Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was 37 years old when the unhappy idea of getting married popped into his mind. The chosen one (although rather the chosen one was him), nine years his junior, was Antonina Miliukova, a former pupil. As it is known, the marriage lasted two and a half months, although, better expressed, that was how long the life "as a couple" lasted. The master kept sneaking Antonina all that time, until he finally deserted the conjugal bed, for good.
The master had to resort to a rest cure. But he recovered:
"There is no doubt that for some months I have been a bit crazy, and only now, being fully recovered, have I learned to relate objectively to everything I did during my brief period of insanity. The man who in May came up with the idea of marrying Antonina Ivanovna, who during June wrote a whole opera as if nothing had happened, who in September ran away from his wife, who in November embarked for Rome and other such things; that man was not me, but another Pyotr Ilyich."
The opera he wrote "as if nothing had happened" is the most recognized and successful of the twelve he composed, Eugene Onegin, an opera in three acts based freely on the homonymous novel in verse by his compatriot Alexander Pushkin. A social and psychological portrait of Russia in the twenties in the nineteenth century.
Very briefly, the story goes like this:
Tatiana, a naive and dreamy girl, falls for the charms of the sophisticated Eugene Onegin when he goes on a visit to the countryside. Tatiana confesses her love to him, but Eugene rejects her. To make it clear, Onegin decides to flirt with Olga, Tatiana's sister, and fiancée of his best friend, Lensky. Enraged by this behavior, Lensky challenges his friend Onegin to a duel. The event ends with Lensky's death. (It is not superfluous to add here that the poet Pushkin died in a duel, in 1837, when he was just over 37 years old). Onegin disappears for a long time. Years later he meets Tatiana, already married, at a party with an old prince. Onegin sees her dancing a cheerful polonaise, more beautiful than ever. This time it is Tatiana who refuses.
Polonaise, from Eugene Onegin, opus 24
Premiered in 1879 in Moscow, the opera received a warm reception, which continues to this day.
As was customary in the lyric theater of the romantic nineteenth century, scenes of dancing and festivities were not to be missed. In the third act, Onegin reunites Tatiana at a party. The guests enjoy themselves dancing a lively polonaise. This polonaise became very popular and today it is customary to include it in the symphonic repertoire as an autonomous piece.
The Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by the Russian conductor Yuri Temirkanov.
