Latest news with #QueenOfSpades
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The Queen of Spades, Garsington: Romantic despair and mad obsession – with a strong whiff of sulphur
After the bright daylight and saucy flirtations of Garsington Opera's season-opener The Elixir of Love, their second night plunged us into romantic despair and mad obsession, with a strong whiff of sulphur. The titular Queen of Spades in Tchaikovsky's great opera is an elderly Russian countess who has the secret for winning cards, but it's a secret that will bring death to anyone who learns it. For the opera's bitter anti-hero Herman the way to that secret lies through the Countess's niece Lisa. But perhaps love for her will rescue him from his mad obsession? That's the intimate heart of the opera, but as this fabulous new production makes clear the story is rooted in the tensions of Russian society. Director Jack Furness and designer Tom Piper summon that world's luxuriant, telling detail as well as its huge epic sweep and barely concealed brutality. In the barracks at the very beginning we see some lads playing soldiers. It's charming, and the excellent Garsington Opera Children's Chorus savour the Russian words. But when one of them falls down the others give his head a good kicking. Later, when we see Herman explaining his infatuation with the socially unattainable Lisa to his good friend Tomsky, he gets contemptuous looks from the strolling St Petersburg high society, who admire themselves in the mottled mirrored detachable walls that make up the set. These spin round to reveal previously hidden worlds. It might be the make-believe of a Rococo theatre-in-a-theatre, or the grim cramped barracks where Herman dreams his dream of infinite wealth. This picturesque but fundamentally grim world is enlivened by the dancers in the ball scenes and above all by Garsington's lavish 32-strong chorus, breathtakingly vigorous whether they're playing eager gamblers round the gambling-table or the Countess's chattering servants. Tchaikovsky's blazing score, which ranges from Mozartian pastiche to Russian charm to the tremor and shriek of the supernatural is brought to vivid life by the Philharmonia Orchestra under Garsington's musical director Douglas Boyd. However the couple at the opera's heart are not quite so strong. Laura Wilde as Lisa has an impressive flaring voice but her performance felt rather dramatically tepid, and though Aaron Cawley's dark-grained baritone seemed right for Herman's obsession one missed a sense of that countervailing tenderness for Lisa that might have saved him. The circle of army friends around Herman were more convincingly portrayed, above all gravel-voiced Robert Hayward as the jovial, ever-optimistic Tomsky. Roderick Williams as the stuffed-shirt Prince Yelestsky who loses out to the romantically fascinating Herman provided the subtlest singing of the performance, in his aria of dignified heartbreak. However the evening's most spell-binding moment came from Diana Montague as the Countess, alone in her bedroom, recalling her young days in Paris when she learned the secret of the 'three cards'. On opening night, when the lights fell and the orchestral sound dropped to a whisper, you could feel everyone lean forward to catch the old witch's secrets. Sometimes the best moments at the opera are the quietest.
New York Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Queen of Spades' Review: A Fiery Soprano Breaks Through
Tchaikovsky's 'Queen of Spades' tells the story of an addict, Hermann, whose obsession with cards leaves a trail of destruction. Along the way, some of the opera's female characters become collateral damage. But at the Metropolitan Opera's season premiere of Elijah Moshinsky's stenciled historical-dress production on Friday, it was the women who came into focus. In large part this was because of the fiery performance of the soprano Sonya Yoncheva, who made her role debut as the aristocratic Lisa who breaks off an illustrious engagement to throw in her lot with the wild-eyed Hermann, clinging to him even after he uses deadly force to extract a supernatural gambling secret from her grandmother. 'Young women often fall in love with' bad guys, Yoncheva noted in an earlier interview with The New York Times. On Friday, she drew on a wide range of vocal shadings to evoke flickers of girlish curiosity, fatalism and raw erotic longing that lent uncommon depth and agency to her character. Her commitment helped make sense of an opera that, with its collage of pastiche, quotations and narrative devices, can feel like a Frankenstein creation. Here, amid the cold glitter of a rococo-obsessed imperial court with people rigidly gliding about under towering wigs, Hermann and Lisa's search for intense emotions seemed both nihilistic and perfectly plausible. Yoncheva might not have dominated the proceedings quite as much if she had appeared alongside a Hermann of equal stature. But the tenor Arsen Soghomonyan was dramatically stiff and vocally uneven in his house debut. Much of those jitters must be because he stepped into the role at short notice after the successive withdrawals of the tenors Brian Jagde and Brandon Jovanovich this month. Yet even on a visibly nervous night, Soghomonyan's tone commands attention with its velvety luminosity and plangent heat. His voice cracked a few times when he pushed for an emotional climax, as in the storm scene where Hermann makes a dark oath, or in the decisive last round of gambling that will lead to him losing his fortune and taking his own life. For Soghomonyan, who has recently electrified European audiences as Verdi's Otello, it was clearly not the Met debut he had hoped for: At curtain call, where he was greeted by warm applause, he held his prop pistol to his temple in a humorous pantomime of despair. But an opera performance is not the same all-or-nothing proposition as Tchaikovsky's game of cards. A strong cast, heavy on native Russian speakers, carried the patchwork plot. The coolly elegant mezzo Maria Barakova was outstanding in the minor role of Lisa's friend Pauline who also sings Daphnis in a pastoral court entertainment. And Violeta Urmana grew in stature as the aging Countess haunted by the prophecy that her knowledge of the card secret will lead to a violent end. Somewhat lugubriously sinister in her first scenes, she delivered a riveting performance as she reflected on her youth in Paris, singing a fragment of an aria by Grétry with quiet pathos that hinted at the personal trauma linked to the mystery of the cards. Among the men, Alexey Markov brought a fine-grained, warm baritone to the role of Count Tomsky. The baritone Igor Golovatenko was less convincing as Prince Yeletsky, the jilted fiancé, as he struggled to project some of the lower notes in the gorgeous love aria Tchaikovsky writes for him in Act II. In the pit, the conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson delivered a cohesive reading of the score that drew bewitching playing from the orchestra. When Lisa, alone in her room, confesses her passion for Hermann, the strings and harp set the scene so vividly that you could almost hear the moment she throws open the windows and entrusts her feelings to the night. The opera ends with a pianissimo prayer for Hermann's soul. On Friday, the men of the Met chorus sang it with entrancing airy sound, a haunting conclusion to an evening that was otherwise memorable for the female voices.
Forbes
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The MET Opera's 'The Queen Of Spades' Star Sonya Yoncheva Talks Opera, New York and Travel
"Queen of Spades" star Sonya Yoncheva. Manfred Baumann Superstar Sonya Yoncheva stars in the Metropolitan Opera's upcoming production of Tchaikovsky's 'The Queen of Spades,' opening on Friday, May 23 at 7:30 PM. The Bulgarian native, who now calls Switzerland home, plays Lisa. Yoncheva has played iconic roles at the Met before such as the title role of 'Tosca,' Mimì in 'La Bohème,' the title role of Luisa Miller, and Violetta in 'La Traviata.' She made her Met debut as Gilda in 'Rigoletto' in 2013. Next season at the Met, Yoncheva returns to sing the role of Maddalena in 'Andrea Chénier' and Cio-Cio-San in 'Madama Butterfly. ' I interviewed the operatic star recently about how she prepares for a performance, her favorite restaurant in New York to sit at the bar, and more. My favorite opera that's not my own: My favorite opera not in my repertoire is Richard Strauss's Salome. My pre-performance ritual: Before I sing or perform, I have a ritual: I listen to the sound of flowing water. It doesn't matter where it comes from - my phone, the bathroom, anywhere - as long as I can hear it moving. The sound of water going somewhere soothes my nerves and helps me feel calm. After a performance, I: After every performance, I treat myself to one to three glasses of champagne. My favorite kind of operagoer (does what): I truly appreciate opera-goers who come with the intention of immersing themselves in the full experience, those who approach it like watching a beautiful film, ready to be drawn into the story. I am less fond of those who make comparisons, focusing on whether I sang the version of, if I was like… What I truly enjoy are audiences who come to be part of the journey, to engage with the story, and to share the fun with us. My role model in business is: I like to think of theatres and artists as partners. To me, this is the business model that truly defines our industry. It's not about being employed by someone or working for an institution, it's about institutions and artists building a career together. That perspective completely reshapes the opera industry and how my career can best piece of career advice I've gotten: The best career advice I ever received was to be myself. But in truth, that's also the most challenging advice to follow, because truly understanding who you are is already difficult. And then, being able to present that authentically to an audience, especially on stage, in the most genuine and natural way, that's even harder. Get the most out of an opera by: I do a lot of research. But I also place a strong emphasis on the psychological aspect of my character. I need to understand how a real person would react in those situations. That helps me make sense of the libretto, especially when the story gets complicated. It gives me insight into why certain events happen, why a character responds the way they do. This process also deeply informs my acting, how I respond emotionally on stage. It's really a journey from A to Z. If I have historical or literary sources available, I read as much as I can to thoroughly understand the context. Sometimes, in theater, I have the freedom to shape and reinvent the character. But with opera, the libretto often leads in a completely different direction. So, I try to compare the two approaches. For example, when I was studying Tosca, it was very important to me to highlight that she is very young, deeply in love, and profoundly religious. She's also a diva. These layers helped me shape her in a more nuanced way, not just portraying the arrogant side we've often been shown over the years. That's my approach. The restaurant I love most near the Met is: Bouloud. I really enjoy being there - I even stop by during intermissions or breaks between rehearsals. You'll often find me at the Boulou bar, having a salad and a coffee, and soaking up the sun, if it's out. The morning after a big performance, I: The morning after a performance, I'm usually trying to make sense of what just happened. I'm often completely drained, like a squeezed lemon, because premieres are such an intense emotional experience. The second, third, fourth, and fifth shows get a bit easier, as I settle into the rhythm of the production. But that opening night really takes the biggest toll on the body. By the next morning, I usually have muscle aches everywhere. It's tough - physically and mentally - but there's also a sense of relief. The nerves are gone, and that's when I finally start to enjoy the city. I can go out, meet friends, and have some fun. The destination I love to travel to most for work is: If I could choose a dream location to work, it might be something like a grand, beautiful theater - like the Met - but set on a beach in the Caribbean. That would be incredible! But honestly, I love all the theaters I perform in. I feel truly privileged to work in places like Vienna, Munich, New York, London, Paris, Milan, and Rome, such beautiful cities. Each one has its own unique charm, and I genuinely feel at home in all of them.
