Eugene Onegin review – passion and pathos as Tchaikovsky’s opera is dragged into the oligarch era

For an opera rooted in 19th-century Russian romanticism it’s surprising how effortlessly Eugene Onegin can be brought up to date. Patrick Nolan’s thoughtful staging for Opera North, a co-production with Irish National Opera and his own Opera Queensland, manages to capture the aching melancholy of Pushkin’s original while reflecting on the equally gloomy transition from the Brezhnev-era Soviet state to the reckless excess of the pre-Putin oligarchy.

For Tatyana and Onegin, Tchaikovsky’s opera is a case of the road not taken, subtly reflected in the gently elasticated timeframe adopted here. In Act I, Leslie Travers’ crumbling civic gymnasium is commandeered to rehearse a pageant in praise of Soviet agricultural policy. When Madame Larina and the housekeeper Filipyevna chatter on about times past, Lenin-emblazoned flags remind us they would have grown up in the shadow of Stalin. As the gaudy tracksuits and 80s bling (costume designer Elizabeth Gadsby having a field day) of Act II give way to formal evening wear and diamonds in the final act, it feels as though an entire way of life has been swept away, and with it any chance to correct the mistakes of the past.

It’s a shame Nolan never really explores the darker side of Soviet society. The excellent Opera North Chorus, 100% committed and singing heroically in convincing Russian, come across as contented comrades with little to fear, which we know was not the case. That aside, the production is full of vivid details that bring this community to life, and turning what would have been a glaringly anachronistic duel into a game of Russian roulette was a stroke of genius. The blocking and gestures of one or two in the cast can feel a little stagy at times, and vogueing to Tchakovsky’s celebrated waltz is a tad bizarre, but Nolan’s concept is crystal clear and his handling of the central story emotionally satisfying.

Among a fine cast, British soprano Verity Wingate and American baritone John Brancy stand out as the hapless lovers. Both are stage animals, adding a dramatic charge to their tortured encounters. Wingate’s warm timbre and alertness to text crushes the great letter scene, while the steely toned Brancy renders Onegin as a fully complex antihero.

As the hot-blooded Lensky, Caspar Singh delivers a supple rendition of his famous aria while Jingwen Cai’s burgundy mezzo-soprano is ideal for the fun-loving Olga. Joshua Bloom brings theatrical allure to Prince Gremin, a silver fox whose silken bass and oligarch’s smile mask a hint of menace.

At the heart of it all is Opera North music director Garry Walker who mines Tchaikovsky’s expressive score for every nugget of passion and pathos in an idiomatically stylish account. The orchestra, especially the lustrous woodwind and coursing strings, plays with terrific elan.