Until the end of February the Paris Opera is staging a new production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, sung in Russian, at the Palais Garnier

Until the end of February the Paris Opera is staging a new production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, sung in Russian, at the Palais Garnier. It is Ralph Fiennes's directorial debut in opera.

The performances are enjoying enormous success. Le Monde praises the production for its theatrical expressiveness, meticulously detailed costumes and atmospheric sets, as well as the strength of the cast. OperaWire speaks highly of the orchestra under Semyon Bychkov, noting the poetry of the musical performance and the assured unfolding of Tchaikovsky's melodies.

The chief praise goes to Fiennes, who has managed to preserve dramatic realism and to avoid the “shocking” novelties and experiments of modern stage direction, remaining within the bounds of classical operatic culture.