The Queen of Spades

This was, in every aspect, a most dazzling performance. Both the audience and the company seemed uplifted by the brilliance of Tchaikovsky's music, and of Richard Jones's production. The WNO 's Queen of Spades is exhilarating, and breathes new life into Tchaikovsky's seldom performed opera.

The Queen of Spades is a story of obsession and of a descent into madness. Herman, described by the conductor Vladimir Jurowski as "a romantic Nietzscheian anti-hero" begins the opera obsessed by a young Petersburg woman, and indulges in the romantic posturing of an unrequited lover. However, his attention shifts from Liza to her ageing guardian, the Countess, when he hears a rumour that she knows a secret formula for winning at cards, imparted to her by the Count St-Germain in her youth. The obsession to learn this secret and to become a rich man at cards without ever having to take a risk becomes all-consuming, and Herman begins to lose his reason.

The curtain rises to reveal a huge image of a young woman's face. A second image of the same face, but as an old woman, is then lowered in front of the first; both then rise to reveal the setting for the beginning of the libretto. This enigmatic opening introduced the weighty presence of the Countess (the "Queen of Spades") to the production from the very beginning, with a bold imagination combined with a subtle suggestion that characterised the whole of the performance.

The set design was an integral part of this production, creating a real sense of place and atmosphere. It was technically very impressive, managing to draw the audience into intimate scenes in Liza's or the Countess's bedrooms, and to distance them from the crowd scenes outside, and, most stunningly, from the scene of Herman's madness, in which he sees the ghost of the dead Countess. When the curtain rises for Act 3 scene 1, the audience finds itself looking down from above on the distracted Herman in bed - a stroke of genius by John MacFarlane that alienates the madman from our sympathies, and his mental state from the realm of our experience.

The use of colour in the production was stylish and powerful. The chorus was for the most part dressed in dark greys, giving a sense of uniformity and oppression. The crowd gave an impression of the city which is the setting for The Queen of Spades - the Northern city of stone, St Petersburg; a setting for many tales of madness in Russian Literature. The horror of the lone individual uncomforted by the city was powerfully suggested by Liza, in pink, waiting and watching for Herman on the river embankment, desperately searching for his familiar face amongst the grey figures relentlessly sweeping past.

Above all the music was stunning. Not having heard the opera before, I was not expecting such drama and emotional intensity. Herman (Vitali Tarschenko, Bolshoi Opera, Moscow) and Liza (Susan Chilcott) gave star performances, supported by a really strong chorus. WNO perform The Queen of Spades once more at the Apollo, on Friday; it cannot be recommended enough.

Emily Hardiment 17 / 10 / 00