Oper

Peter I. Tschaikowski

Pique Dame

Text Alexandr Sergejewitsch Puschkin

Friday 27. June 2025 One intermission Main Stage
Area 1 255 €
Area 1

255 €

Area 2 209 €
Area 2

209 €

Area 3 180 €
Area 3

180 €

Area 4 122 €
Area 4

122 €

Area 5 94 €
Area 5

94 €

Area 6 69 €
Area 6

69 €

Area 7 45 €
Area 7

45 €

Area 8 30 €
Area 8

30 €

Area 9 18 €
Area 9

18 €

Standing room
Standing room


Cast at
27. June 2025

Dirigent

Timur Zangiev

Regie

Vera Nemirova

Bühne

Johannes Leiacker

Kostüme

Marie-Luise Strandt

3 more dates

Pique Dame

Cast at Saturday 21. June 2025

Dirigent

Timur Zangiev

Regie

Vera Nemirova

Bühne

Johannes Leiacker

Kostüme

Marie-Luise Strandt
Area 1 255 €
Area 1

255 €

Area 2 209 €
Area 2

209 €

Area 3 180 €
Area 3

180 €

Area 4 122 €
Area 4

122 €

Area 5 94 €
Area 5

94 €

Area 6 69 €
Area 6

69 €

Area 7 45 €
Area 7

45 €

Area 8 30 €
Area 8

30 €

Area 9 18 €
Area 9

18 €

Standing room
Standing room

Pique Dame

Cast at Tuesday 24. June 2025

Dirigent

Timur Zangiev

Regie

Vera Nemirova

Bühne

Johannes Leiacker

Kostüme

Marie-Luise Strandt
Area 1 255 €
Area 1

255 €

Area 2 209 €
Area 2

209 €

Area 3 180 €
Area 3

180 €

Area 4 122 €
Area 4

122 €

Area 5 94 €
Area 5

94 €

Area 6 69 €
Area 6

69 €

Area 7 45 €
Area 7

45 €

Area 8 30 €
Area 8

30 €

Area 9 18 €
Area 9

18 €

Standing room
Standing room

U27  
Pique Dame

Cast at Monday 30. June 2025

Dirigent

Timur Zangiev

Regie

Vera Nemirova

Bühne

Johannes Leiacker

Kostüme

Marie-Luise Strandt
Area 1 255 €
Area 1

255 €

Area 2 209 €
Area 2

209 €

Area 3 180 €
Area 3

180 €

Area 4 122 €
Area 4

122 €

Area 5 94 €
Area 5

94 €

Area 6 69 €
Area 6

69 €

Area 7 45 €
Area 7

45 €

Area 8 30 €
Area 8

30 €

Area 9 18 €
Area 9

18 €

Standing room
Standing room

Included in: Golden Cycle
Golden Cycle

About the production

Three, seven and ace

with these three supposedly infallible cards, revealed to him by the ghost of the dead countess in a feverish vision, the outsider Hermann wants to win big at cards. At this point, however, he no longer wants the money to marry his former lover Lisa, but is hopelessly addicted to gambling. Based on a story by Puškin, /Pique Dame/ deals with a destructive loneliness resulting from social exclusion, to which the Countess, Lisa and Hermann himself fall victim.

Pique Dame

Storyline

A spring day in St. Petersburg. Nannies and governesses supervise the children entrusted to them. The outsider Hermann confesses to Tomski his desperate love for a stranger whom he only idolizes from afar.

Tomski tries to encourage Hermann, but is ridiculed by Chekalinsky and Surin. When Prince Yeletsky appears and introduces his fiancée Lisa, Hermann recognizes his beloved stranger in her. Lisa's grandmother, the old countess and so-called "Queen of Spades", appears at her side. She is both fascinated and repelled by Hermann's appearance - just as he is by hers.

Tomski tells the story behind the old countess's nickname: as a young woman, she caused a sensation in Paris as the "Muscovite Venus". After she had gambled away her entire fortune, the Count of Saint Germain sold her the secret of three infallible cards for the price of a night of love. The countess regained her fortune.

She only confided the secret to her husband and one lover. A ghost has prophesied that a third lover, to whom she will reveal the three cards, will cause her death.

The penniless Hermann, who watches the game of chance with fascination all night long but does not take part himself, is teased by Tschekalinski and Surin: As the old countess's lover, he could afford to take part in the game.

Lisa says goodbye to her friends before the wedding. Polina sings a melancholy romance, then they dance until Lisa's governess forbids these pleasures.

When Lisa is alone, her repressed feelings for Hermann catch up with her. Suddenly he himself stands before her and threatens to commit suicide out of unrequited love. The old countess appears and Hermann has to go into hiding. When Lisa and Hermann are alone again, she confesses her love for him.

The play The Sincerity of the Shepherdess is performed as part of Lisa's engagement celebrations with Prince Yeletsky.

Unlike the shepherdess shown, Lisa has not chosen her love for a have-not, but a life of wealth.

Hermann's comrades frighten, unsettle and mock him with continued allusions to the old countess.

Lisa manages to elude Prince Yeletsky and slips Hermann a key which leads him through the countess's bedroom to her room. He announces his visit for the same night.

Hermann's imagination falls more and more under the spell of the "Muscovite Venus". He surprises and harasses the old countess, in whose mind memories of her glory days at the French court mingle with the presence of Hermann, who is passionately courting her secret. She dies in Hermann's arms without having revealed the secret. Lisa, who rushes over, realizes that Hermann was less interested in her than in the secret of the three cards.

Hermann, whose hopes have been dashed by the death of the countess, is haunted by feverish fantasies.

At its peak, the ghost of the old countess appears, tells him to marry Lisa and teaches him the three infallible cards three, seven and ace.

Lisa has given Hermann an ultimatum: If he does not come to her by midnight, she will consider him her grandmother's murderer.

Hermann appears shortly after midnight to take her to the gambling parlor. She recognizes his obsession and takes her own life.

Hermann surprises the players with his desire to take part. He bets an exorbitant sum and wins with the three, only to double his winnings with the seven in the next round. No one wants to compete against him. Then Prince Yeletsky appears, who has come to take revenge on Hermann for Lisa's loss. Hermann loses because he bets on the queen pique instead of the ace.

Act 1 & 2 ca. 95 min
Intermission ca. 25 min
Act 3 ca. 80 min

Director Vera Nemirova shifts the action to the period just after the fall of communism in the 1990s. In her production, she wanted to show a social background in which, on the one hand, there is immense wealth behind baroque facades in Russia and, on the other, the misery of the poor sections of the population: Casinos next to soup kitchens, homeless people and street children next to the nouveau riche. The protagonists are embedded in these contrasts, which can turn anyone into a criminal - just like the main character Hermann.

Tchaikovsky was not exactly self-confident. But in the case of Queen of Spades, he was more than convinced of its quality - and so he wrote just before finishing the composition: "Either I am in a terrible error, or Queen of Spades really is my chief dʼOeuvre".

The premiere on 19 December 1890 at the Marinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg was a resounding success, the scenic design was of the greatest splendor for the theater of the time and the opera's intermezzo was choreographed by none other than Marius Petipa. The Tsar was present at the dress rehearsal and the composer was presented with a silver wreath during the interval of the first performance and a laurel lyre at the end.

© Wiener Staatsoper
© Wiener Staatsoper
© Wiener Staatsoper
© Wiener Staatsoper
© Wiener Staatsoper
© Wiener Staatsoper
© Wiener Staatsoper
© Wiener Staatsoper

This production is sponsored by

FAQ

Tickets for our standing room can be purchased online or at the Bundestheater box office from 10 am on the day of the performance. BundestheaterCard holders can book standing room tickets online the day before the performance.

In addition, a fixed contingent of standing room tickets is available for regular evening performances from 80 minutes before the start of the performance at our standing room box office (Operngasse entrance).

Our operas are sung in the original languages - these vary depending on the work.

At each seat, subtitles in different languages can be switched on or off via a separate subtitle screen. In addition to the original language of the opera, you can choose from up to eight languages: German, English, Italian, French, Russian, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin).

In the event of a change of performance, you can of course return or exchange your tickets.

As changes to the cast cannot be ruled out due to illnesses or other hindrances of artists, there is no entitlement to a refund of the ticket price or exchange in this case.

Tickets cannot be returned or exchanged if you are not admitted to the auditorium due to being late (even after the interval).

About Your Visit

Cloakroom

The cloakrooms are located next the the entrances at the Operngasse. You can find additional cloakrooms on the left and right side of the balcony and the gallery and in the boxes. All cloakrooms are free of charge.

Be on Time

We kindly ask you to arrive on time for the performances. Latecomers can only be admitted during the intermission. After the intermission, re-entry will not be possible.

Food and Drink

Our gastronomy opens at the same time entry is permitted. You can enjoy some snacks and drinks before the performance starts or you can book a table for the break.

Practical Information

You can find more practical information regarding your visit (e.g. Dresscode, barrier-free-access, …) here.

 

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