Tchaikovsky P. Queen of Spades. Piano score

“Queen of Spades” — opera by P. I. Tchaikovsky in three acts (seven scenes) composed to Modest Tchaikovsky’s libretto after A. Pushkin’s story of the same name.

Tchaikovsky was awestruck by it in 1889. Then there followed Florence, where he worked most ardently and selflessly. Starting on January 19, 1890 he prepared in rough during 44 days. The score was completed to the beginning of June. 

The composition was fortuned to crown Tchaikovsky’s opera heritage. It’s essentially different of its literary origin. The action is transferred to the age of Ekaterina the Second instead of the initial period of Alexander the First’s reign. New personages are inserted. Pushkin’s characters are given the features of profound psychological ground. 

The “Queen of Spades” was firstly performed on December 7, 1890 on the stage of the Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre conducted by E. Napravnik. Subsequently it was directed by such K. Stanislavsky and V. Meyerhold, N. Smolich and L. Baratov, Yu. Lyubimov and A. Galibin. There should be marked great score interpretations of S. Rakhmaninov, V. Suk, G. Mahler, B. Walter, Ye. Kolobov, V. Gergiev. 

Brilliant mighty vocalists were involved to the stagings of this exceptional canvas, such as F. Shalyapin, P. Andreyev as Tomsky, G. Vishnevskaya, T. Milashkina as Liza, P. Obukhova, I. Arkhipova as Polina, N. Pechkovsky, V. Atlantov , Yu. Marusin, V. Galuzin as Hermann, S. Preobrazhenskaya, Ye. Obraztsova (Countess), P. Lisitsian, D. Hvorostovsky as Yeletsky etc.  

The opera was screened in 1960 by R. Tikhomirov.