It took some time for me to get oriented at Santa Fe Opera’s often (too) busy staging of Tchaikovsky’s lush masterwork, Eugene Onegin, but overall the musical excellence reigned supreme.
Gary McCann’s stupendous set design tipped us off that all was not going to be neat and “realistic,” since Tatyana’s lavish drawing room not only opened up stage to reveal a golden autumnal, sloping garden, but also had trees actually growing inside the room, alongside an ornate crystal chandelier hanging down right. It bespoke of elegant disorder and presaged that the disparate imagery on stage was a reflection of Tatyana’s mind.
Is she dreaming? Hallucinating? She rarely leaves the stage, and Rick Fisher’s excellent lighting design adds a sort of well-calculated disorientation to the visuals, with shafts of light not always coming from where one might expect. I especially liked Onegin’s shadowy presence hovering eerily outside a glass paneled door. Mr. McCann’s costume design was a cornucopia of periods and colors, seemingly drawn from many periods, or none, with a group of dancers writhing as they executed Athol Farmer’s choreography, while appearing rather erotic and sporting horns.
Director Alessandro Talevi has generally moved everyone about the playing space with skill and fluidity, and he does achieve varied stage pictures, but without an always evident and consistent purpose. The singing chorus (excellently prepared by Susanne Sheston) sounded great but seemed rather aimless, as opposed to the dancers whose moves were generally sharp and animated. Mr. Talevi did better, more pointed work in the solo and smaller ensemble scenes, where character development was allowed to be in the forefront, without distracting imagery. There were some lovely touches to be sure, such as Olga and Tatyana painting Matryoshka dolls (symbols of femininity and family) in the opening scene, underscoring the love that both young women are seeking. The cast was solid.
As Tatyana, Olga Kulchynska embodied a lovelorn heroine burning with hope and longing. Her limpid lyric soprano was freely produced and encompassed all of the role’s (and the staging’s) demands. The medium weight of her fine instrument was able to effect a nuanced palette of colors. While I am used to a slightly heavier tone for Tatyana, Ms. Kulchynska nevertheless made the lengthy Letter Scene into the powerful one act drama that it must be, and she was rewarded with a prolonged, cheering ovation.
In the title role, Mattia Olivieri cut a lanky, dark-haired, handsome, caddish figure, and he sang with a commanding, incisive baritone. His rather dark, direct delivery was always highly musical, and he was especially effective in his aloof, indifferent scenes with Tatyana. In the final, pleading scene, I wished that Mr. Olivieri’s tone had assumed more warmth and emotional fragility.
Lindsay Ammann did her best to appear girlish and spunky, but I felt her potent, sizable mezzo-soprano was not the right timbre. Ms. Ammann is prodigiously talented as evidenced by her searing turn in Lili Elbe, but her voice is not that of an ingenue. Iván Ayón-Rivas was a sterling Lensky, appearing boyish and coltish, and with a gleaming, pointed lyric tenor of considerable beauty. He found good variety in his characterization, especially in his challenge of Onegin, where he summoned a hint of steel in his confrontation. Subsequently, Mr. Ayón-Rivas sang his melting aria with incredibly controlled messa di voce and diminuendo effects above the staff. While Kuda was heartfelt and emotional, I did wish it was not quite so introspective and self-pitying, and more overtly presented. Listen to Nicolai Gedda.
Alexander Köpezci did all that was required as Prince Gremin, his regal appearance wedded to a mellifluous, pointed bass that rang out in the house as he capably dispatched his character-defining aria. Susan Graham is a Santa Fe favorite, and she did not disappoint, her plummy mezzo still in fine fettle as Larina. Meridian Prall seemed a curious choice for Filipyevna, who is usually played by a seasoned older singer. Ms. Prall was a 2023 Apprentice, and she has an especially warm, rounded mezzo that is even throughout the range, and sounds a tad too fresh and youthful in the part. Ya-Chung Huang was a memorable and sprightly Monsieur Trinquet, offering poised singing with his sizable, ringing tenor. Tzvi Bat Asherah’s orotund, forceful baritone served Zaretsky well, while Will Ryan’s ripe, rolling bass saw fine duty as Captain Petrovich.
In the pit, Keri-Lynn Wilson elicited stylish, refined playing from Santa Fe’s seasoned orchestra.
The ensemble work was lush and stirring, and the difficult exposed solo work was flawless. Maestra Wilson exerted supreme control over her amassed forces, no small feat during those instances of onstage commotions. She also teamed lovingly with her solo singers, providing a wondrous cushion of support.
I wish that Mr. Talevi’s direction had been as keenly focused on clear storytelling as Ms. Wilson’s was on lovingly detailed music-making, but for the latter alone, Santa Fe Opera’s mounting of Eugene Onegin is worth a visit.
James Sohre
Eugene Onegin
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Libretto by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Konstantin Shikovsky
After Alexander Pushkin
Tatyana: Olga Kulchynska; Olga: Lindsay Ammann; Larina: Susan Graham; Filipyevna: Meridian Prall; Peasant: Dominic Salvati; Lensky: Iván Ayón-Rivas; Eugene Onegin: Mattia Olivieri; Captain Petrovich: Will Ryan; Monsieur Trinquet: Ya-Chung Huang; Zaretsky: Tzvi Bat Asherah; Prince Gremin: Alexander Köpezci; Conductor: Keri-Lynn Wilson; Director: Alessandro Talevi; Set and Costume Designer: Gary McCann; Lighting Designer: Rick Fisher; Chorus Director: Susanne Sheston; Choreographer: Athol Farmer
Top image: Olga Kulchynska (Tatyana), Mattia Olivieri (Eugen Onegin), The Santa Fe Opera Chorus, Supernumeraries
All photos by Bronwen Sharp for the Santa Fe Opera