Last Updated on July 15, 2026
Love Letters from Russia
4.5 out of 5.0 starsIt’s summer opera season, and we are enjoying a spectacular series of performances across southern England. The Grange, a new venue for me, is near Winchester in the heart of the Hampshire countryside, and I was lucky enough to catch one of the last performances of Eugene Onegin there this year. A particularly special way of seeing opera, country house performances generally include a long interval for picnicking or dining in the grounds of a stately home, along with productions that challenge the best the capital has to offer. It’s a chance to dress up and relax in fabulous surroundings too.
In fact, The Grange is one of the older ‘new’ country house festival venues, housed in a magnificent Grade I-listed neo-classical mansion near Northington, Hampshire. Originally built in the 1660s, Northington Grange was transformed by a series of wealthy owners and, in the 19th century, given a stunning Greek Revival façade by architect Charles Robert Cockerell.
In 1998, Grange Park Opera began presenting summer shows at The Grange. The productions were initially staged in the converted Orangery but proved so successful that a purpose-built 570-seat theatre was constructed within it in 2002. A lease dispute later led Grange Park Opera to relocate to West Horsley Place in 2017, while a new festival under the artistic direction of countertenor Michael Chance was established at The Grange. Today’s Grange Festival is an eclectic mix of concerts, staged opera and dance, with something for everyone.
As with most country house festivals, there’s a range of dining options. You can bring your own picnic and simply set up your blanket somewhere on the grassy meadows that surround the house. Or you can book space in one of the marquees – great if it’s raining and equally useful when the temperature rises, and you need somewhere to escape the sun.
If you prefer to be looked after, there’s also the option of a catered picnic in one of the marquees or ‘Dinner in the House’. We opted for the former and had so much food (starters, main dishes, and a trio of desserts) that we needed to have much of it boxed up to take home. Definitely worth the money for a hassle-free evening.
The 2026 festival is over now, but we were lucky to catch one of the final performances of a fabulous romantic opera.
Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, which he described as ‘lyric scenes in seven scenes’, is based on Alexander Pushkin’s verse novel of the same name. Both works hold a special place in Russian culture and have come to be seen as defining achievements of Russian literature and music.
The story of Eugene Onegin follows the life of the young aristocrat who has moved from St Petersburg to the countryside. There, he’s befriended by the poet Vladimir Lensky, who takes him to meet his fiancée, Olga, and her sister Tatyana. An impressionable young woman, Tatyana falls passionately in love with Onegin, but her feelings are not reciprocated – he is both emotionally detached and bored with the countryside. When she pours her heart out in a letter, he rebuffs her. Then, at her birthday ball, he flirts with Olga (the cherubic, vocally accomplished Alice Chung). That leads Lensky to challenge him to a duel, in which Onegin kills his friend.
Years later, still haunted by guilt and disillusioned by his itinerant lifestyle, Onegin returns to St Petersburg. There, at a grand ball, he recognises Tatyana, now a poised and elegant princess – the wife of the distinguished but older Prince Gremin. He is besotted and tries his best to persuade her to leave her husband, but although she admits she still loves him, she refuses and remains faithful to her devoted husband.
Last night’s production used relatively simple staging as the backdrop to a phenomenally talented Tatyana, sung by Ruzan Mantashyan. It’s regarded as one of Mantashyan’s defining roles for good reason. She’s sung it in Hamburg, Berlin, Liège, Vienna, Paris and now at The Grange. What makes her performance so special is the subtle but unmistakable emotional growth from an awkward, bookish teenager to a poised, self-possessed woman in the final act. It’s a brilliant dramatic performance with no vocal compromise at all.
By comparison, the Russian baritone Vladislav Chizhov’s Onegin seemed a little gauche, though entirely the kind of character a gullible country girl would become obsessed with. Aloof and distant, he was a Byronic figure, vocally rather less impressive than Mantashyan but ultimately convincing as an emotionally immature, bored young man who runs away after killing his friend in a duel and returns with the maturity to truly love. The balance of this Eugene Onegin was tipped in Tatyana’s favour, but Chizhov was nevertheless clever casting.
Having followed him since he was a Jette Parker student at the Royal Opera House, we were thrilled to see Ryan Vaughan Davies on stage as a rather glamorous and charming Lensky. His ‘Kuda, kuda’ was beautifully delivered – my companion was ready to marry him off to her daughter by the end of his impeccable aria.
Prince Gremin, brilliantly sung by Mark Kurmanbayev, seemed just a little young, but his distinguished demeanour and vocal maturity helped establish him as the older, loving husband.
Larina (Diana Montague) and Filipyevna (Catherine Wyn-Rogers) were perfectly cast, and both sang convincingly.
An enthusiastic chorus added atmosphere in all the right places, while the small team of dancers performed brilliantly. We loved the final pas de deux in the mirrored ballroom.
In the pit, Lidiya Yankovskaya, the Russian-American conductor, directed the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra to great effect.
All told, The Grange offered a fabulous afternoon and evening of entertainment in a stunning setting, with no compromise on the quality of the music or staging. This year marks the end of an era: the final festival with Artistic Director Michael Chance, although he will remain Artistic Director Laureate. Next year is The Grange Festival’s tenth anniversary, and we’re looking forward to learning more about what the 2027 season will bring.
The Grange, Northington, ALRESFORD, SO24 9TZ, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Looking for more? Check our Summer Opera Guide for 2026
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