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Coming up in Philly music: Strong story, great music
Tom Purdom
Many popular operas tell stories that seem unbelievable or absurd. Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin is one of the great exceptions. It combines a believable, meaningful story by a great Russian writer, Alexander Pushkin, with music by a great composer. This week, the Russian Opera Workshop will present three concert-style performances of Eugene Onegin at the Academy of Vocal Arts theater on Spruce Street.
The story, complete with a duel and love turning the tables, follows a St. Petersburg man who inherits a country estate and captures the heart of a girl in the village — but she does not stay poor and obscure.
The Russian Opera Workshop is an intensive professional development program conducted by Ghenady Meirson, who teaches opera students at Curtis and AVA. Rising young vocalists come to Philadelphia to study the Russian opera repertory with a renowned expert. It’s primarily an educational program, but its free concerts have become one of the entertainment bargains of the Philadelphia summer.
The Russian Opera Workshop will present Eugene Onegin on July 31 and August 2 and 3 at 7:30pm at the Helen Corning Warden Theater at the Academy of the Vocal Arts (1920 Spruce Street). Admission is free, but the theater is small and intimate, so it’s recommended you come early.
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