British actor Ralph Fiennes to direct his first opera
He is set to stage Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s 'Eugene Onegin' at the Garnier opera house
Having lit up screens in the Oscar-nominated papal drama Conclave, British actor Ralph Fiennes is set to make his debut as an opera director in France, the Paris National Opera announced Wednesday.
The 62-year-old, who has directed several films including a 2018 biopic about the dance legend Rudolf Nureyev, is set to stage Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin at the historic Garnier opera house in January 2026.
The Schindler’s List and The English Patient star is “fascinated by Russian culture and attuned to the dramatic intensity of Tchaikovsky’s music,” according to the Paris opera schedule released Wednesday.
“Eugene Onegin tells a love story that doesn’t work,” Fiennes is quoted as saying.
He played the opera’s title character in a 1999 screen adaptation of the tale of love, rejection and regret by his sister Martha Fiennes.
After starring in the hit Vatican intrigue Conclave, Fiennes is also set to appear this year in 28 Years Later, a long-in-development apocalyptic horror sequel from British director Danny Boyle.