Onegin (Cranko)
| Onegin | |
|---|---|
| Choreographer | John Cranko |
| Music | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky arrangements by Kurt-Heinz Stolze |
| Based on | Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin |
| Premiere | 13 April 1965 Staatsoper, Stuttgart |
| Original ballet company | Stuttgart Ballet |
| Setting | 19th-century Russia |
Onegin is a ballet created by John Cranko for the Stuttgart Ballet in 1965. It was recreated for the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House in 2001 and remains in that company's repertoire as at 2015[update].
Cranko first discovered Alexander Pushkin's verse-novel Eugene Onegin when he choreographed the dances for Tchaikovsky's opera of the same name in 1952. He first proposed a ballet based on Pushkin's story to the Royal Opera House board in the 1960s, but it was turned down, and he pursued the idea when he moved to Stuttgart. The Stuttgart Ballet premiered the work in 1965. The Royal Ballet did not present the work until 2001. The choreography for his ballet includes a wide range of styles, including folk, modern, ballroom and acrobatic. The music takes inspiration from the composer he worked with when he was first introduced to the story – Kurt-Heinz Stolze arranged music by Tchaikovsky, which came principally from his piano works rather than his orchestral works, to accompany the dancers. The original principals were Marcia Haydée as Tatiana, Ray Barra as Onegin, Egon Madsen as Lensky and Ana Cardus as Olga.
Between 1965 and 1967 Cranko revised Onegin several times. His scenario originally ended with Tatiana kissing her children goodnight, which he decided lessened the drama of her final encounter with Onegin. Cranko also deleted the prologue, in which Onegin was seen at his uncle's deathbed. The standard version of the ballet was first performed by the Stuttgart company in October 1967.
Act 1
Madame Larina's garden
In the garden, Madame Larina, Olga and the nurse are finishing party dresses and discussing Tatiana's upcoming birthday celebrations. They think about the future, and the local girls play an old folk game: whoever looks into the mirror will see her beloved. Lensky, a young poet engaged to Olga, arrives with a friend from St. Petersburg. He introduces Eugene Onegin, who has come to the country to see if it can offer him any distraction from city life. Tatiana falls in love with the handsome stranger, who seems so different to the country people she knows, while Onegin only sees a naive, romantic girl.
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