Lyric Opera 2019-2020 Issue 9 The Queen of Spades

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 32 Would you like to continue exploring Tchaikovsky and The Queen of Spades ? Here are some topics that can inspire lively conversations among you and your operagoing companions: ▪ In which scene were you most moved by the music? ▪ Do you think Tchaikovsky was right, in nearly every scene, to juxtapose lighthearted episodes with the opera’s most dramatic moments? ▪ Tchaikovsky is known for sweeping romantic stories with tragic endings. The Queen of Spades takes that to a new extreme with the three leading characters all dying by the end. Do you find the power of the music equal to the intensity of the drama onstage? ▪ In his obsession, is Gherman suffering from a genuine mental illness, or it it simply greed and ambition that motivate him? ▪ Do you believe Gherman is really in love with Lisa, or is he just using her as a way of gaining access to her grandmother? ▪ Was there ever any hope that Yeletsky could save Lisa from catastrophe? ▪ What did you find most compelling in Lyric’s staging of this powerful story? MORE, PLEASE Craving more about The Queen of Spades ? Lyric has lots of suggestions and resources to help you explore this production and its stories. Visit lyricopera.org/AfterCurtain for suggestions on further reading and listening. Join the conversation on social media with #LyricSpades and share your experience on: From Lyric’s archives Lyric’s first production of a Tchaikovsky opera, Eugene Onegin in 1984, starred German baritone Wolfgang Brendel (right) in the title role and Peter Dvorsky as Lensky. Karen Engstrom After the curtain falls