because I was in CHICAGO!
Watching my favorite opera of all time... the beautiful, heartwrenching Eugene Onegin. A Russian opera based on the epic poem of Alexander Pushkin (the most famous Russian poet) and brought to measures of utter fantasy with the music of Tchaikovsky!
The plot... is pretty simple.
There's a guy named Evgeny. He's this well-to-do guy who has nothing to do, and just goes to balls and festivities. But he's bored. Soooo he goes to visit his friend Lenski in his house in the Russian countryside.
Now Lenski is completely in love with his neighbor. The neighboring house is the Larin residence, and they have two daughters. Lenski is in love with Olga - the pretty but empty-headed girl. Onegin goes with Lenski to visit this household... and the other sister, Tanya takes one look at Onegin and falls in love with HIM.
Then, Tanya does something VERY unusual for the day and age... she decides to confess her love to Onegin! She writes him a love letter, and as soon as she sent it, she regrets it...
...what will Evgeny think? She freaks out when he finally comes, but he smoothes things out. He tells her that he would make a horrible husband... that he wouldn't appreciate her. He is not ready to give up his roaming bachelor lifestyle. Tanya is releived, but heartbroken.
On Tanya's birthday there is a big party. Onegin is irritated at Lenski for dragging him to another ball. SO - he decides to push his buttons.
Onegin starts flirting with Olga. And Olga - being the pretty little bitch she is, returns the favor. Poor, idealistic, enamored Lenski was beside himself. How could this happen!?
Poor Lenski... grew angry. And Onegin didn't know when to stop. Before everyone knew it, an argument broke out, and...
LENSKI CALLED ONEGIN TO A DUEL!
Uh. Oh.
They go to the duel... Onegin came late. He didn't want to come at all.
By this time even Lenski was regretting it.
But they're MANLY men, and didn't say anything.
Well... they shot! Lenski missed... and Onegin tried to shoot without killing his friend.
But that didn't happen.
Lenski dropped dead.
What guilt for Onegin! He fled Russia and for four years travelled Europe, with his conscience trailing him. Finally he came back... only to end up at another ball!
And then, the lady of this rich house in Moscow came out...
and it was Tanya! The simple country girl who professed her love to him so long ago! But she's changed, she became stunning in mind and beauty, truly beautiful, not like her sister Olga.
And... suddenly Onegin didn't know what he was feeling! Could it be... he is in LOVE!
But it is too late. Tanya is married now, to a man who loves her very much. Onegin found her alone, and told her of what had happened, and tried to win her love again... and she confessed that although she did still love him, she could not, and would not leave her husband in disgrace for Onegin's sorry ass.
So - she left, and he was left with nothing.
Nice? Nice.
This type of story closely resembles that of Sense and Sensibility... in fact they are from the same time period. However, Sense and Sensibility takes place in England, while Evgeny Onegin takes place in Russia. But the similarities remain.
I just found a picture of the most famous Lenski of all time! (In Russia at least) Sergei Lemeshev. I have the recording, he is wonderful. :)
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