Pique Dame (2002)

Director:

Brian Large

Writers:

Modest Tchaikovsky (libretto), Alexander Pushkin (based on a story by)

Stars:

Gegam Grigorian, Maria Guleghina, Olga Borodina

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gegam Grigorian	...	Herman
Maria Guleghina	...	Liza
Olga Borodina	...	Polina
Alexander Gergalov	...	Prince Yeletsky
Sergei Leiferkus	...	Count Tomsky
Ludmilla Filatova	...	Countess
Sergei Alexashkin	...	Surin
Gennady Bezzubenkov	...	Narumov
Vladimir Solodovnikov	...	Tchekalinsky
Yevgeny Boitsov	...	Tchaplitsky (as Evgeni Boitsov)
Elena Mirtova	...	Prilepa
Evgenia Perlasova-Verkovich	...	Governess (as Evgenia Perlasova)
Tatiana Filimonova	...	Masha
Nikolai Gassiev	...	Master of Ceremonies
Kirov Orchestra	...	Themselves - Orchestra

Storyline

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Genres:

Musical

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Details

Country:

Netherlands Japan France

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

2002 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg, Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Philips Classics Productions, NHK, NHK Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

179 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of La dame de pique (1958)

User Reviews

Musically superb but static dramatically

The Queen of Spades is one of Tchaikovsky's very best works, but while this performance is good, it is also not great. There are many great things to it. The orchestral playing is wonderful, and while plodding on occasions Valery Gergiev conducts with authority. The costumes and sets are sumptuous to look at. The singing is superb overall. Gegam Grigoriam is much better vocally than he was in Sadko, it has a powerful ring to it, it is more controlled and is capable of singing both lyric and dramatic effectively, strictly speaking Herman calls for both. Maria Guelghina also sings beautifully with high notes that positively soar, while Sergei Leiferkus is excellent both vocally and dramatically as Tomsky and Olga Borodina sings Pauline with sincerity and warmth. Ludmilla Filatova also sings with beauty and command as the crotchety Countess. Conversely, Alexander Gergalov's voice is too dry and lacking in resonance. More problematic was some of the acting, Leiferkus is the best of the cast on this front, but Gergalev is dull with little of the Prince's passion and eloquence and Filatova while sometimes sinister is too histrionic. The choreography that was so fabulous in the Bolshoi version especially is rather pedestrian here. All in all, good but not great, could have been better dramatically but musically there is very little to fault. 7/10 Bethany Cox