Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovosky War Memorial Opera House, 7 Dec 1997 San Francisco Opera This very Russian production of Eugene Onegin was a delight in many ways: well sung, ably conducted, beautiful in appearance. Through it all I found myself remembering what a pleasure it was to hear the Russian language so well sung -- all the "ch" and "schua" sounds blending seamlessly into the abundant melodies seemed very appropriate to me. The best singing came from secondary characters. Anthony Michaels-Moore's Onegin was pleasant but not memorable, a rich and dusky voice that filled the role well. Elene Prokina's Tatyana started weak, lost amidst the bigger voices and orchestral music early on, but opening up and becoming much richer and louder as the opera progressed. Marianna Tarasova's Olga was much more impressive, great lower register in an open, rich voice. She also was a vigorous actress. I also liked Sofia Aksenova's surprisingly powerful, musical sound as Filipyevna, and Michel Sénéchal's lyrical treatment of Triquet. I worried about the pace, especially the bedroom scene in Act 1. Can a modern audience enjoy a performance that develops this slowly and with this little action? Act 2 opens vigorously, briskly paced, by contrast, and the polonaise was a delight. Conductor Yuri Temirkanov (also credited with "production") was in firm control and evoked a rich, reedy sound from the SFO orchestra, somewhat overpowering for Tarasova and Irina Rubtsova (Madame Larina) but a wonderful vehicle for the beautiful music.