Introduced by Olympic champion figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, a native of the Bay Area and winner of 2008’s Dancing with the Stars, the production encores in high definition and 5.1 surround sound Sunday, December 12 at 9pm EST (check local listings) on THIRTEEN’s Great Performances on PBS. San Francisco Ballet Music Director and Principal Conductor Martin West conducts Tchaikovsky’s sprightly score.

Watch a preview:

Tchaikovsky’s beguiling score is one of the most popular pieces of music ever written. Think “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” and “Waltz of the Snowflakes.” Inspired by E.T.A. Hoffman’s 1816 story, The Nutcracker and The Mouse King, it was first proposed to Tchaikovsky by legendary choreographer Marius Petipa as a follow-up to Tchaikovsky’s other successful ballets at Russia’s famed Mariinsky Theatre: Swan Lake (1877) and The Sleeping Beauty (1890). The composer began work on it in 1891.

San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker was recorded on stage in performance at the War Memorial Opera House December 19 and 21, 2007. It is a co-production of San Francisco Ballet and KQED Public Television San Francisco, in association with Thirteen for WNET.ORG. Matthew Diamond (Dance in America’s Emmy Award-winning Swan Lake with American Ballet Theatre; Great Performances’ Crazy for You) directs; Judy Flannery (Great Performances’ A Streetcar Named Desire From the San Francisco Opera) produced. Michael Isip is Executive Producer for KQED.

An expanded version of San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker, featuring additional behind-the-scenes interviews with the production’s creators and a background piece on the 1915 World’s Fair, is available on DVD from Opus Arte/Naxos of America.

Great Performances is funded by the Irene Diamond Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, Vivian Milstein, the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, public television viewers and PBS. Major corporate funding for this telecast was provided by First Republic Bank, a division of Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust, Co., FSB. Special funding for the telecast was provided by Jim and Cecilia Herbert & Family. Additional support was provided by The Flora Family Foundation and members of the San Francisco Ballet’s 75th Anniversary Sponsors Council: major sponsors include the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, The Hellman Family and Yurie and Carl Pascarella; with additional sponsors including Stuart Francis and Diana Stark; Stephen and Margaret Gill Family Foundation; Cecilia and Jim Herbert; George Frederick Jewett Foundation, Lucille Jewett, Trustee; Barbara Ravizza and John Osterweis; Kathleen Scutchfield; The Smelick Family; The Swanson Foundation; Ms. Susan A. Van Wagner; E.L. Wiegand Foundation; Diane B. Wilsey; and Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang.

Viewers are treated to exclusive access to the Hermitage, Catherine the Great’s theater at the Winter Palace, the spectacular golden fountains and Golden Ballroom of the lavish Peterhof Palace, and the White Column Ball Room of the splendid Yusupov Palace. Orbelian and the State Hermitage Orchestra accompany Fleming and Hvorostovky in stirring performances of selections from Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” and “Il Trovatore,” as well as Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” “Queen of Spades” and “The Oprichnik,” with additional selections by Rachmaninov and Medtner accompanied by pianists Olga Kern (Fleming) and Ivari Ilja (Hvorostovsky). Between performances, viewers accompany the two acclaimed singers for romantic boat trips through St. Petersburg’s extensive canal system, revealing the city’s many scenic wonders.

Watch a preview:

Great Performances is a production of THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG – one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers. Recorded in high definition television and directed by Brian Large, the film—a thrilling blend of history, art and music—was conceived and produced by American conductor Constantine Orbelian, founder of the “Palaces of St. Petersburg” festival, and the only American in history to become Music Director of a Russian orchestra.

Viewers are treated to exclusive access to the Hermitage, Catherine the Great’s theater at the Winter Palace, the spectacular golden fountains and Golden Ballroom of the lavish Peterhof Palace, and the White Column Ball Room of the splendid Yusupov Palace. Orbelian and the State Hermitage Orchestra accompany Fleming and Hvorostovky in stirring performances of selections from Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” and “Il Trovatore,” as well as Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” “Queen of Spades” and “The Oprichnik,” with additional selections by Rachmaninov and Medtner accompanied by pianists Olga Kern (Fleming) and Ivari Ilja (Hvorostovsky). Between performances, viewers accompany the two acclaimed singers for romantic boat trips through St. Petersburg’s extensive canal system, revealing the city’s many scenic wonders.

Great Performances is funded by the Irene Diamond Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, Vivian Milstein, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, public television viewers, and PBS. Major support for the telecast is also provided by The Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Arts Fund. For Great Performances, John Walker is producer and Bill O’Donnell is series producer; David Horn is executive producer.

Dance in America

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
NUTCRACKER

Composer:  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Choreography: ©Helgi Tomasson

Scenic Design:  Michael Yeargan

Costume Design: Martin Pakledinaz

Lighting Design:  James F. Ingalls

Projection Design:  Wendall K. Harrington

Conductor: Martin West

Closing credit crawl:

Director  (CARD)
MATTHEW DIAMOND

Producer  (CARD)
JUDY FLANNERY

Host (CARD)
KRISTI YAMAGUCHI

Lighting Director
ALAN ADELMAN

Audio Producer & Engineer
ADAM ABESHOUSE

Coordinating Producer
ALISON GIBSON

Associate Director
RAE KRAUS

Associate Producer
JUNE MESINA OUELLETTE

Segment Producer
LINDA SCHALLER

CAST

Uncle Drosselmeyer
DAMIAN SMITH

Clara
ELIZABETH POWELL

Nutcracker Prince
DAVIT KARAPETYAN

Snow Queen
YUAN YUAN TAN

Snow King
PIERRE-FRANÇOIS VILANOBA

Sugar Plum Fairy
VANESSA ZAHORIAN

Genie
SARAH VAN PATTEN

Chinese Man
NICOLAS BLANC

Russian Lead
PASCAL MOLAT

Grand Pas De Deux Ballerina
MARIA KOCHETKOVA

Soloists

RICARDO BUSTAMANTE

ANITA PACIOTTI

PASCALE LEROY

JIM SOHM

RORY HOHENSTEIN

CLARA BLANCO

GARRETT ANDERSON

DAVID ARCE

DORES ANDRE

FRANCES CHUNG

JAIME GARCIA CASTILLA

HANSUKE YAMAMOTO

ANTHONY SPAULDING

BRETT BAUER

MARIELLEN OLSON

ELANA ALTMAN

JENNIFER STAHL

JAMES SOFRANKO

LOUIS SCHILLING

MATTHEW STEWART

Corps de Ballet

ERIN MCNULTY
MIRIAM ROWAN
COURTNEY CLARKSON
DANA GENSHAFT
COURTNEY WRIGHT
AARON ORZA
ALEXANDRA LOREY
GAREN SCRIBNER
PAULI MAGIEREK
STEVEN NORMAN
CHRISTOPHER MONDOUX
NICOLE GRAND
MARGARET KARL
SHANNON ROBERTS
SASHA DESOLA
DANIELLE SANTOS
COURTNEY ELIZABETH
ASHLEY MUANGMAITHONG
ALEXANDRA MCCULLAGH
LUDMILA CAMPOS
ADELINE KAISER
LILY ROGERS
PATRICIA PEREZ
CHARLENE COHEN

STUDENTS OF SAN FRANCISCO BALLET SCHOOL

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET ORCHESTRA

Music Director
MARTIN WEST

Production Manager
LEFTY LEFCOURT

Master Carpenter
NIXON BRACISCO

Master of Properties
KENNETH M. RYAN

Master Electrician
DENNIS HUDSON

Audio Engineer
KEVIN KIRBY

Orchestra Personnel Manager
TOM ROSE

Stage Manager
JANE GREEN

Wardrobe Supervisor
GEORGE ELVIN

Wig and Makeup
RICHARD BATTLE

PRODUCTION

Manager, TV Production Operations
FRANK CARFI

Unit Manager
JOLEE HOYT

Engineer in Charge
JIM ROLIN

Technical Director
GREG OVERTON

Camera Operators
DIANE BIEDERBECK
MIKE ELWELL
ED FUSSELL
VICTOR GONZALEZ
GREG KING
BETTINA LEVESQUE
JOHN REPCZYNSKI
RONNIE E. SMITH

Video
MARK SANFORD
ERIC SHACKELFORD

Videotape
HERB FERRETTE
JONATHAN MORRIS

Audio Recording Engineer
SILAS BROWN

Audio
HELEN SILVANI
FRED TETZNER

Field Engineers
TIM KUBIT
HUGH HEALY

Lighting Supervisor
KEVIN CONNAUGHTON

House Electricians
TIMOTHY PURCELL
ELOISE TWINING

Utilities
MARIA MENDOZA
MARTY COEN
RICK SANTANGELO
JIM MCKEE

Stage Manager
FRANK ZAMACONA

Graphic Design
ZALDY SERRANO
CARLO A. FLORES

Audio Post Production
ADAM ABESHOUSE
DANN THOMPSON

Script Consultant
SHARON WOOD

Editors
MARK STEPP
STEPHANIE CHALLBERG

Online Editor
ROBERT O’GEEN

Remote Crew

Camera
TOMAS TUCKER
RICK BUTLER

Audio
FRED TETZNER
HELEN SILVANI
LAURETTA MOLITOR

Tape
ERIC SHACKELFORD

Lighting
DARRELL FLOWERS
JEFFREY GILLIAM
JOE MENDOZA

Grip
JAMES GREENFIELD
RICK EDMONDSON

Teleprompter
RANDY BRASE

Stage Manager
MARGARET CLARKE

Special Thanks
Conservatory of Flowers
Park and Recreation, San Francisco

Richard Reutlinger
Tim Simon and Ann Little Simon

Archival Photos and Film Courtesy Of
Donna Ewald Huggins
The Exploratorium of San Francisco

For San Francisco Ballet

Artistic Director
HELGI TOMASSON

Executive Director
GLENN McCOY

General Manager
LESLEY KOENIG

For  KQED

Vice President, Television & Education Network
MICHAEL J. ISIP

Vice President, TV Engineering & Operations
STEVE WELCH

Executive Vice President, Marketing & Communications
DONALD DERHEIM

For Great Performances

Production Associate
MIICHAEL WEINSTEIN-REIMAN

Series Producer
BILL O’DONNELL

Executive Producer
DAVID HORN

A Co-production of
San Francisco Ballet and KQED Public Television
In association with Thirteen/WNET New York

© 2008  KQED, Inc.
San Francisco Ballet Association

Web Credits

PRODUCER
Daniel Ross

DESIGNER
Nicholas Miller

PAGEBUILDING
Brian Santalone

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Brian Lee

Producer: Anu Krishnan
Designer: Lenny Drozner
Graphic Art: Ying Zhou-Hudson
Technical Director: Brian Lee
Production Assistant: Diana Cofresí-Terrero
Copy Editor: Leslie Kriesel
HTML Implementation: Brian Santalone

GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages copyright © 2007 Educational Broadcasting Corporation.

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Anthony Chapman, Director of Interactive & Broadband. Bob Adleman, Business Manager. Tamara E. Robinson, Vice President & Director, Programming.

About the Writer

Tim Smith is the classical music critic of THE BALTIMORE SUN. He has also written for THE NEW YORK TIMES, OPERA NEWS, and BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE, among other publications. His writing has won several regional and national journalism awards, including a first place in arts criticism from the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors. He is the author of THE NPR CURIOUS LISTENER’S GUIDE TO CLASSICAL MUSIC (Perigee Books).

Television Credits

GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET: “Eugene Onegin”

Directed by
Brian Large

Conductor
Valery Gergiev

Production
Robert Carsen

Set & Costume Design
Michael Levine

Lighting Design
Jean Kalman

Choreographer
Serge Bennathan

Stage Director
Peter McClintock

Host
Mikhail Baryshnikov

Characters in Order of Vocal Appearance
Tatiana
Renée Fleming

Olga
Elena Zaremba

Madame Larina
Svetlana Volkova

Filippyevna, Tatiana’s Nurse
Larisa Shevchenko

Lenski
Ramón Vargas

Eugene Onegin
Dmitri Hvorostovsky

A Captain
Keith Miller

Triquet
Jean-Paul Fouchécourt

Zaretski
Richard Bernstein

Prince Gremin
Sergei Aleksashkin

Dancers
Linda Gelinas
Sam Meredith

Chorus Master
Raymond Hughes

Musical Preparation
Jane Klaviter
Linda Hall
Paul Nadler
Yelena Kurdina

Assistant Stage Directors
Gregory Keller
Paula Suozzi

Dramaturg
Paul Cremo

Prompter
Jane Klaviter

Met Titles
Cori Ellison

Russian Coach
Yelena Kurdina

A Metropolitan Opera High-Definition Production

Supervising Producers
Mia Bongiovanni
Elena Park

Producers
Louisa Briccetti
Victoria Warivonchik

Audio Producer
Jay David Saks

Associate Director
Jay Millard

Engineer-in-Charge
Mark Schubin

Technical Supervisor
Ron Washburn

Technical Director
Jon Pretnar

Audio Supervisor
Bill King

Television Lighting
Wayne Chouinard

Writer
Ellen Keel

Camera
Miguel Armstrong
Win Bernfeld
Manny Gutierrez
John Kosmaczewski
Robert Long
John Meiklejohn
David Smith
Larry Solomon
Ron Washburn

Robotic Camera Technicians
Rick Compeau
Ron Travisano

Video
Billy Steinberg
Matty Randazzo
Paul Ranieri
Anthony de Fonzo

Audio
Mel Becker
Paul Cohen
Blake Norton
Michael Shoskes
Shawn Marie Walsh

Videotape
Alan Buchner
Steven Joyce

Television Stage Managers
Terence Benson
Hank Neimark

English Subtitles Adapted by
Sonya Friedman

Broadcast Graphics
Deborah Cavanaugh

Score Reader
John Geller

Makeup for Renée Fleming
Matiki Anoff

Production Associate
Yolanda S. Williams

Host Segment Lighting
Alan Adelman

Production Assistants
Michael Griebel
Alyse Horn
Enzo E. Martinez
Harriet Snyder
Post Production
Video Editor
Gary Bradley

HD Nitris Editing
Laura Young

Audio Editor
John Bowen

Post-Production Audio Mix
Ken Hahn

Metropolitan Opera Association
General Manager
Peter Gelb

Music Director
James Levine

Assistant Managers
Artistic
Sarah Billinghurst

Technical
Joseph Clark

Editorial & Creative Content
Elena Park
Operations
Stewart Pearce

Finance
Bill Thomas

Development
Coralie Toevs

Director of Media & Presentations
Mia Bongiovanni

Marketing Director
Julie Borchard-Young

Artistic Administrator
Jonathan Friend

General Counsel
Sharon E. Grubin

Senior Artistic Advisor
Eva Wagner-Pasquier

Director of Human Resources & Labor Relations
Ann Marie Hackett

Director of Music Administration
Craig Rutenberg

House Manager
James Naples

Press Director
Sommer Hixson

Director, New Business Development
Laura Mitgang

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Orchestra Manager
Robert Sirinek

Concertmaster
David Chan

Librarian
Robert Sutherland

Metropolitan Opera Chorus

Metropolitan Opera Ballet

Ballet Mistress
Diana Levy
Stage Managers
Margo Maier
Scott Moon
Gary Dietrich
Theresa Ganley

Local 1 IATSE

Stage Operations
Master Carpenter
Stephen A. Diaz

Master Electrician
Paul Donahue

Properties Master
James R. Blumenfeld

Wig and Hair Stylist
Tom Watson

Makeup Artist
Victor Callegari
Wardrobe Supervisor
William Malloy

Costume Shop Head
Lesley Weston

Resident Costume Designer
Sylvia Nolan

Production Facilities
All Mobile Video Inc.
Dolby Laboratories

Remote Recording
Tandberg Television

Media Counsel
Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vasallo, P.C.

The stage production of “Eugene Onegin” is made possible by a generous gift from The Lila Acheson and Dewitt Wallace Fund.

The revival of the stage production is made possible by a generous gift from The Dr. M. Lee Pearce Foundation and Jane W. Nuhn Charitable Trust.

For GREAT PERFORMANCES
Director, Program Development
Bill O’Donnell

Series Producer
David Horn

A Metropolitan Opera Production in association with PBS/Thirteen WNET New York

Executive Producer
Peter Gelb

EUGENE ONEGIN: IN REHEARSAL AT THE MET
Director
Allan Miller

Editor
Donna Marino

Producer
Margaret Smilow

Line Producer
Sonoko Aoyagi Leopold

Directors of Photography
Don Lenzer
Mead Hunt
Sound
Roger Phenix
Paul Coté

Assistant Camera
Ronan Killeen

HD Nitris Editor
Sean Stall

Re-recording Mixer
Ed Campbell

Sound Editor
Evan Benjamin

Subtitles
Cori Ellison

Production Assistants
John Bennett
Jonathan Fatigate

Yamaha is the official piano of The Metropolitan Opera

For Thirteen/WNET New York
Supervising Producer
Junko Tsunashima

Business Affairs
Arlen Appelbaum

Project Management
Jane Buckwalter

EUGENE ONEGIN: IN REHEARSAL AT THE MET was produced in association with Thirteen/WNET New York and White Nights Foundation of America

The contents of these GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages are copyrighted under United States and other copyright laws. You may not download, reproduce, transmit, display, distribute or make derivative works from the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages other than for personal use without the advance written permission of the copyright owner. Any unauthorized use of any of the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Online Web pages may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

Reached in Paris, the day after performing in Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” at l’Opéra national de Paris, celebrated Siberian-born baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky talked about one of his signature roles — the title character in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” — and the Metropolitan Opera production he starred in that will be presented by GREAT PERFORMANCES

GREAT PERFORMANCES: What draws you to the title character of “Eugene Onegin”? Is he a difficult character to portray?

Dmitri Hvorostovsky: This personage is not easy to understand, even for someone who has been doing this role for decades. The character created by Pushkin in literature is very complex. In the opera, he appears slightly different, with an infusion of Tchaikovsky’s own personality and attitude that changes [Onegin] a little bit

He is definitely not the bad guy, which is how he is portrayed often in the West. He is a product of his time, very cynical, but highly educated, refusing to be active. There are a lot of question marks at the end of the opera. Who will this young man become? Potentially, he could become a revolutionist, a member of the avant-garde Decembrist movement. Will it be easier for him to commit suicide because of his unlucky love? Or will he become someone who would do something for society? Will he start writing? Or become a politician and fight against the routine of government structures?

Onegin is from the beginning of the 19th century, but he is also a common figure in our time. So each time there is a new production, we try to find out who Onegin is. The easiest thing to say is that he is a bad guy because he turned down Tatiana, and gets what he deserves when, years later, he suddenly falls in love with her — and she turns him down. But this is not true. He is a much more profound guy

GP: Do you need to be a Russian singer to get the maximum out of this opera?

DH: I’ve been outside of Russia for many years, so I’ve become a foreigner myself. I’ve seen more of an international conception of this opera. My own conception of many things has been changed a great deal because I have changed over the years. My life and professional experiences have taught me a lot more than I knew when I first did this opera

GP: It has been said by more than one observer that you were born to sing Onegin, that the role suits your voice perfectly. What were your feelings about the music when you first sang it?

DH: Tchaikovsky wrote nothing easy for a musician — singers, instrumentalists, everyone would complain about the difficulties Tchaikovsky wrote. He had no pity on singers. Only mature singers can really handle it. But when I performed Onegin for the first time, I felt like it was a piece of cake because I was a student, and I felt I would conquer the world with incredible speed and velocity

Then I started to perform the role abroad and became slightly frustrated with the conceptions of stage directors who had not treated one of my favorite personages with all the respect it deserves. I put myself into a difficult position trying to fight it, being young and quite arrogant. One of my first appearances as Onegin was in Paris in 1993. I fought with all my strength and all my knowledge against the stage director. I had a group of Russian singers supporting me. Eventually, though, we did the production and it was nicely done. But ever since, I lost the respect of that director; he has always refused to hire me. He still doesn’t like me, even now

After doing the role many times, I found I could not be satisfied with myself as an actor or a musician. I was always looking for the ideal Tatiana, the ideal conductor, and the ideal production. I couldn’t find that balance, so I gave up the role for a number of years

GP: Why have you felt confident to perform this work again, and at the Metropolitan Opera?

DH: One of the reasons I came back to “Onegin,” if not the main reason, was my good friend Renée Fleming

We first did it in 2000, in a concert at Avery Fisher Hall. It struck me then that I had actually found the ideal Tatiana. I knew she could refresh my performance of Onegin. She seems quite Slavonic to me. I guess she has some Slavonic blood in her. The first time I heard her sing Tatiana, she was vibrating the right kind of strength in her heart and soul. It touched me right away. Finally, we got together on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera and did a very, very beautiful production that has been seen at movie theaters and can now be seen on television. I am still feeling very satisfied about this. To do “Onegin” with Renée, with [tenor] Ramón [Vargas], and with [conductor] Valery [Gergiev] in one of my favorite theaters in the world — the Metropolitan is like family to me — has been wonderful. I’m now very keen to do this opera as many times as I can, but I’m probably becoming too mature, too old for Onegin. [Hvorostovsky is 44; the character of Onegin is in his early 20s.]

GP: What do you like best about working with Renée Fleming?

DH: She’s very unpredictable as an artist. Each time I sing with her it is surprising. She always tries to challenge herself, to take risks. She is an amazing artist. I am very proud to sing with her. She has a big, powerful, loving heart that she performs from. And she has one of the most perfect techniques among sopranos of our time. I’m sure she can do anything she wants to

GP: The other big star of the Met’s “Onegin” is Ramón Vargas as Lenski. What are your thoughts about his performance?

DH: Ramon is so touching, so amazing. This is another beautiful performance that matches the character. He is a very vulnerable Lenski, a typical poet — even visually. He reminds me of one of the historic persons that Pushkin knew himself. Ramon is also an absolutely beautiful musician. The way he sings Lenski really pleases me a great deal

GP: You used the word “unpredictable” when discussing Renée Fleming. It’s a word that critics often use to describe Valery Gergiev’s conducting. Does that make things difficult for you?

DH: Valery is always very easy to work with. He makes you feel so comfortable and secure. He’s a superhuman to me. I’ve known him for many years and consider him to be a dear friend. I have so much respect for him, the way he can pull the heartstrings in any music he conducts. He is not just surprising in performance; the profundity of any performance he conducts is also so incredible. Anything we do together feels like a piece of cake. He always welcomes any ideas I can create. He always follows me. Believe me, to have such a conductor, it encourages you

GP: You have enjoyed particular success in Italian repertoire as well as Russian. Will that continue to be a big part of your career?

DH: I’m still doing a lot of Verdi, still enjoying it. I’m so happy, like yesterday [April 10] here [Paris Opera], with the opening of “Simon Boccanegra,” probably the best role ever written for [a] baritone. It is such a pleasure and privilege to do this role. I will be doing it at the Met in a few yearsí time

GP: Are there other Verdi roles you plan to add to your repertoire?

DH: I haven’t done Iago or Macbeth yet, but probably will soon

GP: What about other Italian composers, from Rossini to Puccini?

DH: I used to do [Rossini's] “Barbiere [di Siviglia].” I mentioned it to [Metropolitan Opera general manager] Peter Gelb, and he just raised his eyebrows. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I just changed the subject. A lot of people have been sitting on my shoulders trying to persuade me to do Scarpia [in Puccini's "Tosca"], but I think that will have to wait

GP: Are there other operas you particularly want to tackle?

DH: I’m not dying to do anything, but I’m trying to enlarge my repertoire. I also want to expand my activity

GP: Do you mean outside of opera?

DH: I’m curious to do something else, probably a movie — maybe an action movie, with no singing [laughter]. And I’m curious to perform different types of music, like classic pop. But anything like this needs to be thought through

GP: Meanwhile, how are you enjoying your career?

DH: My life is very beautiful, very exciting, and quite lucky. It is the biggest pleasure in the world to perform for a crowd that listens to your every breath. What can be better than this?

Interview by Tim Smith for GREAT PERFORMANCES Online conducted in April 2007.

Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Librettists: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Konstantin Shilovsky, after Alexander Pushkin’s poem

Production: Robert Carsen

Conductor: Valery Gergiev

Performers: Renée Fleming (Tatiana), Elena Zaremba (Olga), Ramón Vargas (Lenski), Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Onegin), Svetlana Volkova (Mme. Larina), Larisa Shevchenko (Filippyevna), Sergei Aleksashkin (Prince Gremin), Jean-Paul Fouchécourt (Monsieur Triquet), Richard Bernstein (Zaretsky), Keith Miller (Captain), and Linda Gelinas and Sam Meredith (Dancers)

Synopsis:
Act I
Scene 1: The widowed Madame Larina and her servant Filippyevna listen as the Larin daughters, Olga and Tatiana, sing. The peasants come from the fields, celebrating the completion of the harvest with songs and dances. Olga teases Tatiana for avoiding the festivities; pensive Tatiana prefers her romance novels. When the peasants leave, Olga’s suitor, the poet Lenski, arrives with his worldly friend Eugene Onegin. Lenski pours out his love for Olga (”Ya lyublyu vas”). Onegin strolls with Tatiana and asks how she doesn’t get bored with country life. Unnerved by the handsome stranger, Tatiana answers with difficulty. The two couples go inside for dinner as night falls.

Scene 2: In her bedroom, Tatiana persuades the reluctant Filippyevna to tell her of her first love and marriage. Tatiana admits she is in love and asks to be left alone. She sits up the entire night writing a passionate letter to Onegin. When day breaks, she gives the letter to Filippyevna for her grandson to deliver.

Scene 3: A group of women sing as they work in the Larins’ garden. They leave, and Tatiana appears, nervous, followed by Onegin. He asks that she hear him out patiently. He admits that the letter was touching, but adds that he would quickly grow bored with marriage and can only offer her friendship. He coldly advises more emotional control in the future, lest another man take advantage of her innocence.

Act II
Scene 1: Some months later, a party is under way in the Larins’ house for Tatiana’s name day. Young couples dance while older guests comment and gossip. Onegin dances with Tatiana, but he is bored by these country people and their provincial ways. Annoyed with Lenski for having dragged him there, Onegin dances with Olga, who is momentarily distracted by the charming man. Monsieur Triquet, the elderly French tutor, serenades Tatiana with a song he has written in her honor (”A cette fête conviée”). When the dancing resumes, Lenski jealously confronts Onegin. Madame Larina begs the men not to quarrel in her house, but Lenski cannot be placated and Onegin accepts his challenge to a duel.

Scene 2: Lenski waits for Onegin at the appointed spot at dawn. Lenski reflects on the folly of his brief life and imagines Olga visiting his grave (”Kuda, kuda”). Onegin finally arrives. He and Lenski admit to themselves that the duel is pointless and they would prefer to laugh together than to fight, but honor must be satisfied. The duel is marked off and Onegin shoots Lenski dead.

Act III
Several years later, a magnificent ball is being given in the Gremin Palace in St. Petersburg. Onegin appears, reflecting bitterly on the fact that he has traveled the world seeking excitement and some meaning in life, and all his efforts have led him to yet another dull social event. Suddenly, he recognizes Tatiana across the ballroom. She is no longer a naïve country girl, but is sumptuously gowned and bearing herself with great dignity. Questioning his cousin, Prince Gremin, he learns that Tatiana is now Gremin’s wife. The older man explains that he married Tatiana two years previously and describes her as his life’s salvation. When Gremin introduces Onegin, Tatiana maintains her composure, but excuses herself after a few words of polite conversation. Onegin is surprised to realize he himself is in love with Tatiana.

Tatiana is distressed the next day after she receives an impassioned letter from Onegin. He rushes in and falls at her feet, but she maintains her control. Does he desire her only for her wealth and position? She recalls the days when they might have been happy, but that time has passed. Onegin repeats his love for her. Faltering for a moment, she admits that she still loves him, but she will not allow him to ruin her. She leaves him regretting his bitter destiny.

Opera synopsis courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

Funding for GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET: “Eugene Onegin” has been provided by Toll Brothers, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Mr. and Mrs. Sid R. Bass, and The Annenberg Foundation, and PBS.

Related Web Sites

• Renée Fleming
• Dmitri Hvorostovsky
• Ramón Vargas
• The Metropolitan Opera: Elena Zaremba
• Mariinsky Theatre: Opera: Svetlana Volkova
• Mariinsky Theatre: Opera: Larisa Shevchenko
• Naxos.com: Jean-Paul Fouchécourt
• Allied Artists: Sergei Aleksashkin
• Richard Bernstein
• ADA-Artists.com: Keith Miller
• Decca Classics: Valery Gergiev
• Tchaikovsky

Act I

As conceived by Peter Wright, after the original book by Lev Ivanov. Herr Drosselmeyer (Anthony Dowell), a mysterious magician and creator of mechanical toys and clocks, was once employed at the royal palace, where he invented a trap that killed off half the mouse population. In revenge, the wicked Mouse Queen cast a spell on Drosselmeyer’s nephew, Hans-Peter (Ivan Putrov), which transformed him into an ugly nutcracker doll. The only way to break the spell is for the Nutcracker to slay the Mouse King and for a young girl to love and care for him in spite of his awful appearance.

When Drosselmeyer is invited to entertain the guests at a Christmas party given by his friends, the Stahlbaums, he decides that this could well be the opportunity he has been looking for. The Stahlbaums have a daughter, Clara (Alina Cojocaru), who is a little younger than Hans-Peter. And what better time than Christmas, when the mice are busy stealing the leftovers, for a confrontation between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker? Drosselmeyer decides to put the Nutcracker in the tender care of Clara and makes a special Christmas angel to guide her through her task.

When all the guests have departed and the house is asleep, Clara, in search of the nutcracker doll, creeps downstairs and discovers Drosselmeyer waiting for her. He draws her into his own special world of fantasy, where time is suspended, and exerts all his powers to transform the living room into a great battlefield. Then he summons the Mouse King (Christopher Saunders). In the ensuing fight between the mice and the toy soldiers, the Nutcracker slays the Mouse King, but only through the intervention of Clara, who, out of compassion, saves the Nutcracker’s life.

Act II

Restored to his real self, Hans-Peter dances with Clara, and they find themselves in the Land of Snow. Drosselmeyer then sends them on a magic journey to the Sugar Garden in the Kingdom of Sweets, where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy (Miyako Yoshida) and her Prince (Jonathan Cope). Freed at last from his imprisonment inside the nutcracker, Hans-Peter recounts to the Sugar Plum Fairy his great adventure and how Clara saved his life. They then join in a magnificent entertainment put on by Drosselmeyer to honor them for their bravery.

Returning to reality, Clara runs out into the street in search of Drosselmeyer and encounters a strangely familiar young man, while back in his workshop Drosselmeyer prays that his efforts will be rewarded. His nephew returns; the spell has indeed been broken.

From London’s beautifully refurbished Covent Garden Opera House comes this elegant new production with one of Tchaikovsky’s most enduring scores for the ballet. Generations of audiences have enjoyed this perennial Christmas favorite, a charming tale of holiday adventure that follows a little girl’s journey through a fantasy world of fairies, princes, toy soldiers, and an army of mice. Revised by Sir Peter Wright with sets designed by Julia Trevelyan Oman, the new Royal Ballet production features an acclaimed cast, including Ivan Putrov as the Nutcracker, Alina Cojocaru as Clara, Miyako Yoshida as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Sir Anthony Dowell as the toy- and clockmaker Herr Drosselmeyer. Conductor Evgenii Svetlanov leads the Royal Opera Orchestra through some of Tchaikovsky’s most beloved music, including “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” and “Waltz of the Snowflakes.”

The two-act ballet had its premiere at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 17, 1892. It was based on Alexander Dumas père’s THE NUTCRACKER OF NUREMBERG, which was an adaptation of an earlier story by E.T.A. Hoffmann called THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING. Read a synopsis of “The Nutcracker” to become more familiar with the holiday classic. You can also print a set and a variety of character cutouts from “The Nutcracker,” which can then be colored and assembled in order to stage your own version of the ballet.

Related Web Sites

• The Royal Ballet

• The Nutcracker Ballet

• NPR: The Enduring Spirit of the Nutcracker

• Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky