Eugene Onegin

Tatiana Monogarova may not be a familiar name to many opera lovers (let alone the general public), but she deserves to be, based on her extraordinary performance in this 2008 Bolshoi Theatre production of the classic Tchaikovsky work, staged at the Paris Opera, with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra conducted by Alexander Vedernikov. As Tatiana—the young Muscovite whose love is rebuffed by the volatile aristocrat, Eugene Onegin (Mariusz Kwiecien), and later, after she's married, becomes the object of his intense longing—Monogarova offers sublime acting that captures a wealth of emotions with a grace and depth that is uncommon for any medium, let alone opera, while her singing is peerless, with a clarity and sincerity that makes the viewer ache for Tatiana's sadness and cheer for her ascendance from lonely girl to self-assured mature woman. A slight drawback is that Monogarova's magic rises above a production that is never quite her equal, despite some fine performances, particularly from Kwiecien and from Margarita Mamsirova as Tatiana's doomed sister, Olga. It also doesn't help that director Dmitri Tcherniakov's concept of the opera often bogs down into stagnant stretches. But whenever Monogarova is onscreen, these problems can easily be forgiven—her star power more than compensates. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1, DVD extras include a short behind-the-scenes documentary and a 24-page booklet. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)