English Touring Opera’s production of Eugene Onegin, which visited the Gala Theatre last night, looked back beyond the romanticism of Tchaikovsky’s music to capture something of the ironic detachment of the original novel in verse by Russia’s greatest poet, Alexander Pushkin. A large tarnished mirror cutting across the stage reflected the action dimly, like an old photograph or a hazy memory, highlighting the poem’s theme of lost youth and missed opportunities. A small orchestra and a lively pace, even in the big emotional arias, added a further lightness of touch.

Throughout the evening, the singing was superb, and there were some particularly enjoyable moments from the minor characters: Stephen Holloway’s Prince Gremin, was very moving and Andrew Glover put in a splendid comic performance as Triquet, lightening the mood before the tragedy of Onegin’s quarrel with Lensky.

Adam Tunnicliffe’s Lensky developed in power and confidence as the evening went on; his aria before the duel perfectly captured the tragedy of the moment. The orchestra rose to the occasion at this point too, with restrained playing that added to the bleakness of the whirling snow on stage. Despite Tchaikovsky’s rich score, the orchestra never overpowered the singers, and the smaller string section meant lovely woodwind solos were more prominent than usual.

Nicholas Lester and Sarah-Jane Davies both sang magnificently in the central roles of Onegin and Tatyana, although sadly this wasn’t always matched by their acting; Tatyana is supposed to be dreamy and brooding, but mostly she just looked a bit cross and Onegin’s disillusioned coldness sometimes crossed into woodenness. Alone on the stage, Sarah-Jane Davies brought off Tatyana’s famous letter-writing scene perfectly: her powerful soprano voice secure and beautifully clear across the range of a long and demanding aria.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable production that succeeded in capturing the essence of a story that is more subtle than many operatic plots.

Jane Shuttleworth