cast:

Plot

Act I

Scene 1. A group of officers is discussing the events of the previous night. One of them, Surin, gambled away his money in the gaming-house. Herman was also there, but he didn't make any bets, only stood there as usual observing the game. Herman becomes the object of his fellow officers' ridicule. He is tortured by an uncontrollable, unknown passion (Ya imeni yeyo ne znayu). This is no romantic feeling, this is a fever that is consuming and burning him. Demons that have been sleeping till now, have awakened inside him. He doesn't know the name of his beloved, and he doesn't want to know it.

Meanwhile, Prince Yeletsky arrives, a happy man because his wedding day is drawing near. Yeletsky's fiancée, who is approaching with her guardian - the legendary Countess, is Lisa. She turns out to be Herman's nameless beloved, whom the Countess has promised to the Prince. The meeting is filled with vague, terrible premonitions (the quintet Mne strashno!). Lisa knows Herman but is afraid of his dark passion. The Countess is afraid of the ominous signs. Prince Yeletsky is afraid for Lisa. He loves her, and promises her his tender devotion. Herman succumbs to the Countess's strange power, he believes in the doom of this meeting.

One of the officers, Tomsky, recounts the gossip about the Countess's past (the ballad Odnazhdy v Versale...). They used to call her "The Queen of Spades". Her beauty and her charm were loved by all of Paris all those years ago, but the Countess preferred cards. One day in Versailles, she gambled away her whole fortune. Soon afterwards, though, she mysteriously managed to win it all back. It was said that it was the Count Saint-Germain who promised to divulge the secret of three cards to her in return for a rendezvous. Subsequently the Countess revealed the secret twice: to her husband, and them to a certain young man. Rumour had it that she received a mysterious spiritual warning against a third man who would try to win the secret from her in a frenzy of passion. Perhaps, then, Herman will become her lover - jibe his fellow officers, but Herman is profoundly affected by the Countess's secret. A storm breaks out. Facing raging nature, Herman vows he will snatch the secret from the Countess or die.

Scene 2. The Countess's home. Despite her friends' light-hearted mood, Lisa is filled with anxiety. The fortune-telling on the eve of her betrothal is ominous. An aura of death hangs over Lisa. Once she is alone, she cries, letting out the pain (the aria Otkuda eti sliozy...). She commits the darkness of her spirit to the blackness of the night (Tsaritsa noch!). She doesn't love the fair prince, her heart belongs to Herman, sombre as a fallen angel.

And then, Herman appears. He has crept into the Countess's house. He demands love and devotion from Lisa. He blackmails her with his determination. The meeting is interrupted by the Countess's return. With her appearance, Herman'S terrible desire floods back. The Countess, failing to notice Herman, leads Lisa out. But the girl will return in a moment. Lisa succumbs to his hypnotic power.

ACT II

Scene 3. A great masked ball. The Countess, Prince Yeletsky with Lisa, the officers and Herman - the object of their constant ridicule. Yeletsky assures Lisa of his love for her even though he knows he is not loved. Lisa remains distant and aloof. Herman receives a letter from her. Lisa requests a meeting with him after the performance that is just beginning. This is a show put on specially for her betrothal to the Prince. After the performance Lisa gives Herman the key to her room. She is utterly devoted to him, though her love no longer means anything to Herman. The ball continues. The arrival of the Empress adds lustre to the event.

Scene 4. The Countess's empty bedroom. Herman tensely awaits her return from the ball. His obsessive passion fills his mind completely. He wants to learn the secret - if there is one. From his hiding place, he can see the intoxicated Countess. He is witness to her outburst of bitterness, and watches as half-asleep, she sinks into her long-gone delightful past (the French aria). The Countess is falling asleep, plunged in her dreams, but Herman rouses her. First he begs, then demands that she reveal her secret to him. Terrified by the intrusion, the woman dies. Lisa arrives. She realizes that Herman wants to learn the secret of the cards more than he wants her love. Torn between conflicting emotions, she rejects Herman.


ACT III

Scene 5. Herman is reading a letter from Lisa. She is unable to throw him out of her heart. She wants to believe that the Countess's death was an accident. She requests a rendezvous to give him a chance to prove his innocence. But Herman knows the darkness of his soul. As the chorus sings a propitiatory psalm, the image of the dead Countess appears, mocking him; she reveals the secret sequence of cards. It's the three, the seven, and the ace.

Scene 6. Lisa awaits Herman in vain, standing in the arranged meeting place on the bridge. She is damned, she has linked her fate to a murderer. But, when Herman finally arrives, she is prepared to forgive this man for everything, loving him with a mystical devotion. However, Herman rejects Lisa and runs to the gaming-house. He wants to gamble. Distraught, Lisa throws herself into the river.

Scene 7. There is excitement in the gaming-house. Herman's arrival surprises and disturbs those present: for the first time, Herman wants to take part in the game. Greatly tense, he bets his whole fortune on the cards indicated by the Countess. He bets on the three and wins. He bets on the seven and wins again. He is master of the world and master of his fate (the aria Chto nasha zhizn? Igra!). He bets everything on one card. Nobody but Yeletsky dares volunteer to meet his challenge. They play. Herman loses. Instead of an ace, the card in his hand is the queen of spades. He curses the Countess and takes his own life. He dies with Lisa's name on his lips, with her image before the eyes of his soul - with her, waiting for him on the other side. The chorus's prayer rises above his tortured soul.


Translation: Joanna Dutkiewicz