A Wondrous and Dramatic Ballet, Praised Throughout the World

Photo：Stuttgarter Ballett

It is fair to say that Onegin holds a special place among John Cranko's many full-length masterpieces. The world's finest ballet companies include this well-loved work in their repertoires, and the most brilliantly successful dancers hope to have the opportunity to perform in it some day.

The source is a verse novel by the Russian nationalist poet Alexander Pushkin. The music is taken from the works of Tchaikovsky, edited with expert sensibility by Kurt-Heinz Stolze. Cranko's choreography is both natural and edgy. We first see the main character, Tatiana, dozing over a book in the garden of Madame Larina, but the audience is able to perceive her character at a single glance. Similarly, Onegin--dressed entirely in black--assumes a languid posture at his first appearance that gives the audience a sense of his unconventional nature and raises expectations for the story that follows.

The ballet provides many visual wonders, such as the frolicking peasant dances, the tragedy that befalls the poet Lensky, and the glamorous ball at Prince Gremin's estate, but the highlights are two contrasting pas de deux. The one in the first act, commonly referred to as "the Mirror Pas de Deux," has Tatiana herself portraying Onegin as she imagines him in a dazzling depiction of love. Then, the final act--in which Onegin confesses his love for Tatiana, who is now the elegant wife of a nobleman--features a pas de deux that brims over with helpless anguish. This sequence condenses intense passion and separation into a brief dance duet. It will also be featured as one of the pieces in the gala concert.

Text: Hiroko Shindo