OPERAS don’t always belong to their title characters. And in Tchaikovsky’s Pushkin-based Eugene Onégin it’s really the women who are at the heart of the piece.
It sees the bored, superfluous Onégin live with regrets; first, his rejection of the young, shy Tatyana who goes through a life-changing transformation as a result; and second, remorse for his fatal duel with Lensky, his best friend and the fiancée of Tatyana’s younger sister Olga.
It is therefore rather fitting that NI Opera’s upcoming production will feature, for the first time, four Northern Ireland talents in the principal female roles of Tatyana, Olga, Madame Larina and Filipevna.
“There’s young daughters, there’s a mother and there’s a nanny and they’re all really strong characters that people will be able to relate to,” explains mezzo soprano Carolyn Dobbin, who will assume the role of Madame Larina, the mother of Tatyana and Olga.
“My character is very like the mother in Bridgerton who has all the kids that she’s trying to marry off,” she laughs.
“But it’s really nice to have stepped up into that maternal role and have the opportunity to sing and act in older roles. Larina is just a fascinating woman to play.
“She’s an aristocratic lady but she’s had quite a difficult time.
“She had an arranged marriage and wasn’t very happy about it to begin with but then, over time, she’s become content with her lot and running the estate and bringing up the girls, which I suppose sort of mirrors Tatyana’s own story.”
Tatyana, who is often dubbed as Tchaikovsky’s heroine, will be played by Downpatrick award-winning soprano, Mary McCabe.
“She is such a beautiful character to discover and portray,” Mary enthuses.
“Her music is highly romanticised and emotional and so thrilling to sing.
“There’s one incredible lengthy scene where she’s alone onstage and she spends the entire night exploring her newfound passion for Onégin and writing him a letter declaring her love – it’s like 15 minutes long.
“Then she goes through a bit of a transformation so by act three she’s like a completely different woman.
“So, getting to have that kind of development and the opportunity to discover who my Tatyana is, is so exciting.”
Whilst Tatayana is depicted as a quiet dreamer who loves to read, her sister Olga, who will be played by mezzo soprano Sarah Richmond, is almost a direct contrast. Sarah describes her as the “caddish sister”.
“Typically, Olga is portrayed as a coquettish and light-hearted character whereas Tatyana is more of a deep thinker,” she explains.
“So, in many ways I think we’re meant to be a contrasting pair and balance each other out.”
In the background, taking care of all three of the Larina women, is devoted family servant Filipyevna, played by mezzo soprano Jenny Bourke.
“It’s funny because she’s described as the old nurse in Pushkin’s novel but I’d like to stress she’s a bit younger in the show,” Jenny clarifies.
“She’s a bit like the nanny but she seems to have a really close connection to the family. She’s very much Madame Larina’s confidant and she has a real affinity with Tatyana.
“So, she definitely feels like she’s one of the family. She’s not just the hired help and in the first half of the opera she’s quite pivotal.”
“We don’t really hear much about her after that but there’s a couple of party scenes, so I believe I’ll be on stage doing something... but hopefully not dancing,” she laughs.
Notably, this production will be both Jenny and Sarah’s main stage debut with NI Opera.
Whilst Sarah, Carolyn and Mary are full-time musicians with an extensive repertoire, Jenny currently juggles her passion for music with an active peripatetic teaching job.
“Over the last year I’ve cut down on that job because I knew I had some exciting opportunities in the diary,” she confesses, adding: “Sometimes there is a wee touch of imposter syndrome.
“But the company have really nurtured me and have helped me get back into opera – I did a lot in my twenties and thirties.
“And after Covid I was encouraged to come and audition for NI Opera. They’ve been really wonderful and I just feel really blessed.”
There are many challenges when preparing for an opera, Sarah explains,
“To summarise, you prepare musically and you prepare dramatically, so there’s two kinds of worlds that you need to combine.”
However, the quartet unanimously agree that learning Russian has been the most challenging part of their preparation so far.
“It’s a really tricky language,” Mary admits.
“For me, I look at the language separate from the music and then try and put them together and see how the music informs the text and vice versa.
“But it’s a whole process that just keeps evolving.”
Nodding in agreement Carolyn adds: “For me, the process involves getting someone to speak the language and then I listen to it and speak it in rhythm and then go to coaches and have lessons.
“So, there’s a whole big preparation that takes months in advance of it all.”
The opera will be directed by Northern Ireland Opera’s CEO and artistic director Cameron Menzies. This will be his fourth full scale production, having received critical acclaim for his previous works including productions of La Traviata (2022), Tosca (2023) and Into the Woods (2023).
“The fact that this is the first time four Northern Irish female singers are the four principal parts within the opera is a real credit to Cameron,” says Carolyn.
“Cameron’s a genius - whether it’s to do with the staging or the music or the creativity there’s nothing he won’t turn his hand to,” adds Jenny.
“He is such a team player and he always makes you feel safe and there’s always a lot of laughter and fun in the process. I always look forward to working with him.”
My question about why non-opera fans should come and see the show is met with a split response from the quartet.
Both Sarah and Mary hope it will be the the relatability of the story that draws people in.
“If you’ve ever loved someone who didn’t love you back or you’ve been wronged by someone and wanted justice for yourself – that is what this show is all about,” says Sarah.
“I think if people knew just how relatable and contemporary parts of the story are they’d absolutely love it.”
Mary adds: “It’s a really human story.
“Most people have experienced that feeling of unrequited love, societal pressures or the loss of youth and will really identify with those themes within the show.”
Contrastingly, Jenny and Carolyn believe Euguene Onégin is the ideal opera for fans of regency dramas and historical romances due to its tension and tragedy.
“There are so many luscious, dramatic, fabulous big scenes that will transport you in a similar way to Bridgerton or Downton Abbey, and then you’re going to get some really hard-hitting emotional stuff as well,” Jenny describes.
“It’s a story about family, duty, passion, everlasting unrequited love and death,” Carolyn enthuses.
“It’s better than any soap opera.”
