Onegin is a perfect example of “danced drama” and a great tale of miserable love. Inspired by Alexander Pushkin’s novel in verse, it reveals the ability of John Cranko to marvellously rethink a literary classic and narrate it in pure dance. 

The ballet is set entirely to music by Tchaikovsky, though without a single note from his opera Eugene Onegin: assembled in relation to dramatic expressivity, the sections of music used render this ballet a most complete theatrical experience. The etoiles Roberto Bolle and Massimo Murru share the lead role on selected dates.