TCHAIKOVSKY: PIQUE DAME

Radio New Zealand Concert network
Sunday 22nd of Novemeber 2015 at 6-04 - 9 pm
Sunday 10th of April 2011 at 3 - 6.45 pm
Sunday 18th of January 2009 at 3 - 7 pm

INTRODUCTION
SYNOPSIS
LIBRETTO (Russian, Spanish))
LIBRETTO (English, German)


TCHAIKOVSKY: The Queen of Spades, an opera in three acts and seven scenes
A setting of Pushkin’s novella in which an impoverished young officer wants to find out the secret of an old countess who infallibly wins playing at cards. Lisa, the rich and romantic granddaughter of the  Countess is engaged to Prince Yeletsky, whom she admires but does not love. She is also the object of the affections of Ghermann (Herman), a handsome but poor young officer. He has fallen in love with Lisa from afar, but knows he cannot win her hand until he has won his fortune. An emotionally driven man, Ghermann becomes tragically consumed by his plan to win Lisa.
2015
Herman........................................... Misha Didyk
Count Tomsky/Plutus/Zlatogor...... Alexey Shishlayev
Prince Yeletsky............................... Alexey Markov
Chekalinsky.................................... Vadim Zapletchny
Surin............................................... Tomasz Slawinski
Chaplitsky....................................... Mikhail Makarov
Narumov......................................... Anatoli Sivkov
Master of Ceremonies..................... Bernhard Schneider
Countess......................................... Larissa Diadkova
Lisa................................................. Tatiana Serjan
Pauline/Daphnis/Milovzor.............. Oksana Volkova
Governess....................................... Olga Savova
Masha............................................. Kerstin Rosenfeldt
Chloe.............................................. Pelageya Kurennaya
Bavarian State Children's Chorus, Bavarian Radio Chorus,
Bavarian Radio SO/Mariss Jansons
(recorded in the Philharmonie, Munich)

2011
Lisa............................... Karita Mattila
Pauline.......................... Tamara Mumford
Countess....................... Dolora Zajick
Ghermann..................... Vladimir Galouzine
Count Tomsky.............. Alexej Markov
Prince Yeletsky............. Peter Mattei
Chekalinsky.................. Adam Klein
Surin............................. Paul Plishka
Chaplitsky..................... Mark Schowalter
Narumov....................... Jeremy Galyon
Master of Ceremonies... Bernard Fitch
Governess..................... Kathryn Day
Masha........................... Danielle Pastin
Chloë............................ Dina Kuznetsova
Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orch/Andris Nelsons
 2009
Lisa............................... Maria Guleghina
Pauline.......................... Ekaterina Semenchuk
Countess....................... Felicity Palmer
Ghermann..................... Ben Heppner
Tomsky......................... Mark Delavan
Yeletsky........................ Vladimir Stoyanov
Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orch/Seiji Ozawa

Pikovaya Dama (Russian), Pique Dame (French), The Queen of Spades is another of Peter Ilyich's masterpieces, with unhappy lovers, a masked ball, addiction-gambling, a three card trick, death by murderous frightening, a returning ghost, suicidal drowning, and self-stabbing (or shooting, if a dagger is unavailable).

I don't own a copy of this opera, in any form!