Tchaikovsky is best known for his purely instrumental compositions. However, we must not underestimate him as a composer of operas. Many of his operas such as ¬Pique Dame and Eugene Onegin are still performed regularly throughout the world. Eugene Onegin (also called Jevgeny Onegin), composed in 1877-1878, was not called an opera by Tchaikovsky himself, but “lyric scenes”. The work is entirely dominated by lyricism. However, there are two moments that contrast sharply with this lyricism: two b...