009 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture.

The roof of the building angles to ground level, creating a large plaza that invites pedestrians to walk up and enjoy the panoramic views of Oslo. While much of the building is covered in white granite and La Facciata, a white Italian carrara marble, the stage tower is clad in white aluminium, in a design by Løvaas & Wagle that evokes old weaving patterns.

The lobby is surrounded by 15 m (49 ft) tall windows with minimal framing and special glass that allows maximum views of the water. The roof is supported by thin angled columns also designed not to interfere with views.

Interior surfaces are covered in oak to bring warmth to spaces in contrast to the coolness of the white exterior. The main auditorium is a horseshoe shape and illuminated by an oval chandelier containing 5,800 handmade crystals. Seats include monitors for the electronic libretto system, allowing audiences to follow opera libretti in Norwegian and English in addition to the original language.

Several art projects were commissioned for the interior and exterior of the Opera House. The most notable is She Lies, a sculpture constructed of stainless steel and glass panels by Monica Bonvicini. It is permanently installed on a concrete platform in the fjord adjacent to Opera House and floats on the water moving in response to tides and wind to create an ever-changing face to viewers. The work was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Sonja on 11 May 2010.

A perforated wall panel which covers roof supports in the lobby was designed by Olafur Eliasson. It features hexagonal opening and is illuminated from below and behind to create the illusion of melting ice. Other artists involved in the construction include Kristian Blystad, Jorunn Sannes and Kalle Grude, who designed the shape of the pavers on the forecourt and roof; Bodil Furu and Trine Lise Nedreaas, who created a film and video project; Marte Aas, Talleiv Taro Manum, Tom Sandberg, Gerd Tinglum and Nina Witoszek Fitzpatrick, who created the art book Site Seeing; and Linus Elmes and Ludvig Löfgren, who created the foundation stone.

The main stage curtain is the work of Pae White who designed it to look like crumpled aluminum foil. White scanned a crumpled piece of foil into a computer which translated the information to a loom that wove the curtain from wool, cotton and polyester to create a three-dimensional effect. The curtain was manufactured by the German-based theatrical equipment company Gerriets GmbH. The finished curtain measures 74 ft (23 m) wide and 36 ft (11 m) and weighs 1,100 lb (500 kg).

Important Info
Type: Opera
City: Oslo, Norway
Starts at: 19:00
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