Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky Streaming

Filmed at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet.

When Eugene Onegin enters Tatyana's orderly life, he appears to her like a character from her novels. The young, inexperienced woman falls head over heels in love with the urbane bon vivant. But he rejects her affection; his restless lifestyle is not suitable for a long-term relationship. Years later, the two meet again. The mature Tatyana has entered into a marriage of convenience with the much older Prince Gremin and has become a wealthy woman. How Tatyana and Onegin’s situations have changed; how will the former now respond to the latter’s passionate declarations?

Based on author Alexander Pushkin’s novel in verse, Eugene Onegin had its world premiere in 1879. The opera was groundbreaking for its time: instead of focusing on fast-paced, dramatic events, Eugene Onegin describes the inner worlds of its young protagonists. Tchaikovsky’s emotional music ensures that the opera has continued to captivate audiences ever since. Tatyana’s transformation, from the deeply serious adolescent of her great letter scene into the mature yet desperately unhappy woman who finally dismisses the man she loves, is one of greatest portrayals in all opera. Finnish National Opera’s production is directed by Marco Arturo Marelli who said during rehearsals: ‘There was something completely new in Eugene Onegin: it featured realistic young people, with all their feelings, longings, disappointments and doubts. Every one of us has experienced something similar. That is what makes Eugene Onegin so very valuable.’