Peter Iljitsch Tschaikowsky

Eugene Onegin, Op. 24: Polonaise (Act III, No. 19)

EUGENE ONEGIN, based on a verse-novel by Alexander Pushkin, is Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky's (1840-1893) best-known opera. The story depicts the life of the titular Onegin, a Russian dandy who does not understand himself, his emotions, or the value of life, leading him to reject an impassioned declaration of love by a woman he looks down upon and instead pursue the fiancée of his friend, who he kills in a duel as a result of this pursuit.

The jubilant POLONAISE, a Polish folkdance that had become an art form for the concert hall by the 19th Century, is performed at a grand ball at the beginning of Act III, which marks the reappearance after five years of the woman Onegin had rejected so callously before, though she is now married to a prince, resulting in Onegin's new realization that he loves her. This development takes place against the musical background of the brilliant fanfares of the POLONAISE, fanfares that are appropriately offset by melancholy in the contrasting cello theme. This orchestral interlude has proven itself as popular as the full opera. Instrumentation in set: 2.2.2.2: 4.2.3.0: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5).