Ralph Fiennes to direct his first opera in Paris’ magnificent Palais Garnier

4 April 2025, 16:16

Actor Ralph Fiennes, who developed a profound love for ballet while filming ‘The White Crow’, will helm a new production of Tchaikovsky’s opera ‘Eugene Onegin’.

In Paris next season, Ralph Fiennes will make his opera directing debut, helming a new production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.

Fiennes won’t appear on the podium, with most performances conducted by renowned conductor Semyon Bychkov. Paris Opera said the new production will run from 26 January to 27 February at the Palais Garnier.

Summing up the plot, Fiennes said, “Eugene Onegin tells a love story that doesn’t work.” The opera, based on the original novel by Alexander Pushkin and scored with the dramatic intensity of Tchaikovsky’s music, follows the young man Onegin. He brutally rejects the affections of shy Tatiana after she writes him a passionate love letter, giving her a lecture on morality. Years later, he falls for a woman who is now Prince Gremin’s wife.

Fiennes has an existing connection to the story, having appeared in the title role in the film Onegin (1999), directed by his sister Martha.

“The figure of the melancholic man, disenchanted with the world, is often found in Russian literature,” Fiennes commented. “This condition of the human soul is absolutely timeless.”

Read more: Ralph Fiennes: ‘I love listening to Bach – I wake up and I’ll play his music in the morning’

Ralph Fiennes: ‘I love listening to Bach – I play his music in the morning’

Fiennes’ operatic debut will star Boris Pinkhasovich in the title role, Ruzan Mantashyan as Tatiana, Bogdan Volkov as Lensky and Susan Graham as Madame Larina.

The Paris Opera 2025-26 season features new productions of Verdi’s Aida, Wagner’s Die Walkure and Siegfried, and Philip Glass’ Satyagraha.

Ralph Fiennes won a Tony Award for his on-stage portrayal of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and has received nominations for three Academy Awards and seven Golden Globes. He earned the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Schindler’s List (1993).

Speaking to Classic FM in a 2019 interview, Fiennes spoke about his love of classical music.

“Often I wake up and I’ll play Bach in the morning. I find him… there’s something about the measure of Bach which is very deep and very disciplined. The form is very precise.”

While filming The White Crow, in which he played ballet master Alexander Pushkin (not the writer) the actor developed a fascination with the discipline and precision of ballet. To prepare for his role, he spent hours studying a YouTube clip of Pushkin teaching a ballet class.