Ralph Fiennes stages the unexpected at the Opéra Garnier

What if Ralph Fiennes were to reveal a new facet of his art, far from the movie stage? In January 2026, the British actor will take a fresh look at Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin, on the legendary Opéra Garnier stage.

Actor-director with Tchaikovsky

Unveiled by Alexandre Neef, General Director of theOpéra national de Paris, the announcement is as surprising as it is captivating: Ralph Fiennes will direct his first opera. The choice ofEugene Onegin is no accident. The actor is intimately familiar with the work, having played the title role in the 1999 film Onegin.

Here, Fiennes offers a pure, painterly reading that focuses on emotions. Thwarted love, remorse, fatality: timeless themes that find a contemporary echo under his sensitive eye. ” A love story that doesn’t work,” sums up the director soberly.

An ambitious season for the Paris Opera

The 2025-2026 season of the Opéra national promises to be a busy one: 364 performances, 28 shows (including 18 new creations). Highlights include Satyagraha, the first opera to be sung in Sanskrit, and an Aida revisited by Shirin Neshat, denouncing the excesses of religious fanaticism.

On the dance front, the stage will be open to the new generation of contemporary choreographers, including Imre and Marne van Opstal.

An appointment not to be missed

Ralph Fiennes ‘ staging will run from January 26 to February 27, 2026. Reservations will open on September 23, 2025: a date worth noting for the curious and opera-lovers alike.

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