If there’s one reason to catch Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” at the Royal Opera, it’s to see Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s shining grin of pure pleasure at the curtain call. The great baritone was diagnosed with a brain tumour earlier this year, and will resume his treatment the day after his final appearance in this production (January 2). His heroic performance deserves all the affectionate cheers that can be heaped on him.There aren’t many cheers for Kasper Holten’s maladroit and patronising production, first seen in 2013. Holten’s principal idea is to place the narrative in a retrospective framing, and to show the star-crossed lovers Onegin (Hvorostovsky) and Tatyana (Nicole Car) remembering their happier, youthful selves. These alter-egos are played by dancers (Tom Shale-Coats and Emily Ranford) who often appear simultaneously with the singers.Did Holten think that the singers wouldn’t be able to convey the necessary emotions all on their own? Did he think the audience would be too stupid to understand subtext? Whatever the reason, the result is a kind of directorial bludgeoning. “I’m all on fire”, sings Car while Emily Ranford dutifully mimes being on fire. “I ask your pardon, I’m a little late”, sings Hvorostovsky while Tom Shale-Coats mimes being late. It’s like a hideous version of that party game in which players have to perform an action in the manner of an adverb.Maybe they should have a go at the adverb “redundantly”.The staging isn’t helped by Mia Stensgaard’s clunky set. The designer creates a row of high doors across the stage, leaving only a teeny-tiny strip in front for the action. Since the opera contains two major dance scenes for the chorus, it’s not exactly what you’d call helpful. On the contrary, the jostling and elbowing and squeezing calls to mind another party game: “Sardines”.There are musical compromises too. Nicole Car has gorgeous glossy sound, but lacks the soaring, ballsy vocal heft the role of Tatyana demands. Conductor Semyon Bychkov (who conducted a benchmark recording of the opera with Hvorostovsky in 1992) works hard not to overpower her, and the result is an occasional gruel-like thinness of orchestral texture. Tenor Michael Fabiano, as Onegin’s rival Lensky, does a touching job in his climactic aria “Kuda, kuda” but has a worrying hoarseness in his upper register. The usually reliable bass Ferruccio Furlanetto, as Tatyana’s husband Gremin, lacks conviction and sounds as if his mind is elsewhere.Holten leaves his role as Director of Opera at Covent Garden in March 2017. Let’s hope it means we won’t have to see his mind-numbing “Onegin” again.For information: www.roh.org.ukDmitri Hvorostovsky sings the title role until January 2. Artur Ruciński takes over for the final performances on January 4 and 7.
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