The Queen of Spades

"The Queen of Spades" was composed by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky to a libretto by his brother Modest, based on a story by Pushkin, and will be presented in this season at the Gran Teatro del Liceu Barcelona.

The drama portrays the tragic destiny of a compulsive gambler whose passion drives him to sacrifice his love, to commit murder and ultimately to die. The opera is underscored by Tchaikovsky's masterly musical treatment of the major phantasmagorical elements so widespread in Russian literature and art. In line with contemporary French grand opéra, the work also includes scenes evoking the atmosphere of the city of Saint Petersburg and the imperial court in the late 18th century during the reign of Catherine the Great. There are interesting allusions to the music of the period and to Russian popular and religious music. The Queen of Spades is a work of great inspiration and dramatic efficacy, which ranks alongside Eugene Onegin at the very forefront of Tchaikovsky's operatic output.

The opera was commissioned by the Russian Imperial Theatres and premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg in 1890. It came to the Liceu for the first time in 1922.

Allow Tchaikovsky's music to draw you into this gripping story, in Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu.

Stage Director: Gilbert Deflo
Set and costume design: William Orlandi
Light Design: Albert Faura
Choreography: Nadejda Loujine
Production: Gran Teatre del Liceu

Musical Director: Michael Boder

Cast:

Lisa: Emily Magee

Guermann: Ben Heppner

Count Tomski/Zlatogor: Lado Ataneli

Prince Ieletski: Ludovic Tézier

In some areas of the Gran Teatre del Liceu it is possible to be seated with a partially obstructed view of the stage. The Gran Teatre del Liceu recommends Zone 2 for the finest and completely unobstructed view of the performance. The stage is not visable from seats starting in row 2 of Zone 8. A monitor is provided for following the performance in this section. Only available for operas.