Eugene Onegin at Dubai Opera

Opera season is just around the corner, and the announcements from Dubai Opera just keep coming. The latest news from the heart of culture in Dubai is that The Polish National Opera is set to bring the two classics, Eugene Onegin and Aida this February.

The first opera, Aida was composed by Giuseppe Verdi for the inauguration of the first Cairo musical theater and for the celebrations related to the completion of the Suez Canal. Aida follows the struggle and heartache between Nubian princess, Aida and the Egyptian warrior Radamès. It will be performed in Italian with English subtitles from February 14 to 17. Meanwhile, the company’s second opera Eugene Onegin is based on Alexander Pushkin’s “novel in verse,” with its breath-taking music, is the intense and passionate story of a sophisticated yet selfish young man who lives to regret his nonchalant rejection of a young woman’s love and his careless incitement of a devastating duel with his best friend. Eugene Onegin is a favorite of opera audiences around the world, and guests will surely appreciate the musical score composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Performed with English subtitles, Eugene Onegin is an opera in 3 acts (7 scenes) and the libretto, organized by the composer himself, very closely follows certain passages in Alexander Pushkin’s novel in verse, retaining much of his poetry. Tchaikovsky’s friend Konstantin Shilovsky contributed M. Triquet’s verses in Act 2, Scene 1, while Tchaikovsky himself arranged the text for Lensky’s arioso in Act 1, Scene 1, and almost Prince Gremin’s entire aria in Act 3, Scene 1.
Eugene Onegin is a well-known example of lyric opera, to which Tchaikovsky added music of a dramatic nature. The story concerns a selfish hero who lives to regret his blasé rejection of a young woman’s love and his careless incitement of a fatal duel with his best friend.

The opera was first performed in Moscow in 1879. There are several recordings of it, and it is regularly performed. The work’s title refers to the protagonist. The strength of the novel resides in its character development and social commentary, as well as in the beauty of its literary delivery. After one sleepless night, Tchaikovsky came to embrace the idea. He was soon growing excited about the suggestion and created the scenarios in one night before starting the composition of the music later on.

Both Aida and Eugene Onegin are classics enjoyed regularly around the world by opera lovers and it' should be really exciting for dubaites to see the two epic productions back-to-back on the Dubai Opera stage. Tickets are now on sale for Aida and Eugene Onegin, with prices starting at just Dh350.

The Dubai Opera season 2017/2018 started on September 7 with Mozart, the Marriage of Figaro and includes a diverse selection of production and performances.