Eugene Onegin at the Royal Opera House

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Some stories lend themselves directly to the sweeping grandness of an opera house, and Pushkin's novel in verse, Eugene Onegin, which unravels the urgent passion and tragedy of unequal love, is one of those tales. It's not just the application of the words passion and tragedy that prove this, though you can also apply words like tormented, desperate, despairing and madness, it's that the emotions, when expressed in a three hour roller-coaster, can fill one of these majestic spaces to the brim. Even more easily when experienced alongside a truly bombastic score, care of Tchaikovsky. Which is what the Bolshoi Opera Company are bringing to the Royal Opera House this summer.

The Bolshoi premièred Tchaikovsky's opera, based on the fellow Russian's novel in verse in 1881. It's one of their classics, done in the dramatic, serious way that befits it, and benefiting from a home grown cast - however much time non-native singers spend honing the edges of a Russian accent in song, it could never be quite the same.

The 2006 production, which is the one the Bolshoi is bringing to London, has been acclaimed worldwide – they loved in at La Scala, they loved it at the Paris Opera and they loved it in Ljublijana. And while the DVD and CD recordings have also been raved about in all the right places, this is the first, and probably only, time you'll be able to see it in London. By many accounts it's the direction by Dmitri Tcherniakov, which has been described as 'sensitive', that makes this production so special. The contrast between the drama of the medium and the narrative with a more intimate insight into the characters than is often seen.

The Bolshoi opened their 231st season with it in 2006, which proves how well established this company is, so this really is an amazing opportunity to see the quintessential Russian opera company preform one of the classic Russian stories. Still well worth seeing even if you already know the ending.

On from the 11th to the 14th of August, there are still tickets available.

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