EUGENE ONEGIN

EUGENE ONEGIN:Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 03/24/1979
Järvi; Mazurok, Kasrashvili, Shicoff, Jones, Plishka
SID.19380208
As much as I enjoy Hvorostovsky’s Onegin, I will never forget Mazurok live. He broadcasts the opera twice in 1979 (but in two separate seasons) and he is great both times. Kasrashvili is very good as is Shicoff. Mazurok’s later performance is Kabaivanska’s Met farewell and with Gedda under Tchakarov. I slightly prefer this one as Shicoff is heard too little on Met broadcasts, and this is one of his best roles. This peformance should be in MOoD. *** I always have time for Mazurok’s Onegin. While he may not have evoked the visualfrissons that Hvorostovsky regularly manages, when it comes to vocalism Mazurok was the Russian Robert Merrill, but with stylistic authenticity for his native repertoire. This performance has a lot of energy to it, and Kasrashvilil and Shicoff give their all. Credit to Jarvi for his leadership. *** This is the first of Mazurok’s 2 Onegin broadcasts (the second is only 9 months later in the next season), but I prefer this one because of Jarvi’s conducting. Mazurok was for me the Russian Merrill (meant as the highest compliment). We saw too little of him because this was not the best time for Soviet-American relations. He is thrilling here.