The Queen of Spades

The Queen of Spades (??????? ???? in Russian, Pikovaya dama in transliteration) is an opera in three acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on a short story by the poet Aleksandr Pushkin. First performance: Maryinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, 19 December,1890.

Related Topics:
Russian - Transliteration - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Libretto - Modest Tchaikovsky - Aleksandr Pushkin - Maryinsky Theatre - Saint Petersburg - 19 December - 1890

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Previously, the opera was commonly performed in French under the still recognized title La dame de pique. Now a days, the opera is almost exclusively sung in Russian. The Queen of Spades is part of the standard operatic repertory. There are several recordings of it, and it is frequently performed.

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In the opera, Herman is an army officer who falls in love with Lisa, the granddaughter of a countess known as the Queen of Spades. The countess knows the "secret of the three cards" and has revealed it to two men, but if she reveals it to a third, she will die. Herman becomes obsessed with learning the secret, and it costs him his possessions, Lisa, and ultimately his own life.

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Pushkin's original story was modified to make the drama suitable for opera. In his version, the love affair with Lisa, although still an important plot element, is subsidiary to Herman's obsession with the secret of the cards. Herman is ultimately driven mad, but does not die as in the opera; Lisa goes on to live happily. The opera sharpens the social inequalities dividing the main characters. By interpreting the story in his own way, Tchaikovsky simultaneously integrates it.

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In the opera, the main hero Herman is on stage and sings in all seven scenes. This demands a the singer of great skill and endurance. The part was written for the remarkable Russian tenor N. N. Figner, who originated the role.

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