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The Queen of Spades (opera)

February 15, 2024

For the operetta by Franz von Suppé, see Pique Dame (Suppé).

The Queen of Spades or Pique Dame,[a] Op. 68 (Russian: Пиковая дама, Pikovaya dama listenⓘ, French: La Dame de Pique) is an opera in three acts (seven scenes) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on the 1834 novella of the same name by Alexander Pushkin, but with a dramatically altered plot. The premiere took place in 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.[2]

The Queen of Spades
Opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky (center) with Nikolay and Medeya Figner, who sang the roles of Herman and Liza in the premiere in 1890
Native title
Пиковая дама
LibrettistModest Tchaikovsky
LanguageRussian
Based onThe Queen of Spades
by Alexander Pushkin
Premiere
19 December 1890 (1890-12-19)
Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Composition history edit

The Imperial Theatre offered Tchaikovsky a commission to write an opera based on the plot sketch by Ivan Vsevolozhsky in 1887/88. After first turning it down, Tchaikovsky accepted it in 1889. Toward the end of that year, he met with the theatre's managers to discuss the material and sketch out some of the scenes.

He completed the full score in Florence in only 44 days.[2] Later, working with the tenor who was to perform the lead character, he created two versions of Herman's aria in the seventh scene, using different keys. The changes can be found in the proof sheets and inserts for the first and second editions of the printed version of the score. While composing the music, Tchaikovsky edited the libretto significantly, changing some of the text and adding his own lyrics to two arias.

Performance history edit

Herman, the lead character, sings in all seven scenes. This requires great skill and endurance by the performer. The part was written with the notable Russian tenor Nikolay Figner in mind, and he performed it at the premiere. His wife Medea Mei-Figner played the role of Liza.

The composer himself took part in the preparation of the Saint Petersburg premiere. Critics gave rave reviews. Tchaikovsky later wrote, "Figner and the Saint Petersburg orchestra... have made true miracles." The premiere's success was tremendous. The opera was just as successful at the Kyiv premiere twelve days later. The Bolshoi Theatre premiere took place the following year. Tchaikovsky was extremely pleased with his effort.

Saint Petersburg and world premiere

Kyiv premiere

  • Date: 31 December (O.S. 19 December), 1890[2]
  • Place:
  • Conductor: Iosif Pribik

Moscow premiere

Other notable performances

  • 11 or 12 October 1892, Prague, first performance outside Russia; conducted by Adolf Čech in the presence of the composer (sung in Czech, trans. V. J. Novotný)[4]
  • 1902, first performance in Vienna, Vienna State Opera, conducted by Gustav Mahler[5]
  • 1904, Moscow, Bolshoi Theatre, conducted by Sergei Rachmaninoff[6]
  • 5 March 1910, Metropolitan Opera, New York City, first performance in the USA (in German), conducted by Gustav Mahler[7]
  • 29 May 1915, London, first performance in England (in Russian); starring Vladimir Rosing.[8]
  • 27 December 1972, Metropolitan Opera, New York City, first performance in its original Russian language (This was the first performance by the Metropolitan Opera of a Russian opera in its original language.)

Roles edit

Roles, voice types, premiere casts
Role Voice type Saint Petersburg premiere,
19 December (O.S. 7 December) 1890
Conductor: Eduard Nápravník 		Kyiv premiere,
31 December (O.S. 19 December) 1890
Conductor: Josef Přibík [cs] 		Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow premiere,
4 November 1891
Conductor: Ippolit Al'tani
Herman tenor Nikolay Figner Mikhail Medvedev [ru] Mikhail Medvedev
Count Tomsky baritone Ivan Melnikov Nicolay Dementyev Bogomir Korsov
Prince Yeletsky baritone Leonid Yakovlev Ioakim Tartakov Pavel Khokhlov
Chekalinsky tenor Vasilyev II Alexander Davydov
Surin bass Yalmar Frey
Chaplitsky tenor Konstantin Kondaraki
Narumov bass Vladimir Sobolev Ivan Matchinsky
Master of Ceremonies tenor Vasily Yefimov
Countess mezzo-soprano Marya Slavina Marya Smirnova Aleksandra Krutikova
Liza soprano Medea Mei-Figner Aleksandra Matsulevich Mariya Deysha-Sionitskaya
Polina contralto Mariya Dolina Vera Gnucheva
Governess mezzo-soprano Maria-Wilhelmina Pilz (Pilts)
Masha soprano Yulya Yunosova
Boy-Commander spoken
Prilepa soprano Olga Olgina
Milovzor contralto Nina Fridé (Friede) Varvara Pavlenkova
Zlatogor baritone Aleksandr Klimov II Aleksandr Strijevskiy
Chorus, silent roles: Nursemaids, governesses, wet-nurses, strollers, children, gamblers
Act 2 Divertissement
Prilepa, or Chlöe soprano
Milovzor, or Daphnis contralto
Zlatogor, or Plutus baritone
Chorus, silent roles: Cupid, Hymen, shepherds and shepherdesses

Note: The contralto roles of Milovzor and Polina and the baritone roles of Zlatogor and Tomsky can be performed by the same singers. Prilepa has occasionally been double cast with Liza, although Tchaikovsky did not approve of this doubling, unlike the others.[9]

Synopsis edit

Time: The close of the 18th century

Place: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Act 1 edit

Scene 1

During the reign of Catherine the Great (1762–96), children are at play in Saint Petersburg's Summer Garden pretending to be soldiers. Two officers—Tsurin and Chekalinsky—enter, the former complaining about his bad luck at gambling. They remark that another officer, Herman, seems obsessed with the gaming table but never bets, being frugal and methodical. Herman appears with Tomsky, who remarks that his friend hardly seems like his old self: is anything bothering him? Herman admits he is in love with a girl above his station whose name he does not even know. When Prince Yeletsky, an officer, strolls into the park, Chekalinsky congratulates him on his recent engagement. Yeletsky declares his happiness while Herman, aside, curses him enviously. Yeletsky points out his fiancée, Liza, who has just appeared with her grandmother, the old Countess. Catching sight of Herman, the two women note they have seen him before, staring at them with frightening intensity. Herman realizes that Liza is his unknown beloved. When Yeletsky and the women leave, Herman is lost in thought as the other officers discuss the Countess: known as the Queen of Spades and formerly as the Muscovite Venus, due to her beauty, she succeeded at gambling in her youth by trading amorous favors for the winning formula of Count St. Germain in Paris. Tomsky says only two men, her husband and, later on, her young lover, ever learned the secret of playing three special cards, because she was warned by an apparition to beware a "third suitor" who would kill her trying to force it from her. Musing on the winning sequence of three cards, the others lightly suggest that this might be the way for Herman to win without risking any money. Threatened by approaching thunder, all leave except Herman, who vows to learn the Countess's secret.

Scene 2

At home, Liza plays the spinet as she and her friend Polina sing a duet about evening in the countryside. Their friends ask to hear more, so Polina launches into a sad ballad, followed by a dancelike song. As the merriment increases, Liza remains pensively apart. A Governess chides the girls for indulging in unbecoming folk dancing and asks the visitors to leave. Polina, the last to go, urges Liza to cheer up; Liza replies that after a storm there is a beautiful night and asks the maid, Masha, not to close the French windows to the balcony. Alone, Liza voices her unhappiness with her engagement; she has been stirred by the romantic look of the young man in the park. To her shock, Herman appears on the balcony. Claiming he is about to shoot himself over her betrothal to another, he begs her to take pity on him. When the Countess is heard knocking, Liza hides Herman and opens the door to the old woman, who tells her to shut the windows and go to bed. After the Countess retires, Liza asks Herman to leave but is betrayed by her feelings and falls into his embrace.

Act 2 edit

Scene 1

Not long afterward, at a masked ball, Herman's comrades comment on his obsession with the secret of the winning cards. Yeletsky passes with Liza, noting her sadness and reassuring her of his love ("Ya vas lyublyu" "I love you"). Herman receives a note from Liza, asking him to meet her later. Tsurin and Chekalinsky sneak up behind him with the intent of playing a joke on him, muttering he is the "third suitor" who will learn the Countess's secret, then melt into the crowd as Herman wonders whether he is hearing things. The master of ceremonies announces a tableau of shepherdesses. Liza slips Herman the key to her grandmother's room, saying the old woman will not be there the next day, but Herman insists on coming that very night. Thinking fate is handing him the Countess's secret, he leaves. The guests' attention turns to the imminent arrival of Catherine the Great, for which a polonaise by Osip Kozlovsky is played and sung in greeting.

Scene 2

Herman slips into the Countess's room and looks in fascination at her portrait as the "Muscovite Venus"; musing how their fates, he feels, are linked: one of them will die because of the other. He lingers too long before he can go to Liza's room and hears the Countess's retinue coming, so he conceals himself as the old lady approaches. The Countess deplores the manners of the day and reminisces about the better times of her youth, when she sang in Versailles "Je crains de lui parler la nuit" ("I fear to talk with him at night", in French; Laurette's Aria from André Grétry's opera Richard Cœur-de-Lion) before the Pompadour herself. As she dozes off, Herman stands before her. She awakens in horror as he pleads with her to tell him her secret. When she remains speechless, he grows desperate and threatens her with a pistol—at which she dies of fright. Liza rushes in, only to learn that the lover to whom she gave her heart was more interested in the Countess's secret. She orders him out and falls sobbing.

Act 3 edit

 

Scene 1

In his room at the barracks, as the winter wind howls, Herman reads a letter from Liza, who wants him to meet her at midnight by the river bank. He imagines he hears the chorus chanting at the old Countess's funeral, then is startled by a knock at the window. The old woman's ghost appears, announcing that against her will she must tell him the secret so that he can marry and save Liza. Dazed, Herman repeats the three cards she tells him—three, seven, ace.

Scene 2

By the Winter Canal, Liza waits for Herman: it is already near midnight, and though she clings to a forlorn hope that he still loves her, she sees her youth and happiness swallowed in darkness. At last he appears, but after uttering words of reassurance, he starts to babble wildly about the Countess and her secret. No longer even recognizing Liza, he rushes away. Realizing that all is lost, she commits suicide.

Scene 3

At a gambling house, Herman's fellow officers are finishing supper and getting ready to play faro. Yeletsky, who has not gambled before, joins the group because his engagement has been broken: "unlucky in love, lucky at cards". Tomsky entertains the others with a song. Then Chekalinsky leads a traditional gamblers' song. Settling down to play, they are surprised when Herman arrives, wild and distracted. Yeletsky senses a confrontation and asks Tomsky to be his second if a duel should result. Herman, intent only on betting, starts with a huge bet of 40,000 rubles. He bets the three and wins, upsetting the others with his maniacal expression. Next he bets the seven and wins again. At this he takes a wine glass and declares that life is but a game. Yeletsky accepts his challenge to bet on the next round. Herman bets everything he has on the ace but when he shows his card he is told he is holding the queen of spades. Seeing the Countess's ghost laughing at her vengeance, Herman takes his own life and asks Yeletsky's and Liza's forgiveness. The others pray for his tormented soul.

Principal arias and numbers edit

Act 1
Aria: "I don't even know her name" «Я имени еë не знаю» (Ya imyeni yeyo nye znayu) (Herman)
Aria: "Once in Versailles (Three Cards)" «Однажды в Версале (Три Карты)» (Odnazhdï v Versalye (Tri kartï)) (Tomsky)
Romance: "Lovely lady friends" «Подруги милые» (Podrugi milïe) (Polina)
Arioso: "Why these tears" «Откуда эти слëзы» (Otkuda eti slyozï) (Liza)
Aria: "Forgive me, celestial creature" «Прости, небесное созданье» (Prosti, nyebesnoye sozdanye) (Herman)
Act 2
Aria: "I love you beyond measure" «Я вас люблю» (Ya vas lyublyu) (Yeletsky)
Aria: "Je crains de lui parler la nuit" ("I fear to talk with him at night", in French) (Countess)
Act 3
Arioso: "I am worn out by grief" «Ax! истoмилacь я гopeм» (Akh! istomilas ya goryem) (Liza)
Song: "If pretty girls could fly like birds" «Если б милые девицы» (Yesli b milïye dyevitsï) (Tomsky)
Aria: "What is our life? A game!" «Что наша жизнь? Игра!» (Shto nasha zhizn? Igra!) (Herman)

Instrumentation edit

Source: Tchaikovsky Research

  • Strings: violins I & II, violas, cellos, double basses
  • Woodwinds: three flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), two oboes (first doubling cor anglais), two clarinets (B-flat, A), bass clarinet (B-flat), two bassoons
  • Brass: four horns (F), two trumpets (B-flat, A), three trombones, tuba
  • Percussion: timpani, snare drum, bass drum
  • Other: harp, piano

In popular culture edit

"Life is but a game" (Russian: «Что наша жизнь? Игра!» (Shto nasha zhizn? Igra!), literally, "What is our life? A game!") a quote from act 3 of the opera, became a proverb in Russian. What? Where? When?, a trivia game and one of the most popular TV-shows in Russia and former Soviet countries, starts with a musical quotation from the opera, Herman singing the phrase "Life is but a game."

Recordings edit

References edit

Notes

  1. ^ The Pique Dame title had its origin in German-speaking countries and is now also used in English.[1] While Pique Dame is a Gallicism, the actual French title is Dame de Pique.[1]

Citations

  1. ^ a b Latham 2004, p. 133.
  2. ^ a b c d Poznansky 1999, p. 138
  3. ^ Poznansky 1999, p. 139.
  4. ^ Brown 1992, p. 232.
  5. ^ Rzhevsky 2005, p. 153.
  6. ^ Harrison 2005, p. 114.
  7. ^ Aldrich 1910.
  8. ^ Lascelles 1954, p. 813.
  9. ^ Gasparov 2008, p. 147.
  10. ^ Tommasini 2004, p. 230.

Sources

  • Aldrich, Richard (February 27, 1910). "First Production of a Tschaikowsky Opera in America this Week". Magazine. The New York Times. p. 15. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  • Brown, David (1992). Tchaikovsky: The final years, 1885–1893. New York City: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-03099-7.
  • Gasparov, Boris (2008) [2005]. Five Operas and a Symphony. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300133165.
  • Harrison, Max (2005). Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8264-9312-5.
  • Lascelles, George (1954). The New Kobbé's Complete Opera Book. London: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
  • Latham, Alison (2004). Oxford Dictionary Of Musical Works. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-198-61020-5.
  • Poznansky, Alexander (1999). Tchaikovsky Through Others' Eyes. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-33545-6.
  • Rzhevsky, Nicholas (2005). An Anthology of Russian Literature from Earliest Writings to Modern Fiction. New York: M. E. Sharpe. ISBN 0-7656-1246-1.
  • Tommasini, Anthony (2004). Opera: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Works and the Best Recordings. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-8050-7459-7.

External links edit

February 15, 2024
queen, spades, opera, operetta, franz, suppé, pique, dame, suppé, queen, spades, pique, dame, russian, Пиковая, дама, pikovaya, dama, listen, french, dame, pique, opera, three, acts, seven, scenes, pyotr, ilyich, tchaikovsky, russian, libretto, composer, broth. For the operetta by Franz von Suppe see Pique Dame Suppe The Queen of Spades or Pique Dame a Op 68 Russian Pikovaya dama Pikovaya dama listen French La Dame de Pique is an opera in three acts seven scenes by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer s brother Modest Tchaikovsky based on the 1834 novella of the same name by Alexander Pushkin but with a dramatically altered plot The premiere took place in 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg Russia 2 The Queen of SpadesOpera by Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyTchaikovsky center with Nikolay and Medeya Figner who sang the roles of Herman and Liza in the premiere in 1890Native titlePikovaya damaLibrettistModest TchaikovskyLanguageRussianBased onThe Queen of Spadesby Alexander PushkinPremiere19 December 1890 1890 12 19 Mariinsky Theatre Saint Petersburg Contents 1 Composition history 2 Performance history 3 Roles 4 Synopsis 4 1 Act 1 4 2 Act 2 4 3 Act 3 5 Principal arias and numbers 6 Instrumentation 7 In popular culture 8 Recordings 9 References 10 External linksComposition history editThe Imperial Theatre offered Tchaikovsky a commission to write an opera based on the plot sketch by Ivan Vsevolozhsky in 1887 88 After first turning it down Tchaikovsky accepted it in 1889 Toward the end of that year he met with the theatre s managers to discuss the material and sketch out some of the scenes He completed the full score in Florence in only 44 days 2 Later working with the tenor who was to perform the lead character he created two versions of Herman s aria in the seventh scene using different keys The changes can be found in the proof sheets and inserts for the first and second editions of the printed version of the score While composing the music Tchaikovsky edited the libretto significantly changing some of the text and adding his own lyrics to two arias Performance history editHerman the lead character sings in all seven scenes This requires great skill and endurance by the performer The part was written with the notable Russian tenor Nikolay Figner in mind and he performed it at the premiere His wife Medea Mei Figner played the role of Liza The composer himself took part in the preparation of the Saint Petersburg premiere Critics gave rave reviews Tchaikovsky later wrote Figner and the Saint Petersburg orchestra have made true miracles The premiere s success was tremendous The opera was just as successful at the Kyiv premiere twelve days later The Bolshoi Theatre premiere took place the following year Tchaikovsky was extremely pleased with his effort Saint Petersburg and world premiere Date 19 December O S 7 December 1890 2 Place Mariinsky Theatre Saint Petersburg Conductor Eduard Napravnik Scene Designers Vasilyev Yanov Levot Ivanov Andreyev Balletmaster Marius PetipaKyiv premiere Date 31 December O S 19 December 1890 2 Place Conductor Iosif PribikMoscow premiere Date 4 November 1891 3 Place Bolshoi Theatre Conductor Ippolit Al tani Scene Designers Karl Valts Waltz Lebedev Balletmasters Marius Petipa Lev IvanovOther notable performances 11 or 12 October 1892 Prague first performance outside Russia conducted by Adolf Cech in the presence of the composer sung in Czech trans V J Novotny 4 1902 first performance in Vienna Vienna State Opera conducted by Gustav Mahler 5 1904 Moscow Bolshoi Theatre conducted by Sergei Rachmaninoff 6 5 March 1910 Metropolitan Opera New York City first performance in the USA in German conducted by Gustav Mahler 7 29 May 1915 London first performance in England in Russian starring Vladimir Rosing 8 27 December 1972 Metropolitan Opera New York City first performance in its original Russian language This was the first performance by the Metropolitan Opera of a Russian opera in its original language Roles editRoles voice types premiere casts Role Voice type Saint Petersburg premiere 19 December O S 7 December 1890Conductor Eduard Napravnik Kyiv premiere 31 December O S 19 December 1890Conductor Josef Pribik cs Bolshoy Theatre Moscow premiere 4 November 1891Conductor Ippolit Al taniHerman tenor Nikolay Figner Mikhail Medvedev ru Mikhail MedvedevCount Tomsky baritone Ivan Melnikov Nicolay Dementyev Bogomir KorsovPrince Yeletsky baritone Leonid Yakovlev Ioakim Tartakov Pavel KhokhlovChekalinsky tenor Vasilyev II Alexander DavydovSurin bass Yalmar FreyChaplitsky tenor Konstantin KondarakiNarumov bass Vladimir Sobolev Ivan MatchinskyMaster of Ceremonies tenor Vasily YefimovCountess mezzo soprano Marya Slavina Marya Smirnova Aleksandra KrutikovaLiza soprano Medea Mei Figner Aleksandra Matsulevich Mariya Deysha SionitskayaPolina contralto Mariya Dolina Vera GnuchevaGoverness mezzo soprano Maria Wilhelmina Pilz Pilts Masha soprano Yulya YunosovaBoy Commander spokenPrilepa soprano Olga OlginaMilovzor contralto Nina Fride Friede Varvara PavlenkovaZlatogor baritone Aleksandr Klimov II Aleksandr StrijevskiyChorus silent roles Nursemaids governesses wet nurses strollers children gamblersAct 2 DivertissementPrilepa or Chloe sopranoMilovzor or Daphnis contraltoZlatogor or Plutus baritoneChorus silent roles Cupid Hymen shepherds and shepherdessesNote The contralto roles of Milovzor and Polina and the baritone roles of Zlatogor and Tomsky can be performed by the same singers Prilepa has occasionally been double cast with Liza although Tchaikovsky did not approve of this doubling unlike the others 9 Synopsis editTime The close of the 18th centuryPlace Saint Petersburg Russia Act 1 edit Scene 1During the reign of Catherine the Great 1762 96 children are at play in Saint Petersburg s Summer Garden pretending to be soldiers Two officers Tsurin and Chekalinsky enter the former complaining about his bad luck at gambling They remark that another officer Herman seems obsessed with the gaming table but never bets being frugal and methodical Herman appears with Tomsky who remarks that his friend hardly seems like his old self is anything bothering him Herman admits he is in love with a girl above his station whose name he does not even know When Prince Yeletsky an officer strolls into the park Chekalinsky congratulates him on his recent engagement Yeletsky declares his happiness while Herman aside curses him enviously Yeletsky points out his fiancee Liza who has just appeared with her grandmother the old Countess Catching sight of Herman the two women note they have seen him before staring at them with frightening intensity Herman realizes that Liza is his unknown beloved When Yeletsky and the women leave Herman is lost in thought as the other officers discuss the Countess known as the Queen of Spades and formerly as the Muscovite Venus due to her beauty she succeeded at gambling in her youth by trading amorous favors for the winning formula of Count St Germain in Paris Tomsky says only two men her husband and later on her young lover ever learned the secret of playing three special cards because she was warned by an apparition to beware a third suitor who would kill her trying to force it from her Musing on the winning sequence of three cards the others lightly suggest that this might be the way for Herman to win without risking any money Threatened by approaching thunder all leave except Herman who vows to learn the Countess s secret Scene 2At home Liza plays the spinet as she and her friend Polina sing a duet about evening in the countryside Their friends ask to hear more so Polina launches into a sad ballad followed by a dancelike song As the merriment increases Liza remains pensively apart A Governess chides the girls for indulging in unbecoming folk dancing and asks the visitors to leave Polina the last to go urges Liza to cheer up Liza replies that after a storm there is a beautiful night and asks the maid Masha not to close the French windows to the balcony Alone Liza voices her unhappiness with her engagement she has been stirred by the romantic look of the young man in the park To her shock Herman appears on the balcony Claiming he is about to shoot himself over her betrothal to another he begs her to take pity on him When the Countess is heard knocking Liza hides Herman and opens the door to the old woman who tells her to shut the windows and go to bed After the Countess retires Liza asks Herman to leave but is betrayed by her feelings and falls into his embrace Act 2 edit Scene 1Not long afterward at a masked ball Herman s comrades comment on his obsession with the secret of the winning cards Yeletsky passes with Liza noting her sadness and reassuring her of his love Ya vas lyublyu I love you Herman receives a note from Liza asking him to meet her later Tsurin and Chekalinsky sneak up behind him with the intent of playing a joke on him muttering he is the third suitor who will learn the Countess s secret then melt into the crowd as Herman wonders whether he is hearing things The master of ceremonies announces a tableau of shepherdesses Liza slips Herman the key to her grandmother s room saying the old woman will not be there the next day but Herman insists on coming that very night Thinking fate is handing him the Countess s secret he leaves The guests attention turns to the imminent arrival of Catherine the Great for which a polonaise by Osip Kozlovsky is played and sung in greeting Scene 2Herman slips into the Countess s room and looks in fascination at her portrait as the Muscovite Venus musing how their fates he feels are linked one of them will die because of the other He lingers too long before he can go to Liza s room and hears the Countess s retinue coming so he conceals himself as the old lady approaches The Countess deplores the manners of the day and reminisces about the better times of her youth when she sang in Versailles Je crains de lui parler la nuit I fear to talk with him at night in French Laurette s Aria from Andre Gretry s opera Richard Cœur de Lion before the Pompadour herself As she dozes off Herman stands before her She awakens in horror as he pleads with her to tell him her secret When she remains speechless he grows desperate and threatens her with a pistol at which she dies of fright Liza rushes in only to learn that the lover to whom she gave her heart was more interested in the Countess s secret She orders him out and falls sobbing Act 3 edit nbsp Scene 1In his room at the barracks as the winter wind howls Herman reads a letter from Liza who wants him to meet her at midnight by the river bank He imagines he hears the chorus chanting at the old Countess s funeral then is startled by a knock at the window The old woman s ghost appears announcing that against her will she must tell him the secret so that he can marry and save Liza Dazed Herman repeats the three cards she tells him three seven ace Scene 2By the Winter Canal Liza waits for Herman it is already near midnight and though she clings to a forlorn hope that he still loves her she sees her youth and happiness swallowed in darkness At last he appears but after uttering words of reassurance he starts to babble wildly about the Countess and her secret No longer even recognizing Liza he rushes away Realizing that all is lost she commits suicide Scene 3At a gambling house Herman s fellow officers are finishing supper and getting ready to play faro Yeletsky who has not gambled before joins the group because his engagement has been broken unlucky in love lucky at cards Tomsky entertains the others with a song Then Chekalinsky leads a traditional gamblers song Settling down to play they are surprised when Herman arrives wild and distracted Yeletsky senses a confrontation and asks Tomsky to be his second if a duel should result Herman intent only on betting starts with a huge bet of 40 000 rubles He bets the three and wins upsetting the others with his maniacal expression Next he bets the seven and wins again At this he takes a wine glass and declares that life is but a game Yeletsky accepts his challenge to bet on the next round Herman bets everything he has on the ace but when he shows his card he is told he is holding the queen of spades Seeing the Countess s ghost laughing at her vengeance Herman takes his own life and asks Yeletsky s and Liza s forgiveness The others pray for his tormented soul Principal arias and numbers editAct 1 Aria I don t even know her name Ya imeni ee ne znayu Ya imyeni yeyo nye znayu Herman Aria Once in Versailles Three Cards Odnazhdy v Versale Tri Karty Odnazhdi v Versalye Tri karti Tomsky Romance Lovely lady friends Podrugi milye Podrugi milie Polina Arioso Why these tears Otkuda eti slezy Otkuda eti slyozi Liza Aria Forgive me celestial creature Prosti nebesnoe sozdane Prosti nyebesnoye sozdanye Herman Act 2 Aria I love you beyond measure Ya vas lyublyu Ya vas lyublyu Yeletsky Aria Je crains de lui parler la nuit I fear to talk with him at night in French Countess Act 3 Arioso I am worn out by grief Ax istomilac ya gopem Akh istomilas ya goryem Liza Song If pretty girls could fly like birds Esli b milye devicy Yesli b miliye dyevitsi Tomsky Aria What is our life A game Chto nasha zhizn Igra Shto nasha zhizn Igra Herman Instrumentation editSource Tchaikovsky Research Strings violins I amp II violas cellos double basses Woodwinds three flutes 3rd doubling piccolo two oboes first doubling cor anglais two clarinets B flat A bass clarinet B flat two bassoons Brass four horns F two trumpets B flat A three trombones tuba Percussion timpani snare drum bass drum Other harp pianoIn popular culture edit Life is but a game Russian Chto nasha zhizn Igra Shto nasha zhizn Igra literally What is our life A game a quote from act 3 of the opera became a proverb in Russian What Where When a trivia game and one of the most popular TV shows in Russia and former Soviet countries starts with a musical quotation from the opera Herman singing the phrase Life is but a game Recordings edit1937 Samuil Samosud conductor Bolshoi Theatre Chorus amp Orchestra Nikandr Khanayev Herman Ksenia Derzhinskaya Liza Faina Petrova Countess Alexander Baturin Count Tomsky Piotr Selivanov Prince Yeletsky Nadezhda Obukhova Polina Melodiya 1942 Samuil Samosud conductor Bolshoi Theatre Chorus amp Orchestra Nikandr Khanayev Herman Ksenia Derzhinskaya Liza Bronislava Zlatagorova Countess Alexander Baturin Count Tomsky Panteleimon Nortsov Prince Yeletsky Maria Maksakova Polina Aquarius 1947 Arthur Rother conductor Radio Orchester Berlin Rudolf Schock Herman Elisabeth Grummer Liza Margarete Klose Countess Jaro Prohaska Count Tomsky Hans Hermann Nissen Prince Yeletsky Anneliese Muller Polina Gala Abridged in German 1950 Alexander Melik Pashayev conductor Bolshoi Theatre Chorus amp Orchestra Georgi Nelepp Herman Evgeniya Smolenskaya Liza Evgeniya Verbitskaya Countess Alexei Ivanov Count Tomsky Pavel Lisitsian Prince Yeletsky Veronika Borisenko Polina Great Hall 1952 Artur Rodzinsky conductor Chorus and Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino David Poleri Herman Sena Jurinac Liza Gianna Pederzini Countess Mario Petri Count Tomsky Ettore Bastianini Prince Yeletsky Rina Corsi Polina Andromeda Live in Italian 1955 Kresimir Baranovic conductor Yugoslav Army Chorus Children s Choir of Radio Belgrade amp Orchestra of the National Opera Belgrade Alexander Marinkovic Herman Valerija Heybal Liza Melanija Bugarinovic Countess Jovan Gligorijevic Count Tomsky Dusan Popovic Prince Yeletsky Biserka Cvejic Polina Deutsche Grammophon 1958 Sergei Yeltsin conductor Choir and Orchestra of the State Kirov Opera Matvei Gavrilkin Herman Ludmila Revina Liza Sofia Preobrazhenskaya Countess Lipa Solomiak Count Tomsky Konstantin Laptev Prince Yeletsky Valentina Krayushkina Polina IM Lab Live 1961 Nino Sanzogno conductor Teatro alla Scala Chorus and Orchestra Antonio Annaloro Herman Leyla Gencer Liza Marianna Radev Countess Ivo Vinco Count Tomsky Sesto Bruscantini Prince Yeletsky Adriana Lazzarini Polina Gala Live in Italian 1966 Boris Khaikin conductor Bolshoi Theatre Chorus amp Orchestra Zurab Andzhaparidze Herman Tamara Milashkina Liza Valentina Levko Countess Mikhail Kiselev Count Tomsky Yuri Mazurok Prince Yeletsky Irina Arkhipova Polina Melodiya 1974 Mark Ermler conductor Bolshoi Theatre Chorus amp Orchestra Vladimir Atlantov Herman Tamara Milashkina Liza Valentina Levko Countess Vladimir Valaitis Count Tomsky Andrei Fedoseyev Prince Yeletsky Galina Borisova Polina Melodiya 1976 Mstislav Rostropovich conductor Choeur Tchaikovsky Maitrise de Radio France amp Orchestre National de France Peter Gougaloff Herman Galina Vishnevskaya Liza Regina Resnik Countess Dan Iordachescu Count Tomsky Bernd Weikl Prince Yeletsky Hanna Schwarz Polina Deutsche Grammophon 1984 Algis Zhuraitis conductor Bavarian State Opera Chorus and Orchestra Vladimir Atlantov Herman Julia Varady Liza Elena Obraztsova Countess Alexander Voroshilo Count Tomsky Bodo Brinkmann Prince Yeletsky Ludmila Semtschuk Polina Orfeo Live 1989 Emil Tchakarov conductor Bulgarian National Chorus Svetoslav Obretenov amp Sofia Festival Orchestra Wieslaw Ochman Herman Stefka Evstatieva Liza Penka Dilova Countess Ivan Konsulov Count Tomsky Yuri Mazurok Prince Yeletsky Stefania Toczyska Polina Sony Classical 1990 Vladimir Fedoseyev conductor The Yurlov State Academic Russian Choir The Children s Choir Vesna amp Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra Vitaly Tarashchenko Herman Natalya Datsko Liza Irina Arkhipova Countess Grigory Gritsuk Count Tomsky Dmitri Hvorostovsky Prince Yeletsky Nina Romanova Polina Relief 1992 Seiji Ozawa conductor Tanglewood Festival Chorus amp Boston Symphony Orchestra Vladimir Atlantov Herman Mirella Freni Liza Maureen Forrester Countess Sergei Leiferkus Count Tomsky Dmitri Hvorostovsky Yeletsky Katherine Ciesinski Polina RCA Victor Red Seal 1993 Valery Gergiev conductor Kirov Theater Chorus amp Orchestra Gegam Grigorian Herman Maria Guleghina Liza Irina Arkhipova Countess Nikolai Putilin Count Tomsky Vladimir Chernov Prince Yeletsky Olga Borodina Polina Philips Records 10 2015 Mariss Jansons conductor Bavarian Radio Chorus amp Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Misha Didyk Herman Tatiana Serjan Liza Larissa Diadkova Countess Alexey Shishlyaev Count Tomsky Alexey Markov Prince Yeletsky Oksana Volkova Polina BR KLASSIKReferences editNotes The Pique Dame title had its origin in German speaking countries and is now also used in English 1 While Pique Dame is a Gallicism the actual French title is Dame de Pique 1 Citations a b Latham 2004 p 133 a b c d Poznansky 1999 p 138 Poznansky 1999 p 139 Brown 1992 p 232 Rzhevsky 2005 p 153 Harrison 2005 p 114 Aldrich 1910 Lascelles 1954 p 813 Gasparov 2008 p 147 Tommasini 2004 p 230 Sources Aldrich Richard February 27 1910 First Production of a Tschaikowsky Opera in America this Week Magazine The New York Times p 15 Retrieved 11 March 2022 Brown David 1992 Tchaikovsky The final years 1885 1893 New York City W W Norton amp Company ISBN 0 393 03099 7 Gasparov Boris 2008 2005 Five Operas and a Symphony New Haven and London Yale University Press ISBN 9780300133165 Harrison Max 2005 Rachmaninoff Life Works Recordings London Continuum International Publishing Group ISBN 978 0 8264 9312 5 Lascelles George 1954 The New Kobbe s Complete Opera Book London G P Putnam s Sons Latham Alison 2004 Oxford Dictionary Of Musical Works Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 198 61020 5 Poznansky Alexander 1999 Tchaikovsky Through Others Eyes Bloomington Indiana University Press ISBN 978 0 253 33545 6 Rzhevsky Nicholas 2005 An Anthology of Russian Literature from Earliest Writings to Modern Fiction New York M E Sharpe ISBN 0 7656 1246 1 Tommasini Anthony 2004 Opera A Critic s Guide to the 100 Most Important Works and the Best Recordings Macmillan Publishers ISBN 0 8050 7459 7 External links editThe Queen of Spades Scores at the International Music Score Library Project Work details Tchaikovsky Research Portal nbsp Opera Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Queen of Spades opera amp oldid 1173038206, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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