Pique Dame - schedule, program & buy tickets

An opera in three acts by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Libretto by Modest Tchaikovsky, based on the short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin
World premiere on December 19, 1890, in Saint Petersburg
Premiere at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on March 9, 2024

Introduction: 45 minutes before the start of each performance in the Rang Foyer on the right
Language: In Russian with German and English surtitles
Running time: approx. 3 hours 20 minutes / including an intermission after approx. 100 minutes
Recommended for ages 14 and up
Additional Information: Stroboscopic lighting is used during the performance. At the end of the performance, a blank gunshot is fired on stage. 

“What is our life? A game! Good and evil are but dreams; work and honesty are mere lies,” Hermann sums up fatalistically in *The Queen of Spades* as he faces his end at the card table. Based on Pushkin’s novella, Tchaikovsky depicts a world dominated by economic disparities where the law of the jungle prevails. At any cost, Hermann must live up to the social standing of his beloved Lisa; he hopes to attain wealth through the countess’s cursed card secret. But his hope for happiness fizzles out in a spiral of obsession that drags Hermann into the abyss. Doris Soffel returns as the Countess in Sam Brown’s production. Elena Guseva takes on the role of Lisa, while Arsen Soghomonyan makes his house debut as Hermann—both have performed these roles on stages from Milan to New York. Stéphane Degout and Alexey Markov, two of the great baritones of our time, star as Prince Yeletsky and Count Tomsky, respectively. The Ukrainian conductor Kirill Karabits will lead the orchestra. 

Subject to change.