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Photo Album: The Royal Ballet in Onegin with Natalia Osipova, Reece Clarke, Francesca Hayward, Matthew Ball and Gary Avis

19 January 2020 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Onegin with Natalia Osipova as Tatiana © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton
Onegin with Natalia Osipova as Tatiana © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton

John Cranko became acquainted with Alexander Pushkin's verse-novel Eugene Onegin when he choreographed the dances for Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky's opera of the same name in 1952. He created his own distinctive version of Pushkin's work in 1965 for the Stuttgart Ballet. Onegin displays all of Cranko's genius as a narrative choreographer, featuring finely drawn characters who are transformed by the conflicts they face.

Onegin and Tatiana's relationship is depicted in intense duets, such as the letter-writing scene when the youthful Tatiana dances a dream pas de deux with her longed-for lover. The role of Tatiana offers a ballerina many challenges – the development of a bookish country girl into a sophisticated woman at the pinnacle of St Petersburg society requires dramatic sensibility and technical finesse. Kurt-Heinz Stolze, Kapellmeister for Stuttgart Ballet, created for Cranko a soaring arrangement of music by Tchaikovsky, not from the opera but drawing principally on his works for piano.

Onegin with Francesca Hayward as Olga and Matthew Ball as Lensky © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton
Onegin with Francesca Hayward as Olga and Matthew Ball as Lensky © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton

As Olga and Lensky, the unfeasibly beautiful pair of Matthew Ball and Francesca Hayward were mutual devotion incarnate, a couple with nothing wanting and everything to lose. His portrayal of love corroding into wounded pride and fury was handled flawlessly; she, meanwhile, seems to be made of a lighter, stronger, more elastic substance than other dancers are, allowing her body to articulate emotion as if it were speech. -The Telegraph

Onegin with artists of The Royal Ballet © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton
Onegin with artists of The Royal Ballet © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton
Onegin with Natalia Osipova as Tatiana and Reece Clarke as Onegin © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton
Onegin with Natalia Osipova as Tatiana and Reece Clarke as Onegin © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton

Choreography
John Cranko

Music
Kurt-Heinz Stolze

Original music
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky

Arrangement
Kurt-Heinz Stolze

Designer
Jürgen Rose

Lighting designer
Steen Bjarke

Onegin with Natalia Osipova as Tatiana © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton 2
Onegin with Natalia Osipova as Tatiana © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton

As for Osipova, good grief… this most mercurial and unpredictable of principals here attuned every last synapse and sinew to Tatiana's (by turns) shyness, sisterly affection, romantic infatuation and multifaceted desolation. The Russian is 33 and currently not quite as toned as usual, and superficially her Tatiana looks more disappointed housewife than tormented teenager. But she delivered a performance of perfect artistic judgment, complete emotional generosity and unflinching physical fearlessness, and was so spent by the curtain call that it was as much as she could do to lift her face towards the audience. – The Telegraph

Onegin with Reece Clarke as Onegin and Matthew Ball as Lensky © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton
Onegin with Reece Clarke as Onegin and Matthew Ball as Lensky © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton

Clarke's Onegin is powerfully danced, with a distinctive sense of character. A tall dancer, he has a gift for using his height on stage. Condescending to the provincial gentry, he looks about eight feet tall, but in St Petersburg, he no longer looms. He abases himself before Tatiana, literally and emotionally. – The Independent

Onegin with artists of The Royal Ballet Onegin © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton
Onegin with artists of The Royal Ballet Onegin © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton

Gary Avis is tender and thoughtful as Tatiana's husband, Prince Gremin. – The Independent

Onegin with Natalia Osipova as Tatiana and Gary Avis as Prince Gremin © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton
Onegin with Natalia Osipova as Tatiana and Gary Avis as Prince Gremin © ROH, 2020. Photographed by Tristram Kenton

OPENING NIGHT CAST

Tatiana: Natalia Osipova

Eugene Onegin: Reece Clarke

Olga: Francesca Hayward

Lensky: Matthew Ball

Prince Gremin: Gary Avis

Graham Spicer version
Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.

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Filed Under: dance Tagged With: Francesca Hayward, Gary Avis, John Cranko, Matthew Ball, Natalia Osipova, Reece Clarke, Royal Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet

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Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan, aka ‘Gramilano’. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times. He wrote the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.

Since 2022, Gramilano is pleased to welcome guest authors: Alisa Alekseeva, Paul Arrowsmith, Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel, Jonathan Gray, Marina Harss, Matthew Paluch, Jann Parry, Graham Watts, and Deborah Weiss.

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