Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin ***
Welsh National Opera, Mayflower Theatre, 18th October 2017
The Orchestra of Welsh National Opera is a splendid beast, from its growling double basses all the way up to its airy flutes, heard to thrilling effect in Eugene Onegin, part of the company’s Russian autumn season. Its oboe struts its cockerel crows, its principal horn sighs and yearns in Tatyana’s Letter Scene. This was a performance, under Latvian conductor Ainars Rubiķis, to revel in the full glory of Tchaikovsky’s score, which bristled and glowed. The spirited dance episodes – rustic harvest celebrations to giddy waltz to a pompous St Petersburg polonaise – were played with tremendous vigour.
Natalya Romaniw (Tatyana)
© Betina Skovbro
Read the full review on Bachtrack.