Eleanor is Assistant Director for the Royal Opera House’s powerful new staging of Pushkin’s bittersweet tale. American director Ted Huffman makes his much-anticipated debut for the Royal Opera House Main Stage with a new production that blurs the boundaries between memory, longing and desire. Gordon Bintner stars in the title role, alongside Kristina Mkhitaryan’s Tatyana, Liparit Avetisyan’s Lensky and Avery Amereau making her Royal Opera debut as Olga. Henrik Nánási conducts, drawing out the many, and often conflicting, emotions at the heart of Tchaikovsky’s most popular opera.

Tatyana spends her days lost in the world of romantic books, while to her carefree sister Olga, love is just a game. When Olga’s admirer, the poet Lensky, arrives at their country estate with the brooding Eugene Onegin, sparks fly. Tatyana immediately falls for Onegin and declares her love for him in a letter. Onegin rejects her, telling her that he is not ready for marriage. Heartbroken, Tatyana is forced to put on a brave face at her own birthday party, and matters worsen when Onegin begins flirting with Olga. Lensky is outraged and challenges Onegin to a duel, with deadly consequences. 

Years later, Onegin and Tatyana meet again at a ball in St Petersburg. Haunted by grief and regret, Onegin realises he has made a terrible mistake. But does Tatyana still feel the same?