PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

 

Eugene Onegin

 

Peter Mattei

Anna Samuil

 

Wiener Philharmoniker / Daniel Barenboim

 

Directed by Andrea Breth

 

Recorded at the 2007 Salzburg Festival, this production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin features an excellent, young cast and the Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by maestro Daniel Barenboim.

 

Inspired by the cinematic nature of the opera, director Andrea Breth has created an intimate production that mines the depths of expression and charisma of her singer-actors and integrates silent secondary episodes and miniature dramas to heighten the intensity of the story.

 

The title role – a tour de force for any baritone – is taken by Peter Mattei, “a gifted actor blessed with debonair self-confidence” (Neue Zürcher Zeitung). He is joined by dazzling young Russian soprano Anna Samuil, a protégée of Daniel Barenboim who has been acclaimed as a vibrant new presence on the opera stage. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung described her Tatyana as being “ready to start a revolution.”

 

The performances receive superb support from Daniel Barenboim and the Wiener Philharmoniker who capture the beguilingly dark sonorities of Tchaikovsky’s score and bring out its sudden flashes of brilliance, particularly during the passionate climax of the final act.

 

The DVD has been filmed in HD, with 5.1 DTS surround sound and PCM stereo.

 

DG DVD 0734434