I was lucky (and smart enough) to buy tickets for "Onegin" a few months ago when only a handful were still remaining, and I was glad that I did. Arguably, this opera is Tchiakovsky's finest. The tunes swirl around you like waltzers at a ball, and Tatijana's theme grabs at your heart in the same way that Mozart's clarinet concerto will always make you think of "Out of Africa." But in "Onegin," there are plenty of gorgeous arias. In this minimalist staging by Robert Carsen, the focus is on the music and the acting. Tatiana's letter scene isn't just a long aria for a soprano, it's a dramatic soliloquy by a young girl who has awakened to the joys of teenage love and submits to it without care or consequence. It is a joy to watch the 40-something Renee Fleming run in passionate circles onstage, throwing fallen leaves into the air with youthful abandon. And Gergiev's conducting, while unpredictable, is nothing short of perfect.
For those readers who aren't in New York, the Met will be broadcasting "Onegin" into movie theaters Feb. 24 and on PBS in April.
