Boy meets girl. Girl writes boy letter declaring her love. Boy dismisses letter and tells girl to look elsewhere. Girl's sister is betrothed to boy's best friend. Boy deliberately comes on to sister in front of girl and best friend at girl's birthday party. Sister is flattered at boy's attention, but best friend is pissed and challenges boy to a duel. Boy shoots best friend dead. Boy wanders aimlessly for 20 years before returning home. Girl has married boy's older cousin, a prince. Boy meets girl again. Both are now turned on to each other. But, as everyone knows, duty's more important than passion. So girl tells boy to beat it; she never wants to see him again. Girl goes back to husband; boy's life is shattered forever.

Such is the gist of Tchaikovsky's operatic condensation of Russia's literary giant, Alexander Pushkin's story/poem Eugene Onegin. Not only did last Friday see Indianapolis Opera's first production of it, but this was IO's first ever foray into an opera sung in Russian--or, for that matter, in any language beyond Italian, German, French, or English.

More importantly, this was a well staged, well conducted, well sung production--and a good introduction for IO patrons into a less appreciated aspect of Tchaikovsky's art than his numerous concert/ballet repertoire favorites. From the opening bars of this set of "lyric scenes" in three acts, the orchestra projects and maintains a yearning, wistful lyricism which exquisitely depicts elements of early 19th-century Russian society--in particular the dissolute lives of the idle rich, personified by Onegin (the "boy").

Jeff Mattsey sang the title role with much high register writing--for a baritone, but his range lay well within the composer's registration. Tenor Mark Thomsen sang Vladimir Lensky (the "best friend") with a hint of strain in his louder passages. The opera's dominating figure, Tatyana (the "girl"), was beautifully sung by IO's familiar soprano, Amy Johnson. Scarcely less riveting was soprano Kirsten Gunlogson singing Olga (the "sister"). The supporting roles were mostly well done--except that "Prince" Gremin was badly sung by bass Kenneth Cox, delivering a thin, raspy voice.

Onegin's sets and staging were colorful, with the chorus and dancing effective. The simulated tree trunks tended to sway in a slow cadence when touched--a mild distraction. James Caraher, however, conducted the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra with sufficient finesse to bring Tchaikovsky's lyric tragedy into solid focus.