New-to-Chicago Production
The Queen of Spades
By
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky’s broodingly romantic thriller is
a tour de force for a great tenor. He plays the terrifyingly obsessed
Gherman, an unhappy soldier desperate to know a secret hidden by a
mysterious old countess—the mystery of winning at cards. The tension
turns truly unnerving as Gherman’s obsession begins to overwhelm him. It
leads to devastation both for him and for the countess’s granddaughter,
Lisa, whom Gherman loves. Tchaikovsky’s music is the height of Russian
romanticism in its melancholy soulfulness, its white-hot passion, and
the sweeping grandeur of its orchestra—a masterpiece from the genius who
gave the world Eugene Onegin and Swan Lake.
Language - Sung in Russian with projected English translations
Running Time - 3 hours, 45 minutes with 2 intermissions