Most biographies devoted to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky place the beginning of his relationship with Antonina Milyukova in early May 1877, at the very moment when he was conceiving his future opera based on the verse novel Eugene Onegin. According to the composer’s own testimony in his letters to Nadezhda von Meck, the rapid development of that intimacy—and the subsequent marriage—was shaped both by his emotional identification with the heroine created by Aleksandr Pushkin and by his desire not to repeat the literary protagonist’s coldness toward a sincere love. This was compounded by Milyukova’s insistent requests for meetings, accompanied by threats of suicide in the event of refusal. The fact that the operatic idea did not fully crystallize until two weeks after the suggestion made by the singer Yelizaveta Lavrovskaya on May 13/25 allows the choice of subject to be interpreted as a direct reflection of the composer’s personal situation: a distant acquaintance confessing her love in a letter.

This convergence of biography and artistic creation runs throughout Tchaikovsky’s life, from his birth in 1840 and musical training to the growing international recognition he achieved before his death in 1893. His figure became one of the most influential in Russian music precisely because of the intensity with which he transformed intimate—emotional and affective—experience into sound.

In adapting the libretto, undertaken by the composer himself with limited collaboration from Konstantin Shilovsky, Tchaikovsky deliberately avoided grand theatrical spectacle in order to focus on the emotional truth of the characters. Between May and July 1877 he advanced enthusiastically with the score, briefly interrupting work because of his marriage. After resuming composition during various travels in Europe, he completed the work between late 1877 and early 1878.

The partial premiere took place in 1878 at the Moscow Conservatory, while the complete performance was presented on March 17/29, 1879, at the Maly Theatre. The first professional performance followed in January 1881 at the Bolshoi Theatre, after which the work became established in major venues such as the Mariinsky Theatre and spread internationally. Conceived as “lyrical scenes” rather than a traditional opera, the score reveals Tchaikovsky’s aspiration toward an intimate drama sustained by psychological observation and restrained emotion. In this fusion of musical lyricism and human depth lies the enduring theatrical power of his Onegin.

Last night, the audience at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía had the opportunity to rediscover Eugene Onegin in a new production that confirms the work’s lasting dramatic vitality. The title role was taken by Mattia Olivieri, making his debut in the character with an attractively timbred, rounded voice and especially convincing stage portrayal. After his absence due to illness in the first performance, the tenor Dmitry Korchak returned to offer a Lensky of great expressive command, refined Russian diction, and notable lyrical intensity, crowned by a deeply moving “Kuda, kuda, kuda vy udalilis” that left the auditorium in expectant silence.

The female ensemble displayed both scenic and musical solidity: Margarita Nekrasova as Filippyevna and Alison Kettlewell as Larina contributed strong dramatic presence and narrative clarity, while Corinne Winters shaped a Tatiana of touching fragility and carefully projected lyricism. Ksenia Dudnikova, for her part, offered an Olga rich in harmonic color and radiant stage energy.

In shorter appearances, Giorgi Manoshvili stood out with a Prince Gremin of noble lyricism in one of the opera’s most celebrated arias, “Lyubvi vse vozrasti pokorni,” revealing solid technique and refined musicality. Mark Milhofer endowed Triquet with marked stage personality. The Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana, in addition to its vocal assurance, effectively assumed Lionel Hoche’s choreography, while members of the Centre de Perfeccionament included Filipp Modestov as the Captain and Agshin Khudaverdiyev as Zaretsky.

At the head of the Orquestra de Les Arts, Timur Zangiev delivered an intense and finely detailed reading of youthful impulse, underscoring the emotional richness of the score.

One of the principal attractions of this co-production by La Monnaie/De Munt and the Royal Danish Opera lies in the stage direction of the renowned director Laurent Pelly. Structured around a revolving platform that evokes the passage of time, his concept demonstrates that restraint can be profoundly eloquent. The essential set design by Massimo Troncanetti and the evocative lighting by Marco Giusti create a natural dialogue between the contemporary and the romantic, maintaining throughout the dramatic coherence of one of the most universal operas in the Russian repertoire.