Tonight at 9:00pm here, PBS will be showing the Met's extraordinary Eugene Onegin, originally aired live on February 24. I've seen the filmed version twice, in addition to a couple of performances in the Met house, and am happy to report that broadcast director Brian Large captured what will probably go down in history as one of the best Met afternoons ever.
Dmitri Hvorostovsky is astonishingly good in the title role, even though much of the attention was focused on Renée Fleming, who also gives a spine-tingling performance. Even some of her detractors (not your writer) confessed they found her breathtaking as Tatiana. And then there is Ramón Vargas, whose portrayal of Lenski might be worth the entire three hours.
Robert Carsen's gorgeously spare, evocative production was understandably tinkered with for video, yet retains much of its impact, elegantly framing the dramatic intensity onstage. And the electrifying work by Valery Gergiev and the Met Orchestra, particularly in the dances in the last half, is as memorable as the vocal fireworks. Let's hope this is released on DVD at some point.