Ralph Fiennes on his Eugene Onegin opera directing debut and history with the character
Fiennes made his opera directing debut this week at the Paris Opera’s ornate Palais Garnier with his unique take on Eugene Onegin
Ralph Fiennes’ vision of Eugene Onegin was cinematic.
A three-time Academy Award nominee and a Tony Award winner, Fiennes made his opera directing debut this week at the Paris Opera’s ornate Palais Garnier. Using bright lighting near the front, as other characters receded in faded illumination, he controlled focus like a movie director, determining the audience’s view.
“It became clear that his priorities are quite cinematic, as if everything is kind of in close-up,” said mezzo-soprano Susan Graham.
Based on Alexander Pushkin’s 1833 novel, Eugene Onegin was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a libretto that the composer co-wrote with Konstantin Shilovsky. Baritone Boris Pinkhasovich stars as Onegin, soprano Ruzan Mantashyan as Tatyana – also spelled Tatiana – and tenor Bogdan Volkov as Lensky. The entire run, which ends on February 27, is sold out.
Conductor Semyon Bychkov, announced three weeks ago as Paris Opera’s music director starting in August 2028, picked Fiennes to direct, writing in a text message: “Ralph is an immense actor and director, with a profound connection to Russian culture.”