The Queen of Spades is not for the faint of heart

AMSTERDAM. The Dutch National Opera hosted the premiere performances of The Queen of Spades staged by Stefan Herheim.

The probability of the appearance of the touring version of THE QUEEN OF SPADES (The Queen of Spades) from Stefan Herheim and the Dutch National Opera on Russian stage is negligible. The unexpected presence on the stage of a restless Tchaikovsky, permanently dying from the water infected with a cholera bacillus and tormented by the awareness of an alternative orientation to generally accepted canons. Even a hint of a similar interpretation of the image of Pyotr Ilyich is enough to erect a monumental barrier on its way to the Russian audience. And even the Mikhailovsky and Mariinsky origin of most of the soloists involved in the production: Larisa Dyadkova, Svetlana Aksyonova, Alexei Markov, Mikhail Makarov, is unlikely to help decently veil the essence.

The rare references to Herheim’s new production in the domestic media are cautiously neutral or sarcastic, despite the success of his non-trivial Eugene Onegin and various professional achievements. The zealots of morality refuse to look at the child splashed with water of criticism a little more closely and more neutrally. In this case, it would be not only about the shades of the sexual orientation of the great composer, voiced in the play, but also about the brilliant work of The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons. About the strength and quality of the voices of the soloists, the coherence of children’s and adult choirs, the wonderful diction of the singers, which makes it possible to follow the plot without difficulty.

The perception of life as a game preached by the gambling hero of The Queen of Spades and William Shakespeare is a good idea to take into service at least with respect to works of art. In this case, their non-standard interpretation will cause only sincere interest, a friendly smile or a desire to get acquainted with the canonical original.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru