Cranko's Onegin Closes La Scala's 2016/2017 Ballet Season

The Teatro alla Scala in Milan concluded its 2016/2017 ballet season with John Cranko's 'Onegin', a 1965 choreographic drama based on Pushkin's verse novel. The season had opened under the direction of Mauro Bigonzetti, who resigned months after his appointment due to difficulties in advancing contemporary vision. Bigonzetti's final work for La Scala, 'Progetto Händel' (May 2017), received 19 minutes of applause at its premiere. Cranko, a South African-born choreographer based in London and Stuttgart, died at 46. His 'Onegin' uses music by Tchaikovsky arranged by Kurt-Heinz Stolze, not from the opera. The performance featured Roberto Bolle as Onegin, Marianela Nuñez as Tatiana, Timofej Andrijashenko as Lensky, and Alessandra Vassallo as Olga. Critic Stefano Tomassini noted that Bolle appeared tired and partnering with Nuñez was difficult; the drama sometimes lapsed into melodrama, and the emotional logic was not progressive. Tomassini also argued that presenting the ballet as a female-centric dance drama is misleading, as Tatiana ultimately yields to Onegin in the final pas de deux, breaking her marital pact.