Inside the rehearsals for Eugene Onegin:
Ain Anger (Gremin)

Ain Anger, soloist from the Vienna State Opera, is rehearsing for the part of Gremin:

“In Vasily Barkhatov’s production, Gremin is a very self-confident person who has no doubt in his mind that Tatiana loves him and not Onegin. In his aria and through his behaviour, Gremin clearly apprises Onegin of the situation: ‘You are my friend, but remember — Tatiana is mine now, so don’t overstep your boundaries.’ He calmly permits Tatiana to speak with Onegin one last time to put an end to their affair. Just as it was in the initial libretto for Eugene Onegin, in our production, Gremin is onstage during Tatiana and Onegin’s conversation. But what does he do? He stands with his back to them and lights a cigar. He doesn’t need to watch over them. Gremin is simply passing the time until Tatiana and he can finally board a train and leave the city.”