Queen of Spades

Opera in three acts by PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY, based on a short story by Aleksandr Pushkin. It was first produced in St. Petersburg, Dec. 19, 1890.

A Russian army officer, Hermann, tries to elicit the secret of three winning cards from an old woman who had received them from the magician Cagliostro. His strange demand frightens the old woman and she dies, but her ghost appears to him in a lifelike hallucination and gives him the three winning cards: three, seven, and ace. He gambles on these cards and wins on the first two. But instead of picking up the winning ace, he draws the Queen of Spades for the last card and loses all. The card face of the Queen grimaces at him and he recognizes the old woman in it. He goes out and kills himself.

The score is highly dramatic and remains in the repertoire in Russia; it is occasionally staged in the West.