The Queen of Spades is a masterpiece uniting two world geniuses born on Russian soil: Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The opera is one of the most performed Russian works abroad, along with the opera Boris Godunov by M. P. Mussorgsky.
Composition by A. S. Pushkin
The basis of the opera is Pushkin's novel The Queen of Spades. It was finished in 1833, and its printed publication debut took place the following year, 1834.
The plot is mystical, touched on topics such as fortune, fate, higher powers, lots and rock.
The story has prototypes and a real basis. Its plot was suggested to the poet by the young prince Golitsyn. It’s only that he actually lived, after losing in a card game he was able to recoup, thanks to the prompting of Natalya Petrovna Golitsyna - his grandmother. She received this advice from a certain Saint Germain.
Probably, Pushkin wrote a story in the village of Boldino, Nizhny Novgorod Region, but, unfortunately, the handwritten original was not preserved.
This story is perhaps the first work that has won success not only in Russia but also abroad during the life of the poet.
The characters and the plot
The main characters of The Queen of Spades Pushkin:
- Engineer Hermann is the main character. He never picked up cards until he accidentally heard of a secret of three cards with which you can win a major fortune.
- Anna Fedotovna Tomskaya is the very keeper of the coveted secret.
- Lisa is a young naive girl and pupil, thanks to whom the main character was able to penetrate the countess's house.
After a successfully executed plan, as a result of manipulating the feelings of poor Liza, Hermann ends up in Tomskaya’s house, where he asks to share the secret of three mysterious cards. However, not receiving the desired result, uses physical force, threatening with a pistol. The old woman, greatly afraid, dies on the spot.
On the night after the funeral in a dream, Hermann is the ghost of the Countess and yet reveals the secret of the cards. He does not miss the opportunity and sits down to play with wealthy opponents. The first day turns out to be successful, and the set of 47 thousand gives the lucky winner a victory.
On the 2nd day, fortune in the person of the seven again turns to face him, and Hermann again leaves the game as the winner.
On the 3rd day, Hermann, already winged and looking forward to a complete victory, puts absolutely everything on the cherished ace and loses. Opening the card, he sees the Queen of Spades, who mysteriously begins to acquire similarities with the deceased countess.
The main character does not stand such meanness and eventually loses his mind, and the unfortunate Lisa, having forgotten all this as a nightmare, marries a respectable man.
Opera "Queen of Spades"
Opera is one of the most famous works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was written in 1890. The work was created based on the work of the same name by A. S. Pushkin.
History of creation
The composer worked on it in Florence, surprisingly, but the opera was written in just forty-four days. However, the idea of ​​staging a musical work on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater arose much earlier and belonged to I. A. Vsevolozhsky. Initially, negotiations on the creation of the opera were conducted with other composers - Klenovsky N. S. and Villamov A. A. Later, in 1887, the first conversation between Vsevolozhsky and Tchaikovsky took place. The composer flatly refused to work on the opera. However, instead of him, his younger brother, Modest Ilyich (a talented librettist), took up the matter. Pyotr Ilyich’s attitude to opera gradually changed, and in 1889, the composer rethought his decision, and, having abandoned his affairs, studied the libretto (literary foundation on the basis of which vocal and ballet compositions are created), written by his younger brother. In January 1890, while in Italy, he began work on the opera.
The work began at a rapid and energetic pace, the composer even wrote the text to his two arias (hero of Yelets in action II and heroine of Lisa in III). Later, in the composition, Tchaikovsky added the 7th act - Herman's feast song.
The world premiere took place on December 19, 1890 at the famous Mariinsky Theater under the direction of conductor Eduard Napravnik.
The Moscow debut took place in the autumn of 1891 at the Bolshoi Theater, conducted by Hippolyte Altani.
The opera was a success with the public, and it was decided to go on tour with her to Europe and America. On October 11, 1892, the premiere took place abroad, in Prague, in a Czech translation.
Summary of The Queen of Spades Libretto
Modest Tchaikovsky, taking Pushkin's story as the basis, retained all the main characters and the plot as a whole, but despite this, the libretto was significantly different from the literary original:
- Herman had a real, sincere and ardent love for Lisa. For comparison - in the story the main character only used the naivety and feelings of the girl.
- Elizabeth is far from a poor pupil of the old woman, but her rich successor with an impressive inheritance, which she inherited after the death of the countess. This is not an unhappy and silent nature, but rather an ardently loving and passionate girl, ready to do anything for the main character.
- Herman does not just go crazy, but ends his life with suicide after a crushing loss to the cards.
- Lisa decides to renounce her new husband Eletsky and dies, not the name of the strength to survive the madness of her lover.
The libretto of The Queen of Spades is written in verse, and the work of A. S. Pushkin is in prose. In addition to important details, the vocal text also has an emotional message. Tchaikovsky anxiously worries the fate of each hero, passing their feelings through himself. Pushkin, on the other hand, described the situation in the style of secular humor and was very indifferent to the heroes.
It is worth noting that in the libretto of "Queen of Spades" the name of the protagonist is written with one letter "n". The thing is that in the composition of Pushkin Hermann is probably the surname of German origin, therefore the consonant is doubled. In the libretto, his origin is unknown, as a result of which we can conclude that this is his name.
Each individually
The opera consists of 7 paintings in 3 acts. Events take place at the end of the 18th century in the city of Petersburg.
Below is the libretto of The Queen of Spades opera.
Action one
First picture. In the summer garden there is a dialogue between officers Surin and Chekalinsky. They talk about the mysterious actions of a friend Herman, who devotes all his time to the playing house, but he himself does not take up cards. After some time, the protagonist himself appears in the company of Tomsky - the count of the estate. He talks about his passionate feelings for a girl, not even having an idea about her name. At this moment, Yeletsky appears and announces an imminent engagement. Herman is horrified to realize that she is the very object of his desire when he sees Tomsk with his ward Lisa. Both ladies have anxious feelings, feeling the interested look of the protagonist on themselves.
Count Tomsky tells a joke about the countess, who, in her distant youth, failed, losing all her fortune. From Saint-Germain, she learns about the secret of the three cards, giving him one date in return. As a result, she was able to regain her condition. After this “funny” story, secular friends Surin and Chekalinsky jokingly offer Herman to take the same path. But he is not interested, all his thoughts are focused on the object of love.
The second picture. On the eve of the night, Lisa is sitting in a sad mood. Girlfriends try to calm the girl down, but all their attempts are in vain. Only left alone with herself, she confesses to passionate feelings for an unknown young man. At the right moment, the same stranger appears and pours out heartache, begging the girl to respond to his feelings. In response, she shed tears, tears of regret and sympathy. The countess interrupts an unintentional date, and the hidden Herman, at the sight of the old woman, suddenly recalls the secret of the three cards. After her departure, Lisa confesses to reciprocal feelings.
Action two
The third picture. Events take place at the ball, where Yeletsky, worried about the indifference of his future bride, passionately confesses her love, but at the same time does not limit the freedom of the girl. Herman's friends, wearing masks, continue to mock him, but the hero does not like these jokes at all. Lisa gives him the keys to the countess’s room, and Herman perceives her act as a hint of fate itself.
The fourth picture. The main character, sneaking into the room of Countess Tomsk, looks at her portrait, feeling the ominous fateful energy. After waiting for the old woman, Herman begs to reveal the secret he had desired, but the countess remains motionless. Unable to stand the silence, he decides to blackmail with a pistol, but the unfortunate woman immediately falls down without feelings. Lisa runs into the sound and realizes that Herman needed only a solution to the three cards.
Action Three
The fifth picture. German, while in the barracks, reads a letter from Lisa, in which she makes an appointment with him. The memory of the countess's funeral comes to life. Suddenly, a knock is heard outside the window. The candle goes out, and German sees the revived Tomsk, who, not of her own free will, reveals to him the secret of three cards.
Sixth picture. Elizabeth, waiting for a date on the embankment, is in doubt and finally loses her hope to see her lover. But, to her surprise, Herman appears. After some time, Lisa notices that something is amiss with him and is convinced of his guilt. Herman, obsessed with winning, leaves the venue. Unable to withstand all the pain of disappointment, the girl throws herself into the water.
The seventh picture. Game fun interrupts heated German. He offers to play cards and wins the first two games. For the third time, Prince Yeletsky becomes his adversary, but Hermann, who has lost his mind, is all the same. According to the plot of The Queen of Spades, with the three cards (three, seven and ace), the old countess managed to win. Herman was close to victory, knowing this secret. However, instead of the proper ace in his hands is the Queen of Spades, in the image of which he sees the features of a deceased old woman.
Unable to withstand everything that happens, the main character stabs himself, and in his clear-sighted (for the remaining few seconds) consciousness there appears an image of his bright innocent love - Lisa. "Beauty! Goddess! Angel!" - the last words come from the mouth of the protagonist.
Composition and vocal parts
In the opera The Queen of Spades, 24 vocalists are involved, in addition to solo performers, the choir plays an important role, as well as the support of the whole process - the orchestra.
Each acting hero has his own part, written to a specific timbre of voice:
- Herman was a tenor;
- Lisa had a clear and light soprano;
- The Countess (Queen of Spades) possessed a low mezzo or contralto;
- Tomsky and Eletsky are baritones.
From the first act, the aria of Herman is famous “Forgive me, heavenly creation”, and from the second, the aria of Yeletsky “I love you”.
In Act III, it is impossible not to note the incredible sonority of Lisa’s aria “Ah, I am exhausted with grief” and concluding Herman with the famous phrase that has already become a catchphrase: “What is our life? A game!”.
Summarizing
The opera The Queen of Spades by Pyotr Tchaikovsky is one of the pinnacles of world opera, an amazingly dramatic and dramatic piece of music. Some details of the plot have been changed, but, what is really important, there are other accents, the meaning of which aggravate the conflicts “life - death”, “man - fate”, “love - game”.
Thanks not only to Peter, but also to Modest Tchaikovsky - the author of the Queen of Spades libretto - the opera has become a world masterpiece.