The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky, P. I., Alkaen (2016/2016), Ohjannut Yuri Temirkanov, Musiikinjohto Pavel Smelkov, Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, Vladivostok, Russia

In the spring of 1890 The Queen of Spades, a mystic short story by Alexander Pushkin, inspired Pyotr Tchaikovsky to compose an opera in which Pushkin’s subject would be treated very originally. The story of a consuming passion for gambling was transformed into a dramatic opera about an unearthly love. Pushkin’s heroine named Liza, an old countess’s impoverished young ward, turned into the countess’ grand-daughter engaged to Prince Yeletsky, and German’s behavior was based on his love for the young woman whose social and wealth statuses precluded him from marrying her. Those were circumstances which allowed Tchaikovsky to compose the operatic music astounding the public with its depth and insight. When Yuri Temirkanov as a director and conductor was going to stage The Queen of Spades at the Kirov Theatre (presently the Mariinsky Theatre) in 1984, Igor Ivanov as a designer was allotted a task to recreate an old Saint Petersburg atmosphere in details. “It should be luxurious because Tchaikovsky is a great dramatist. He sought to show that German, that no one in a shabby surtout, who got into society and finally went mad because he longed to live the high life,” said Temirkanov. The features of Saint Petersburg in the Catherine Age were thoroughly reconstructed in Temirkanov’s staging, whether they were statues in the Summer Garden where German first met the countess or a costume ball in a grandee’s house or the Winter Canal in which Liza drowned herself out of despair. All costumes and furnishings in a gambling house, quarters or rooms were in accordance with their prototypes in the past. Even military uniforms were designed in keeping with those of certain regiments which once existed in reality. The staging turned out a great success. The Queen of Spades staged by Yuri Temirkanov became a classic example of opera direction and was accorded international recognition and long happy life on the stage. The opera staging was shifted from Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok in December 2015. At the premiere the opera was performed by the Mariinsky Theatre lead soloist under the direction of Valery Gergiev. Since then the Far East audience has heard Liza’s and German’s arias sung by legendary singers such as Larisa Diadkova and Vladimir Galuzin and seen young stars such as Elena Stikhina, Yulia Matochkina, Alexei Markov, and Roman Burdenko. Nowadays The Queen of Spades continues to host guest singers and open up opportunities for local soloists under the guidance of Pavel Smelkov, a Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. Natalia Rogudeeva