Eugene Onegin

And let me now properly introduce Steven White, principal guest conductor of Opera Omaha, and someone who's conducted all around the country and indeed all around the world.

The Rake's Progress, La Traviata, Eugene Onegin, Marriage of Figaro, Rigoletta, Cosi Fan Tutti, all these at Opera Omaha.

But also, Stephen, you've conducted at the Metropolitan Opera, Opera Roanoke.

For many years, you were affiliated in a quite important position with Opera Roanoke and even received an honorary doctorate from Roanoke College.

Mm.

During this time, time period i- is also when sort of the seeds of this reputation of being demanding s- start to come through, in that she walked out of, uh, a production of Rudolf Noelte's in Eugene Onegin in, at Vienna, uh, because he... 'cause it was very high concept.

He wanted everyone to be individualized in these individual cells, i- in-

[laughs]

Because at the end of the day, she is i- in particular a singing who- a, a singer whose working relationships are, are, like, an extremely important tent pole of her career.

Like, from John Pritchard, Sir John Pritchard, to Pavarotti, uh, to Sir Peter Hall, and, uh, Colin Davis, who, who was the, the conductor who, like, put her on all of these Mozart recordings when Phillips went to record all of the Mozart operas.

Peter Hall was one of her favorite directors who, like, went to bat for her to get her... to get George Schulte to let her be Tatyana in Eugene Onegin.

Uh, I mean, like, you don't get that many telecasts without James Levine being on your side.

Opera North are taking two of their productions, both masterpieces, to the Lowry and Salford next month.

Tonight I'm going to explore the music and stories behind Verdi's Rigoletto and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin.

Both operas are among the most beloved works in the repertoire, yet they could hardly be more different.

One's a gripping drama of betrayal and vengeance in Renaissance Italy, the other is a deeply moving portrait of lost love and missed opportunities in Imperial Russia.

Hello! Arthur Davies as the

Duke of Mantua.

Eugene O'Neill was first performed in 1879 and is based on Pushkin's novel.

Unlike most operas driven by wars, etc., it's a very personal story of people whose lives are changed by pride, youth and poor decisions.

Yeah, dance became quite a regular feature.

Eugene Onegin, he worked on that as well.

So can you tell me, how is it different working on dance to theatre, opera or MTV? What are the things that you think are essential to make that work?

Well, the things I like about opera and ballet that are very freeing when compared to working in, say, straight theatre or indeed TV, TV drama anyway, is that you're already starting from a place of abstraction.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Ballet is probably the most popular suite of its kind in music.

The opera Eugene Onegin, a masterpiece worthy to stand beside some of the best Italian and German operas, is widely loved even outside Russia.

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto, or at any rate the big opening theme, is doubtless known to more people than all other piano concertos put together.

The Overture Fantasies, Romeo and Juliet and Francesca da Rimini, rank with the most popular in that form, and the Overture 1812 is an international hit with music lovers of all ages and stages.

Unfavorable reviews stung him like wasps, and while Moscow often evidenced great enthusiasm for his music, St. Petersburg was harder to please.

The press there was often virulent with abuse.

Then Tchaikovsky pinned great hopes on his operas Eugene Onegin and Pikdom, The Queen of Spades.

Both proved fiascos at their premieres, though the public and press later revised their opinion drastically.