The Epistle of Q — Chapter Thirty-Seven (Part A)

Do we at times suffer from music madness?

I ask this because this weekend I really got into music. Perhaps it was started by my attendance at a delightful event within the Osoyoos Oyster Festival where they paired whiskeys with oysters and they did it so well that I wanted to sing!!

Anyway, Saturday morning I arose and after breakfast headed to the local cinema because it was again a live broadcast of opera “Live from the Met” and since I live in the Pacific Time Zone, the presentation starts at 9:55 here (while it is 12:55 p.m. in New York).

This week it was Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Now I’m not a Russian scholar, but listening to some of the key personnel in this production who are, it is obvious that the story is not some random idea that Tchaikovsky had (as you know, during the intermissions they interview people and in this broadcast, Renee Fleming does the interviewing and she is very good at it). It is built upon a poem by a person by the name of Pushkin and it is to the Russians the way Shakespeare or maybe even Stephen Leacock is to Canadians. Everyone learns the Pushkin poem early in their schooling and it is oft-times repeated in the curricula. Thus the story of this character portrayed by Onegin is well known and it represents a fundamental aspect of the Russian psyche: the tough choices one must make to survive in society.

As is almost every production from the Metropolitan Opera, this one has very strong performances, even from the lesser roles. And the music is very powerful. What I found interesting though, is the first act. It was somewhat bland and at times even a touch boring. Along with people sitting around me, I was wondering if I would actually bother to sit through the entire four hour performance. But perhaps that was the whole purpose — to show us how bland and boring life was in the extreme corners of rural Russia in the 19th Century.

Because, as the scenes (and there were many in this production where the curtain came down but not to end the act) moved towards Act II the story began to take on more urgency. The characters took on more complexity and there were some strange decisions being made (or in the case of some of the older folk — had been made) by each of the key personalities. In many ways Eugene Onegin was less central than Tatiana — certainly her various arias were extremely powerful and thought-provoking, suggesting serious introspection combined with a desire to experience real and deep love and connection. But he does put down Tatiana at one point for rather archaic reasons and one wonders what is wrong with his ability to see a beautiful woman who wants to be his lover.

Act II evolves into a series of complicated dilemmas as the love factors emerge. Tatiana has fallen for Onegin, but he is rather reluctant at this point as she seems a bit naive. Her sister is more flamboyant and certainly less thoughtful, and has not only fallen in love but there is significant reciprocity. Her guy, Onegin’s best friend Lenski, is poetic and romantic, although he oft-times seems to be reading from his own notes rather than being overtly spontaneous. Again though, Onegin gets in the middle of things due to a pique of anger and before we know it, he has been challenged to a duel by his best friend. Being an opera, this ends badly for Lenski, who dies. So Onegin goes into self-imposed exile.

When he returns, he now is ready for love. Alas, Tatiana has married someone else — a war hero who sings one aria such that I almost wished he had a bigger role. Anyway, Onegin is not about to accept this as he now realizes that she was the woman for him all along. He makes his plea and while you can tell she still loves him, Tatiana shows incredible Russian strength and says no. And believe it or not, but for her No means NO and she uses some incredible turns of phrases to get her message across. And as much as you might wish otherwise, she returns to her husband and her new life while Eugene Onegin realizes he blew it.

Great story. Great score. Great performances. But most of all it is an interesting study of the conflict between love and living. Early on her mother says that life isn’t always grand, that often habit is what one gets instead of happiness. And I think that is true of many people — they settle for the habitual. They want things to be smooth and normal but in so choosing, they actually embark on the road too much traveled. They don’t get “outside the box” and the result is more dilemmas and less happiness. I understand Onegin’s conundrum and I can appreciate his initial reluctance — but when love comes, one really needs to be willing to risk…

Anyway, there will be repeat showings of this performance at a theatre near you on June 3rd, 5th and/or 7th. Check your local theatre listings — this is one Live from the Met that you don’t want to miss…

g.w.