Clever staging in wonderful opera at Warwick Arts Centre

DIRECTOR James Conway has come up with a master stroke for the staging of this Tchaikovsky opera.

A two-way mirror is angled to reflect the action at the front of the stage and for the audience to see another scene behind. The mirror serves to increase the feeling of space on stage and to double up the number of dancers in the ballroom scene. The video projection of falling letters and then snow onto the mirror in the duel scene is very effective.

The opera, based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin, is a tragic story about a selfish hero, Eugene Onegin, who lives to regret his rejection of a young woman’s love and killing his best friend in a duel over the woman’s sister.

Nicholas Lester is an excellent Onegin, charming the ladies and dominating the stage with his baritone voice. Soprano Sarah-Jane Davies as Tatyana is ponderous at first as an inexperienced young girl. But she develops into a confident performance as a married woman, dismissing Onegin’s protestations of love and giving the audience the satisfaction of seeing his arrogance frustrated.

An excellent supporting performance comes from Tatyana’s nanny, Filippyevna, played by mezzo soprano Frances McCafferty. Her reassuring voice helps the young girl through her desperation.

Jaewoo Kim as Lensky puts a lot of feeling into his performance and elicits the audience’s sympathy as he pores over his letters and memories before being killed in the duel.

The small but superb orchestra is conducted by Michael Rosewell.

Thanks to the arts centre and the ETO for providing a wonderful evening of opera.

Peter Gawthorpe