Translated material
It's snowing, it's snowing...
"Eugene Onegin" at the Vienna Staatsoper
The first news of the destruction of the old patriarchal image of Vienna was the appearance of a Starbucks cafe on the corner of Kärtnerstrasse, right next to the Staatsoper, opposite the Viennese cafe Sacher, where the most Viennese cakes in the world are sold in great demand. Then they liquidated the cafe of the Ambassador Hotel and built some fashionable shops on its lower floor with Luzhkov’s, I would say, layered marble cladding. And this cafe, by the way, had a terrace on Kärtnerstrasse itself, on a high pedestal, and our dear prima donna Maria Guleghina loved to sit there, drinking coffee, because with tragic feelings it is better to be a little elevated - in the spatial sense, too. And today, very often on Kärtnerstrasse and on the Graben, old, traditional Viennese shops are being replaced by familiar pan-European (or global) ones, and by the design of the shops you can no longer distinguish Vienna from Moscow or Milan.What am I talking about? What I mean is that even sitting in the Staatsoper during a production of a Russian masterpiece, there are many reasons to sigh. Seiji Ozawa, the current music director of the Opera, is conducting, and I remember his “Queen of Spades” from 1992, when I first came to Vienna, I remember it with an unusual nostalgic longing. Then Vladimir Atlantov, Mirella Freni, Nikolai Gyaurov, Sergei Leiferkus and Vladimir Chernov sang. With such a stellar level, the entire choir went crazy over the voice of the debuting Chernov, and one chorus girl admitted to me then that they all wanted to touch him to make sure he was real. Young Veselina Kazarova sang Polina with her magical voice. And in the performance, staged by Kurt Horres, there was a lot of interesting and new things, and there’s nothing to say about the musical level, the very top level...
What about today, you ask? Why am I so sad? Because in “Eugene Onegin,” directed by the German drama director Falk Richter, of all the attributes of the stage action, only the snow constantly falling in the background is remembered. He falls and falls, and everything turns to ice from him. Not only the signs of life - in the scene of Larin's ball, bottles of vodka and raw meat are held in a huge piece of ice (they don't eat it, thank God!), but life itself appears to be frozen. In this performance, in contrast to the long-standing “Queen of Spades,” there is not a single Russian performer, but I am a convinced internationalist and that is not why I am sad. Georgian Tamar Iveri in the role of Tatyana has the temperament of hot Finnish guys, and it is impossible to achieve even one, the simplest emotion from her. She sings smoothly, calmly, beautifully, but is not at all interesting from the point of view of what Tatyana feels. Star Ramon Vargas as Lensky barely remembers his role, and asking him to act or emote would be ridiculous. There are no decorations on the stage, some objects are scattered, the main thing is this notorious snow, which, apparently, was supposed to add lyricism to these “lyrical scenes”. Throughout the first three paintings, in the background, under the snow, couples in love stand in an embrace, but when Onegin rejects Tatiana, the couples scatter. That's where it is, powerful imagery!
The last two paintings are on the stairs, and at first the backdrop is covered with a blank wall. But the fatal end is approaching, the back wall is removed, and - what do you think? - the same snow is falling behind us again! There is no escape from him, he is the same “substitute for happiness” that we were warned about at the beginning of the opera.
But there is something to be happy about in this performance. Firstly, an excellent mimance that plays hip-hop for the peasants and the guests at the Larins’ ball. Secondly, two excellent singing works. Simon Keenleyside, even though he is English, has learned the role so well that he is indistinguishable from a natural Russian. Where, where did he find such an amazing language “coach”? No “love” or “tie.” And the subtlest understanding of the role, and phenomenal singing. And the natural temperament in the last two films, “unfrozenness”, which, as they say, can be touched. What’s interesting is that the agitated Keenleyside’s Russian language became worse, as his love for Tatyana overtook him. There has never been such a Onegin! Only Gremin is able to fight him - the Estonian Ain Anger, large, thoroughbred, with a powerful bass voice, and the demeanor of a winner. The question of who won remains open. I would still play along with Keenlyside and give him the palm - such a profound transformation of Onegin is worth a lot!
Seiji Ozawa is wonderful as always. He feels Russian music amazingly! In the scene of Tatiana’s letter there are such immersions in depth, such islands of trance that you fall in love with this great music again. And direct emotion permeates all the music from beginning to end. It’s a pity that the caliber of the singers, for the most part, is only waist-deep to the conductor. But the orchestra and choir are truly Viennese, and this cannot be taken away.
Kärtnerstrasse is being repaired, there are potholes underfoot, and revelers are huddling against the fences. Maybe I’m sad in vain, and after the renovation the main walking route for tourists will again acquire purely Viennese features? In the meantime, I'm looking for solace in the side streets, where the Viennese charm has not gone away.