Tchaikovsky’s 3-act opera ‘Eugene Onegin’ should not be missed

The UST Conservatory of Music headed by Dean Raul Sunico, in cooperation with the Cultural Center of the Philippines, will present Tchaikovsky’s three-act opera Eugene Onegin at the CCP main theater on Sept. 29 at 8 p.m., Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. (matinee) and 8 p.m. (gala).

Besides composing the music, Tchaikovsky wrote the libretto jointly with Konstantin Shilovsky, basing it on the verse novel or romantic poem of Alexander Pushkin. The highly lyrical music is not a typical operatic score; the story is episodic, with little development of dramatic ideas.

But as described, "It is sympathetic in its portrayal of the leading characters – which are mirrorings of Tchaikovsky himself, more or less – defeated, frustrated, utterly subjective personages."

To familiarize would-be audiences with the story, here it is in brief: Madame Larina, a widow, has two daughters, Olga and Tatiana. Olga’s suitor, the poet Lenski, and his friend Eugene Onegin, an aristocratic dandy, arrive at the widow’s country house. While Lenski declares his love for Olga, Tatiana secretly – and hopelessly – falls for Onegin. Forthwith, she pours out her feelings in a letter but he spurns her cruelly.

In a ball celebrating Tatiana’s birthday, Onegin dances with Olga and openly flirts with her, thus arousing the jealousy of Lenski whom Onegin challenges to a duel. Lenski is fatally shot.

Years later, Onegin attends a ball given by his cousin Prince Gremin. Seeing Tatiana, who is now married to the Prince, Onegin realizes he has been in love with her all along. Onegin tells her of his feelings but this time, it is she who rejects him.

"Pushkin’s poem explores the social and moral discrepancies between the world of Tatiana, the country girl, and that of the aristocratic Onegin; the composer, however, keeps the spotlight on the aborted relationship."

At the recent press conference to introduce the opera production, director Floy Quintos pointed out that there is no high drama in the opera. The story is a simple one of (rejected) love, passion and jealousy conveyed solely and eloquently by the acting and the singing. Indeed, "Tchaikovsky believed that the performance of the opera required maximum simplicity and sincerity. With this in mind, he entrusted the first production to the students of the Moscow Conservatory."

In his welcome remarks, Dean Sunico observed that operas are seldom presented in this country because of the enormous production costs they entail and because our resources are limited. But the UST Conservatory is presenting a magnum opus, the premiere of Eugene Onegin, because this year is a very special one which celebrates the 60th anniversary of the UST Conservatory of Music and marks the initial offering of the UST Quadricentennial Commemoration that will end in 2011.

Thus, all who are involved in the production of Eugene Onegin are exerting utmost effort in making it a huge success. UST Symphony Orchestra conductor Herminigildo Rañera is "goading" its young instrumentalists to the extreme, drawing the best from them. Voice professor-singer Irma P.E. Potenciano, under whom a number of the soloists have graduated and who is currently the teacher of many chorus members, is present at every rehearsal, instilling discipline in them. So is Ricardo Mazo in the selected members of Coro Tomasino.

Judging by the opera excerpts performed for media that afternoon, Eugene Onegin is not to be missed. There was the great overture played splendidly by the orchestra. Incidentally, it must have been the first-ever press conference at which an entire orchestra was on hand! The arias and the duets were rendered by a strong, marvelous all-Filipino cast headed by Rachelle Gerodias who portrays Tatiana, baritone Andrew Fernando who portrays Eugene Onegin, and contralto Clarissa Ocampo who portrays Olga.

Actually, there are two casts. Baritones Andrew Fernando and Noel Azcona alternate in the title roles; sopranos Rachelle Gerodias and Thea Perez alternate as Tatiana. Others in the opera are Clarissa Ocampo and Rexceluz as Olga; Nenen Espina is Filippyevna, Tatiana’s nurse; tenors Ronan Ferrer and Randy Gilongo alternate as Lenski; Naomi Sison and Patrice Pacis alternate as the widow Larina; tenors Lemuel de la Cruz and Eugene de los Santos alternate as the Frenchman Triquet; bass Jun Francis Jaranilla is Prince Gremin, Tatiana’s husband; Emmanuel Baang is Zaretsky; Aris Molina, the Captain.

The N.Y. Symphony Society presented the opera in concert form in English in 1902.

The Metropolitan Opera House premiered Eugene Onegin in Italian in March of 1920. For the very first time ever, Manila audiences will hear the opera in its original Russian version.

Rachelle confessed that although she has sung in French, Italian and German, it is the first time she will be singing an opera in Russian. She candidly admitted how difficult she found the language, so difficult in fact she sought the help of Valentina Nebogotova, the Russian ambassador’s wife who taught her its proper pronunciation. Clarissa likewise found the Russian libretto a tremendous challenge: when she hit the words and the music right, the rhythm was wrong; when she got the rhythm right, she missed out on the words and the music!

The period costumes have been designed in all their authenticity by Gino Lopez who also designed the sets. Glitter will be added to the costumes by the elegant, priceless items from the Jul B. Dizon Jewelry Salon – a fact which led everyone to tease Jul at the conference about the tight security each performance will require.

Since Raul Sunico took over as dean of the UST Conservatory of Music more than two years ago, its activities have doubled or trebled owing to Mr. Sunico’s initiative, enterprise and incentive. The premiere of Eugene Onegin, however, is the biggest event yet to be presented under Dean Sunico’s over-all supervision.

To ensure its success, he has pressed into service the best available talents from the ranks of the faculty, the graduates and the students of the Conservatory. I repeat: Eugene Onegin is not to be missed. The music above all is exciting; e.g., Lenski’s melancholy aria and Tatiana’s "Letter Song" which lasts 14 minutes – the longest aria in the world’s entire operatic repertoire. Music lovers will experience memorable auditory and visual elements they hope to encounter in a single night alone.

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Erratum: In last Wednesday’s column, "Suzuki’s owns surprise" should have been "Suzuki’s own surprise." I beg the reader’s indulgence for the proofreading error.