“Eugene Onegin” is known by the foreign audience mostly as an opera libretto. Drama version of Pushkin novel in verse is an extremely rare phenomenon. “Eugene Onegin” staged by Rimas Tuminas has already gathered audiences and evoked thunderous applause in France, in the UK, in Israel, in Germany, in the USA and in Canada. Now the performance is coming to Italy for the Festival of the Two Worlds.

This festival is also wide known as “The Festival in Spoleto”. It’s an international annual event devoted to opera, drama, art and science. The establisher of the festival composer Gian Carlo Menotti whished to unite two cultural systems of Europe and America, to bring together two different worlds.

Rimas Tuminas explains: “Today all theatres seem to merge into one world theatre. I don’t feel any boundaries. It is a harmonious universe. All people love, hate and suffer in the same way regardless their origin. Is there anything like nationality of pain? There is a world spirit of theatre. And there are no separate art schools— there is only one school, the school of talent”.

Still, the performance “Eugene Onegin” specially matches the festival created to unite different worlds and cultural traditions. The performance about Russian land, destinies of its characters, traditions, about profane sincere beauty of its countryside and cool ceremonial style of big cities, about the mysterious Russian soul.

Brilliant actresses, coryphaeus of the Vakhtangov theatre Liudmila Maksakova and Irina Kupchenko shall perform in Spoleto. The older Eugine Onegin who keeps Tatiana’s letter as a sweet memory is performed by Sergey Makovetskiy and Alexei Guskov. The Retired Hussar, the narrator – Vladimir Simonov. Tatiana Larina – Eugenia Kregzhde. Eugine Pilugin is performing the young Onegin – this is a new part for the actor, he appeared in it for the first time not long ago.

The performance is schaduled to July 8, 9 and 10 More information at the web-site of The Festival of Two Worlds