Eugene Onegin (Russian: Евге́ний Оне́гин, BGN/PCGN: Yevgeniy Onegin) is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin.

It is a classic of Russian literature, and its eponymous protagonist has served as the model for a number of Russian literary heroes (so-called superfluous men). It was published in serial form between 1825 and 1832. The first complete edition was published in 1833, and the currently accepted version is based on the 1837 publication.

Almost the entire work is made up of 389 stanzas of iambic tetrameter with the unusual rhyme scheme "AbAbCCddEffEgg", where the uppercase letters represent feminine rhymes while the lowercase letters represent masculine rhymes. This form has come to be known as the "Onegin stanza" or the "Pushkin sonnet."

The rhythm, innovative rhyme scheme, the natural tone and diction, and the economical transparency of presentation all demonstrate the virtuosity which has been instrumental in proclaiming Pushkin as the undisputed master of Russian poetry.

The story is told by a narrator (a lightly fictionalized version of Pushkin's public image), whose tone is educated, worldly, and intimate. The narrator digresses at times, usually to expand on aspects of this social and intellectual world. This allows for a development of the characters and emphasises the drama of the plot despite its relative simplicity.

Anna Yuryevna Netrebko (Russian: Анна Юрьевна Нетребко, born 18 September 1971) is a Russian operatic soprano. She now holds dual Russian and Austrian citizenship and currently resides in Vienna. She has been nicknamed "La Bellissima" by fans.

Netrebko was born in Krasnodar (Russia), in a family of Kuban Cossack background. While a student at the Saint Petersburg conservatoire, Netrebko worked as a janitor at Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre. Later, she auditioned for the Mariinsky Theatre, where conductor Valery Gergiev recognized her from her prior work in the theater. He subsequently became her vocal mentor. Under Gergiev's guidance, Netrebko made her operatic stage debut at the Mariinsky at age 22, as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. She went on to sing many prominent roles with the Kirov Opera, including Amina in La sonnambula, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor.

In 1994, she sang the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte with the Riga Independent Opera Avangarda Akadēmija under conductor David Milnes.

Mariusz Kwiecień (born November 4, 1972 in Kraków, Poland) is an operatic baritone who has sung leading roles in the major opera houses of Europe and North America. He has received particular distinction in the title role of Mozart's Don Giovanni which he has sung at the Vienna State Opera, Bilbao Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera,Santa Fe Opera,Warsaw Opera, Royal Opera House, London, and Seattle Opera where he won the company's 2006-2007 Artist of the Year award for his performance in the role.

Kwiecień studied at the Warsaw Academy and began his professional career as Aeneas in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas at the Kraków Opera in 1993. In 1995 he sang the title role in The Marriage of Figaro in Luxembourg and Poznań, and made his Warsaw Opera debut the following year as Stanisław in Moniuszko's rarely performed Verbum Nobile. Debuts in major European and American opera houses soon followed.

A former student of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, he made his Met debut in 1999 as Kuligin in Janáček's Káťa Kabanová. By 2003 he was singing leading baritone roles there including Marcello in La bohème (2003), Silvio in Pagliacci (2004), Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro (2005), Guglielmo in Così fan tutte (2005), Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale (2006), and Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor (2007).

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( /ˈpjɔːtər ˈɪliɪtʃ tʃaɪˈkɒfski/); (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский;tr. Pyotr Ilyich Chaykovsky) (May 7, 1840 – November 6, 1893), also rendered as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( /ˈpiːtər .../), was a Russian composer whose works included symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets, and chamber music. Some of these are among the most popular concert and theatrical music in the classical repertoire. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally, which he bolstered with appearances as a guest conductor later in his career in Europe and the United States. One of these appearances was at the inaugural concert of Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1891. Tchaikovsky was honored in 1884 by Tsar Alexander III, and awarded a lifetime pension in the late 1880s.

Grigory Romanovich Ginzburg (May 29, 1904 in Nizhny Novgorod - December 5, 1961 in Moscow) was a Jewish-born, Russian pianist.

Ginzburg first studied with his mother before being accepted as a student in Alexander Goldenweiser's class at Moscow Conservatory. In 1927 he gained fourth prize in the Warsaw International Frederick Chopin Competition. He was recognized as one of the finest musicians in the Soviet Union and toured Europe several times. He became professor at Moscow Conservatory in 1929 and was a very important teacher. Some of his well known students are Gleb Axelrod, Sergei Dorensky, Regina Shamvili and Sulamita Aronovsky.

Ginzburg is famous for his piano touch that has ties with the tradition of 19th century players such as Franz Liszt. His eclectic repertoire and his art of transcription make of him one of the most special performers in piano history.