Opera in two acts
In the aristocratic circles of St Petersburg there is a rumour that the old Countess in her youth won a fortune with the help of three secret cards. Herman, a young officer, is in love with her adopted daughter Lisa, who is to be married with another man. He will stop at nothing to gamble his way out of poverty. When he double-crosses his way to the magic combination of cards, the Countess dies…
Tchaikovsky is said to have been deeply moved when composing the music for Alexander Pushkin’s short story, in which the world of the casino turns passions and deadly secrets into traps. Using surrealistic images, ingenious choreography and black humour, director Dmitri Bertman and his team portray the fate of Herman and Lisa.
