I nonetheless see numerous opera a method or different but it surely was solely when the curtain despatched up for Tchaikovsky\u2019s 1890\u00a0The Queen of Spades\u00a0<\/em>(Pique Dame<\/em>) at Vienna State Opera that I realised how I had watched Vera Nemirova\u2019s manufacturing solely three years in the past. Many of my reactions to it now \u2013 and the notes I took \u2013 had been a lot the identical as that first time; so this assessment will rely in some extent on what I wrote in 2022.<\/p>\n The Queen of Spades <\/em>has a reasonably simple supernatural plot with a libretto \u2013 based mostly on an 1834 Alexander Pushkin novella with the identical title and a reasonably completely different story \u2013 by the composer\u2019s brother, Modest. Hermann is a considerably dissolute military officer in late-eighteenth century St Petersburg who’s infatuated with Lisa, the granddaughter of a domineering Countess, who’s engaged to his pal Prince Yeletsky. Hermann turns into obsessive about \u2018winning\u2019 Lisa from Yeletsky when he learns how the Countess has a closely-guarded secret about three playing cards (\u2018Tri kart\u00ef\u2019) \u2013 three, seven and ace \u2013 which legend has it’s going to assure his success on the playing desk. This turns into all-consuming for Hermann with (spoiler alert!) deadly penalties for the Countess, Lisa and himself in the end.<\/p>\n Nemirova\u2019s manufacturing is eighteen years previous now although it does probably not present its age and will have been staged at any time within the intervening years since 2007. We start in a bleakly gray and oppressive post-war Soviet orphanage with a row of steel, hospital-style beds (stage proper) for some kids because the opera begins. A flight of stone steps (stage left) results in a small room on a primary flooring (with reasonably opaque home windows) and characters withdraw and emerge from there all through the opera. This is Johannes Leiacker\u2019s fundamental set \u2013 with on events the addition of chairs, an overhead single chandelier and a few ceiling strip lights, a piano or slot machines \u2013 that enables for each scene to be performed out within the opera; together with in a summer time backyard, Lisa\u2019s house, a ballroom, Hermann\u2019s barracks, the Countess\u2019s room, the Winter Canal and a playing home.<\/p>\n Nemirova seems to be presenting us with a critique of Russia after the autumn of communism and charting the rise of a\u00a0nouveau riche<\/em>\u00a0(oligarchs) who’ve all made a great deal of cash in a short time; largely on the expense of the bulk who had been left behind and are in want. This is proven by some bizarre folks scavenging the detritus of a gala trend present, in addition to others begging for cash from the Countess. Hermann\u2019s pal Count Tomsky and his colleagues look like concerned within the undertaking of turning the orphanage into the Act III on line casino (we are going to see the disposed orphans from the primary scene processing throughout the entrance of the stage initially of the second act).<\/p>\n Marie-Luise Strandt\u2019s costumes are fashionable and darkish \u2013 certainly Hermann appears to be repeatedly in a singer\u2019s black rehearsal garments \u2013 and from any time within the late-twentieth century; with uncommon splashes of glamour from the Countess in her extravagant fur coat, some trend fashions (largely in fur and swimwear), pole\/lap\/go-go dancers, in addition to the pastiche of \u2018The Faithful Shepherdess\u2019 pastoral throughout the second-act champagne-fuelled black tie occasion the place the ladies are all seemingly blonde. Intriguingly \u2013 as in Richard Strauss\u2019s later\u00a0Ariadne auf Naxos<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 a grasp of ceremonies declares fireworks and later that divertissement. The latter must be seen to be believed and is a \u2013 considerably dated admittedly \u2013 mixture of Gay Pride carnival, celebration of S&M and\u00a0The Rocky Horror Picture Show<\/em>. (This perceived loucheness just isn’t what we anticipate from present Russian society, although I believe it’s extra prevalent than we think about.)<\/p>\n Still spectacular is the looks of a bejewelled Catherine the Great amongst the viewers on the finish of the primary scene of Act II and on this event, I had extra understanding how Nemirova has made the Countess and the empress one character. We higher recognize this after we see the Countess climbing the steps to retire to her room initially of Act III regally wearing white as \u2018Catherine the Great\u2019 was.<\/p>\n As earlier than, I can’t be sure if all of Nemirova\u2019s authentic\u00a0Personenregie<\/em> stays although what there may be was extremely efficient once more and so Tchaikovsky\u2019s opera was wonderful all-round \u2013 as in 2022 \u2013 due to its outstanding ensemble of singing-actors. Elena Zaremba is the Countess and her characterisation owes a lot to Sunset Boulevard<\/em>\u2019s Norma Desmond. Notably when Zaremba\u2019s Countess has her second within the highlight as she recounts her previous glories when she sang Laurette\u2019s Aria from Andr\u00e9 Gr\u00e9try\u2019s opera\u00a0Richard C\u0153ur-de-Lion<\/em>\u00a0at Versailles earlier than Madame de Pompadour herself. The Countess appears to need to add Hermann to her listing of conquests we’re informed about in Act I. Hermann and the Countess grapple on her mattress although she virtually instantly expires, although to Hermann\u2019s consternation that is earlier than she has revealed the key of her three-card trick. However, a prophecy is fulfilled that the Countess will die by the hands of a \u2018third suitor\u2019 attempting to power this data out of her. Hermann is on prime of her once more because the Countess lies in state on her bier \u2013 which suggests one thing else solely! \u2013 earlier than she chillingly rises to inform him what he believes he must know to ensure that him to get the cash to marry Lisa. Hermann\u2019s have to gamble and use the Countess\u2019s \u2018Tri kart\u00ef\u2019 is now all-consuming.<\/p>\n The closing scene is excellently staged and if\u00a0The Queen of Spades\u00a0\u2013 <\/em>which I’ve solely ever seen a couple of instances earlier than \u2013 hadn\u2019t already weaved its spell, the denouement sealed the deal. Around the central card desk which is surrounded by these slot machines the marauding Hermann brandishes a gun \u2013 fact be informed he has been threatening virtually everybody with it throughout the opera \u2013 and holds the room hostage whereas he sings about how life is only a sport. Soon he realises he has been tricked and the ace he anticipated is simply the queen of spades; in the meantime Lisa\u2019s lifeless physique has been introduced in for Yeletsky to grieve over. Hermann begs forgiveness and shoots himself whereas all involved sing \u2018Lord, forgive him!\u2019 and the closing bars are Wagnerian and redemptive.<\/p>\n As hinted at above each singing and appearing was of the very best potential normal. Anna Netrebko matched Yusif Eyvazov\u2019s Hermann in dramatic credibility and tormented anguish. Currently singing in addition to ever, Netrebko displayed her highly effective, expressive, and emotive soprano voice with its acquainted wealthy, dusky tones to its upmost in what was a job debut. Before Lisa is engulfed in a sea of umbrellas (one other Nemirova leitmotif) and \u2018drowns\u2019, Netrebko\u2019s resignation throughout Lisa\u2019s concluding \u2018I am worn out by grief\u2019 was heartrending. Given present #MeToo sensibilities Hermann could possibly be thought of to stalk and groom Lisa and Eyvazov\u2019s portrayal of an more and more wide-eyed and mentally disintegrating character was partly disturbing, partly compelling. Even extra outstanding was how Eyvazov\u2019s voice didn\u2019t tire and remained impassioned and safe (with some significantly lengthy held prime notes) throughout what’s an awfully demanding function.<\/p>\n Returning as Yeletsky, Boris Pinkhasovich brilliantly conveyed a deepfelt concern in his shifting Act II aria (\u2018I love you beyond measure\u2019) which deserved its extended applause for his beautiful legato line alone (one thing I remarked on in 2022 as nicely). Alexey Markov employed his clean baritone to good impact as soon as once more as Tomsky and Andrea Giovannini and Ivo Stanchev impressed with their involvement all through the opera as Chekalinsky and Surin. Elena Maximova additionally caught the attention and ear as Polina (and Daphnis within the pastoral) due to her expansive and opulent mezzo timbre. I can not identify everybody, however the singing of all of the principal forged, and the outstanding, very dedicated refrain, helped make this an additional memorable efficiency of The Queen of Spades <\/em>on this present manufacturing.<\/p>\n Making his debut within the pit on the Vienna State Opera was the younger Timur Zangiev who has beforehand assisted Valery Gergiev (the conductor in 2022) with The Queen of Spades. <\/em>Zangiev drew an typically searing and detailed account of Tchaikovsky\u2019s symphonic and extremely romantic rating from the consummate and compliant Vienna State Opera Orchestra. (Never earlier than have I appreciated how a lot the composer appears to have recycled themes from his earlier music for Swan Lake<\/em>.) As Gergiev earlier than him, I assumed Zangiev\u2019s The Queen of Spades <\/em>was idiomatic, pliant, darkly expressive, undoubtedly haunted and with none undue sentimentality. Nevertheless, Zangiev did emphasise the work\u2019s hovering \u2013 and typically oddly Italianate \u2013 melodies to reveal, unsurprisingly the opera\u2019s affinity with the soul of Mother Russia, the land of his beginning, in addition to the composer after all.<\/p>\n Jim Pritchard<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Production: Cast: [ad_2]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [ad_1] Austria Tchaikovsky, The Queen of Spades\u00a0(Pique Dame):\u00a0Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Vienna State Opera \/ Timur Zangiev (conductor). Livestreamed from the Vienna State Opera (directed by Dominik Kepczynski), 27.6.2025. (JPr) Yusif Eyvazov (Hermann) and Anna Netrebko (Lisa) \u00a9 WS\/Michael P\u00f6hn I nonetheless see numerous opera a method or different but it surely was solely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":146564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[4791,12279,12276,952,12277,721,3029,12278,2822,7797,12281,12280],"class_list":{"0":"post-146563","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-theatre","8":"tag-compelling","9":"tag-expressive","10":"tag-eyvazov","11":"tag-heard","12":"tag-hermann","13":"tag-international","14":"tag-lisa","15":"tag-netrebko","16":"tag-queen","17":"tag-revival","18":"tag-spades","19":"tag-vienna"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Austria\"](\"https:\/\/seenandheard-international.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/world-flags\/images\/flags\/24\/at.png\" "\\"Austria\\"\/")
Austria<\/span><\/span><\/span> Tchaikovsky, The Queen of Spades<\/em>\u00a0(Pique Dame<\/em>):<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Vienna State Opera \/ Timur Zangiev (conductor). Livestreamed from the Vienna State Opera (directed by Dominik Kepczynski), 27.6.2025. (JPr)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/seenandheard-international.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Pique_Dame_2025-06-21_DSC3978-scaled-e1751241410774.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/seenandheard-international.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Pique_Dame_2025-06-21_DSC4311-466x333.jpg\")
<\/strong>Director & Lighting \u2013 Vera Nemirova
Stage designer \u2013 Johannes Leiacker
Costume designer \u2013 Marie-Luise Strandt
Chorus director \u2013 Martin Schebesta<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Hermann \u2013 Yusif Eyvazov
Tomsky \/ Pluto \u2013 Alexey Markov
Yeletsky \u2013 Boris Pinkhasovich
Chekalinsky \u2013 Andrea Giovannini
Surin \u2013 Ivo Stanchev
Chaplitsky \u2013 Hiroshi Amako
Narumow \u2013 Dan Paul Dumitrescu
Master of Ceremonies \u2013 Hans-Peter Kammerer
Countess \u2013 Elena Zaremba
Lisa \u2013 Anna Netrebko
Polina \/ Daphnis \u2013 Elena Maximova
Governess \u2013 Stephanie Maitland
Masha \/ Chloe \u2013 Maria Nazarova
Piano on the stage \u2013 Kristin Okerland<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n