The Stage

The Queen of Spades

Published Wednesday 15 November 2006 at 15:40 by David Gutman

Francesca Zambello’s glitzy production, at different times a vehicle for Karita Mattila, Placido Domingo et al, returns with a balanced, mainly Russian cast that may just be the best we have had. Larissa Diadkova excels in the small but key role of the aged Countess - her old crone can actually sing. Vladimir Galouzine is back as a vivid if oddly-costumed Gherman - he’s meant to be an army officer - commanding the stage with his sensational heavy tenor. Occidental interloper, Gerald Finley is on peak form, a suave Yeletsky. Vassily Gerello offers us a game, experienced Tomsky. Mlada Khudoley makes a successful house debut as Liza, believable as the Countess’ ward, unusual in looking and sounding her character’s age. Semyon Bychkov gets idiomatic and refined results from the orchestra.

Visually though, the evening is messy. Peter J Davison’s much-criticized single set design, intended to project key tropes from what is after all a surrealistic tale, has lost its defining central bank of unmelting snow. Defying the march of the seasons, this now appears only in the show’s second half. There remains the general suggestion of a ruined palace, some attractive props and costumes and a stack of theatrical loges stage right to point up the artificiality of it all. It isn’t clear that the heroine commits suicide and we’ve little sense of context for the final card game. There are too many would-be picturesque crowd scenes while the general air of designed decay fails to suggest a society on the brink - or anything else in particular.