List Item: Listen to half of the 1001 Classical Works You Must Hear Before You Die
Progress: 117/501Title: Eugene Onegin
Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Nationality: Russian
Year: 1878
Well, it was about time that I was going to end up with a longer piece after so many short ones. So here I am with my fifth Tchaikovsky piece and the first of his operas. Knowing this was going to be a Tchaikovsky work, and considering how much I love the music of The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, I guess I went into this with inflated expectations.
However, there is a bit of a trend here that is beginning to ring true. Where the music of ballets tend to work fine without the visuals, the music of operas don’t necessarily. I mean, would you listen to a movie if you had the option of watching it? Well, the whole point of this list is these are pieces to listen to and, sadly, Eugene Onegin didn’t live up to the other Tchaikovskys I’ve listened to.
I have read the synopsis so I kinda got the idea of what was going on, but the music never quite got me. Once things re-open more post-Covid, I think I will try and see these pieces live again – but for now I want to continue making my way through this as there sure are plenty to go.