Romanticism and Saint Petersburg dandyism take pride of place in this great classical ballet. Alexander Pushkin’s verse novel, Eugene Onegin, is a tale of missed opportunities, lost loves and bitter remorse. It is also a ballet by the choreographer John Cranko, the first representative of the Anglo-Saxon tradition to take an interest in these dramatic themes filled with emotional intensity. He was rapidly captivated by the thwarted love and tormented passion that characterise this work of Shakespearean dimensions. Extracts from works by Tchaikovsky support the lyrical flight of the dancers’ movements and the theatricality of the work.