Opera review: Cast delivers a nuanced 'Onegin'

Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin tells a subtle story - not at all like the usual over-the-top standards of opera.

The title character is a worldly, upper-class Russian bored by his life in the country. A story about the dreams of youth and the regrets of age and love, and to deliver its full dramatic punch, Onegin requires performers who can not only sing gorgeous arias but also create characters of unassuming depth and honest feeling.

Arizona Opera takes the extravagant opera and its minimalist sets to create a balance, so the plot becomes less the tragedy of a man who realizes too late what matters in life and more a coming-of-age story of a young woman who learns a hard lesson and takes it to heart.