Holguín to Premiere Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin

The opera Eugene Onegin, crafted by celebrated Russian composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and inspired by the novel of the same name by his fellow countryman Aleksandr Pushkin, will debut in Holguín for a special one-night performance on March 15.

With choreography, staging, and artistic direction by Helson Hernández, and under the general direction of soprano Liudmila Pérez López, the production features the talented ensemble of the Rodrigo Prats Opera Theater. Soprano Isabel Torres and baritone Carlos Manuel González lead the cast in the starring roles, joined by Jorge Luis Peña Alonso, with standout appearances by baritone Alfredo Más and soprano Liudmila Pérez.

The performance will also showcase guest soloists from Havana’s lyrical scene, including mezzo-soprano Giselle Polanco and tenor Jorge Luis Guzmán. A key highlight is the Holguín Symphony Orchestra, led by its principal conductor, maestro Orestes Saavedra, performing alongside the choir and ballet corps of the city’s eastern opera company.

Helson Hernández notes that the narrative of Eugene Onegin intertwines gripping drama and tragedy, from a duel between two former friends to the fragile hope of love undone by its own impossibility.

This exclusive, one-off staging of a Russian literary and operatic masterpiece will take place at 8:00 p.m. in the Raúl Camayd Main Hall of the Eddy Suñol Cultural Complex. The event serves as the closing highlight of the first Russian Festival in the “City of Parks,” supported by Holguín’s Provincial Council of Performing Arts, the Provincial Directorate of Culture, CMBF National Music Radio, and the Russian House in Havana.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez

Photo: Cubaescena