"Queen of Spades". Libretto

Amazingly, before P.I. Tchaikovsky created his tragic operatic masterpiece, Pushkin’s “The Queen of Spades” inspired Franz Suppe to write... an operetta (1864); and even earlier - in 1850 - the French composer Jacques François Fromental Halévy wrote an opera of the same name (however, little remains of Pushkin here: the libretto was written by Scribe, using the translation of “The Queen of Spades” into French made in 1843 by Prosper Merimee; in this opera the hero's name is changed, the old countess is turned into a young Polish princess, and so on). These are, of course, curious circumstances, which can only be learned from musical encyclopedias—these works have no artistic value.

The plot of “The Queen of Spades,” proposed to the composer by his brother, Modest Ilyich, did not immediately interest Tchaikovsky (as the plot of “Eugene Onegin” had done in his time), but when it finally captured his imagination, Tchaikovsky began working on the opera “with selflessness and pleasure" (as with "Eugene Onegin"), and the opera (in clavier) was written in an amazingly short time - in 44 days. In a letter to N.F. von Meck P.I. Tchaikovsky talks about how he came up with the idea of ​​writing an opera on this plot: “It happened this way: my brother Modest three years ago began composing a libretto for the plot of “The Queen of Spades” at the request of a certain Klenovsky, but this latter finally gave up composing music, for some reason he was unable to cope with his task. Meanwhile, the director of the theaters, Vsevolozhsky, was carried away by the idea that I should write an opera on this very plot, and certainly for the next season. He expressed this desire to me, and since it coincided with my decision to flee Russia in January and start writing, I agreed... I really want to work, and if I manage to get a good job somewhere in a cozy corner abroad, it seems to me , that I will master my task and by May I will present it to the directorate of the keyboard, and in the summer I will be instrumentalizing it.”

Tchaikovsky went to Florence and began working on The Queen of Spades on January 19, 1890. The surviving sketches give an idea of ​​how and in what sequence the work proceeded: this time the composer wrote almost “in a row.” The intensity of this work is amazing: from January 19 to 28, the first picture is composed, from January 29 to February 4, the second picture, from February 5 to 11, the fourth picture, from February 11 to 19, the third picture, etc.

Eletsky's aria "I love you, I love you immensely..." performed by Yuri Gulyaev

The libretto of the opera differs to a very large extent from the original. Pushkin's work is prosaic, the libretto is poetic, with poems not only by the librettist and the composer himself, but also by Derzhavin, Zhukovsky, Batyushkov. Pushkin’s Lisa is a poor pupil of a rich old countess; for Tchaikovsky she is his granddaughter. In addition, an unclear question arises about her parents - who, where they are, what happened to them. Pushkin’s Hermann is from the Germans, which is why this is the spelling of his last name; in Tchaikovsky, nothing is known about his German origin, and in the opera “Herman” (with one “n”) is perceived simply as a name. Prince Yeletsky, who appears in the opera, is absent from Pushkin

Tomsky's couplets to Derzhavin's words "If only dear girls.." Please note: in these couplets the letter "r" does not appear at all! Sung by Sergei Leiferkus

Count Tomsky, whose relationship with the countess is not noted in any way in the opera, and where he was introduced by an outsider (just an acquaintance of Herman, like other players), is her grandson in Pushkin; this apparently explains his knowledge of the family secret. The action of Pushkin's drama takes place in the era of Alexander I, while the opera takes us - this was the idea of ​​​​the director of the imperial theaters I.A. Vsevolozhsky - to the era of Catherine. The endings of the drama in Pushkin and Tchaikovsky are also different: in Pushkin, Hermann, although he goes crazy (“He is sitting in the Obukhov hospital in room 17”), still does not die, and Liza, moreover, gets married relatively safely; in Tchaikovsky, both heroes die. One can give many more examples of differences - both external and internal - in the interpretation of events and characters by Pushkin and Tchaikovsky.

Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Modest Tchaikovsky, ten years younger than his brother Peter, is not known as a playwright outside Russia except for the libretto of Pushkin's The Queen of Spades, set to music in early 1890. The plot of the opera was proposed by the directorate of the Imperial St. Petersburg Theaters, who intended to present a grandiose performance from the era of Catherine II.

Aria of the Countess performed by Elena Obraztsova

When Tchaikovsky got to work, he made changes to the libretto and partially wrote the poetic text himself, also introducing poems from poets who were Pushkin’s contemporaries. The text of the scene with Lisa at the Winter Canal belongs entirely to the composer. The most spectacular scenes were shortened by him, but nevertheless they add effectiveness to the opera and form the background for the development of the action.

Scene at the Kanavka. Tamara Milashkina sings

Thus, he put a lot of effort into creating an authentic atmosphere of that time. In Florence, where sketches for the opera were written and part of the orchestration was done, Tchaikovsky did not part with the music of the 18th century from the era of the Queen of Spades (Grétry, Monsigny, Piccinni, Salieri).

Perhaps in the possessed Herman, who demands the countess name three cards and thereby dooms himself to death, he saw himself, and in the countess his patron, Baroness von Meck. Their strange, one-of-a-kind relationship, maintained only in letters, a relationship like two disembodied shadows, ended in a break just in 1890.

In Herman’s appearance in front of Lisa, the power of fate is felt; the countess brings in a grave cold, and the ominous thought of three cards poisons the young man’s consciousness.

In the scene of his meeting with the old woman, Herman's stormy, desperate recitative and aria, accompanied by angry, repetitive wooden sounds, mark the collapse of the unfortunate man, who loses his mind in the next scene with the ghost, truly expressionist, with echoes of "Boris Godunov" (but with a richer orchestra) . Then follows the death of Lisa: a very gentle, sympathetic melody sounds against a terrible funeral background. Herman's death is less majestic, but not without tragic dignity. As for “The Queen of Spades”, it was immediately accepted by the public as a great success for the composer

History of creation

The plot of Pushkin’s “The Queen of Spades” did not immediately interest Tchaikovsky. However, over time, this novel increasingly captured his imagination. Tchaikovsky was especially moved by the scene of Herman’s fatal meeting with the Countess. Its deep drama captured the composer, causing a burning desire to write an opera. The work was begun in Florence on February 19, 1890. The opera was created, according to the composer, “with selflessness and pleasure” and was completed in an extremely short time - forty-four days. The premiere took place in St. Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theater on December 7 (19), 1890 and was a huge success

Soon after the publication of his short story (1833), Pushkin wrote in his diary: “My “Queen of Spades” is in great fashion. Players punt on three, seven, ace.” The popularity of the story was explained not only by the entertaining plot, but also by the realistic reproduction of the types and morals of St. Petersburg society at the beginning of the 19th century. In the opera's libretto, written by the composer's brother M. I. Tchaikovsky (1850-1916), the content of Pushkin's story is largely rethought. Lisa turned from a poor pupil into the rich granddaughter of a countess. Pushkin's Herman, a cold, calculating egoist, seized only by the thirst for enrichment, appears in Tchaikovsky's music as a man with a fiery imagination and strong passions. The difference in the social status of the characters introduced the theme of social inequality into the opera. With high tragic pathos, it reflects the fate of people in a society subordinated to the merciless power of money. Herman is a victim of this society; the desire for wealth imperceptibly becomes an obsession with him, overshadowing his love for Lisa and leading him to death.

Music

The opera “The Queen of Spades” is one of the greatest works of world realistic art. This musical tragedy amazes with the psychological truthfulness of the reproduction of the thoughts and feelings of the characters, their hopes, suffering and death, the brightness of the pictures of the era, and the intensity of musical and dramatic development. The characteristic features of Tchaikovsky's style received their most complete and perfect expression here.

The orchestral introduction is based on three contrasting musical images: a narrative one, associated with Tomsky’s ballad, an ominous one, depicting the image of the old Countess, and a passionate lyrical one, characterizing Herman’s love for Lisa.

The first act opens with a bright everyday scene. Choirs of nannies, governesses, and the perky march of boys clearly highlight the drama of subsequent events. Herman’s arioso “I don’t know her name,” sometimes elegiacally tender, sometimes impetuously excited, captures the purity and strength of his feelings.

The second picture falls into two halves - everyday and love-lyrical. The idyllic duet of Polina and Lisa “It’s Evening” is shrouded in light sadness. Polina’s romance “Dear Friends” sounds gloomy and doomed. The second half of the film opens with Lisa’s arioso “Where do these tears come from” - a heartfelt monologue full of deep feeling.

Galina Vishnevskaya sings. "Where do these tears come from..."

Lisa’s melancholy gives way to an enthusiastic confession: “Oh, listen, night.” German’s tenderly sad and passionate arioso “Forgive me, heavenly creature”

Georgiy Nelepp is the best German, sings “Forgive me, heavenly creature”

interrupted by the appearance of the Countess: the music takes on a tragic tone; sharp, nervous rhythms and ominous orchestral colors emerge. The second picture ends with the affirmation of the bright theme of love. Prince Yeletsky’s aria “I love you” depicts his nobility and restraint. The fourth scene, central to the opera, is full of anxiety and drama.

At the beginning of the fifth scene (third act), against the background of funeral singing and the howling of a storm, Herman’s excited monologue appears, “All the same thoughts, still the same terrible dream.” The music that accompanies the appearance of the Countess's ghost fascinates with its deathly stillness.

The orchestral introduction of the sixth scene is painted in gloomy tones of doom. The wide, freely flowing melody of Lisa’s aria “Ah, I’m tired, I’m tired” is close to Russian drawn-out songs; the second part of the aria “So it’s true, with a villain” is full of despair and anger. The lyrical duet of Herman and Lisa “Oh yes, the suffering is over” is the only bright episode of the film.

The seventh picture begins with everyday episodes: a drinking song of the guests, Tomsky’s frivolous song “If only dear girls” (to the words of G. R. Derzhavin). With the appearance of Herman, the music becomes nervously excited. The anxiously wary septet “Something is wrong here” conveys the excitement that gripped the players. The rapture of victory and cruel joy can be heard in Herman’s aria “What is our life? A game!". In the dying minute, his thoughts are again turned to Lisa - a reverently tender image of love appears in the orchestra.

German's aria "That our life is a game" performed by Vladimir Atlantov

Tchaikovsky was so deeply captured by the entire atmosphere of the action and the images of the characters in “The Queen of Spades” that he perceived them as real living people. Having completed the draft recording of the opera with feverish speed(The entire work was completed in 44 days - from January 19 to March 3, 1890. The orchestration was completed in June of the same year.), he wrote to his brother Modest Ilyich, the author of the libretto: “... when I got to the death of Herman and the final chorus, I felt so sorry for Herman that I suddenly began to cry a lot<...>It turns out that Herman was not just an excuse for me to write this or that music, but all the time a living person...”

In Pushkin, German is a man of one passion, straightforward, calculating and tough, ready to put his own and other people’s lives on the line to achieve his goal. In Tchaikovsky, he is internally broken, in the grip of contradictory feelings and drives, the tragic irreconcilability of which leads him to inevitable death. The image of Lisa was subjected to a radical rethinking: Pushkin’s ordinary, colorless Lizaveta Ivanovna became a strong and passionate person, selflessly devoted to her feelings, continuing the gallery of pure, poetically sublime female images in Tchaikovsky’s operas from “The Oprichnik” to “The Enchantress.” At the request of the director of the imperial theaters I. A. Vsevolozhsky, the action of the opera was transferred from the 30s of the 19th century to the second half of the 18th century, which gave rise to the inclusion of a picture of a magnificent ball in the palace of Catherine’s nobleman with an interlude stylized in the spirit of the “gallant century” , but did not have an impact on the overall flavor of the action and the characters of its main participants. In terms of the richness and complexity of their spiritual world, the severity and intensity of their experiences, these are the composer’s contemporaries, in many ways akin to the heroes of the psychological novels of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.

And another performance of Herman's aria "What is our life? A game!" Sung by Zurab Andzhaparidze. Recorded in 1965, Bolshoi Theatre.

In the film-opera “The Queen of Spades” the main roles were performed by Oleg Strizhenov-German, Olga-Krasina-Liza. Vocal parts were performed by Zurab Andzhaparidze and Tamara Milashkina.

PART ONE

Lying on the bed of the psychiatric ward of the St. Petersburg Obukhov hospital, surrounded by other patients, doctors, nurses, Herman thinks again and again about what led him to madness. The events of the recent past pass before him in a continuous series of painful visions. Herman recalls his unexpected, ardent love for the beautiful Liza, engaged to Prince Yeletsky. German understands what a gulf lies between him and Lisa and how groundless hopes for joint happiness are. Gradually, he becomes imbued with the idea that only a large card win could bring him both a position in society and the hand of his beloved. It is at this moment that Count Tomsky, mocking Herman, tells a secular joke about the old countess, Lisa’s grandmother: the eighty-year-old old woman supposedly keeps a secret, the solution to which could solve all of Herman’s problems at once. In her youth, the Countess was distinguished by her rare beauty; in Paris she spent every evening playing cards, which is why she was nicknamed the Queen of Spades. Once in Versailles, at court, the countess lost all her fortune and could not pay off her debts. A well-known expert in occult sciences and a connoisseur of female beauty, Count Saint-Germain, invited the countess to reveal the secret of three winning cards in exchange for a night with her. Unable to resist the temptation to recoup, the countess gave herself to Saint-Germain and, with the help of the secret he told him, she returned all her loss. Legend has it that the countess conveyed the secret to her husband, and then to her young lover. And then the ghost of Saint Germain appeared to her and predicted that a third one would come to her, eager to become the owner of the secret, and at the hands of this third she would die. Tomsky, Chekalinsky and Surin clownishly offer Herman to become the same predicted “third” and, having learned the answer to the mystery, at once receive both money and the opportunity to marry his beloved. More and more new visions visit Herman’s sick mind: he promises himself that he will win Lisa’s heart; now Lisa is already in his arms. There is very little left - to find out the secret of the three cards. Herman dreams of a ball, the guests at this ball are all those who surround him in the hospital. His secular friends drag him into an ominous game: Herman rushes between Lisa and the Countess.

PART TWO

Herman's memories become more and more vivid. He sees himself in the countess's house: Lisa agreed to meet him secretly at night. But he himself is waiting for the old mistress - he intends to get the countess to solve the mystery of the three cards. Lisa arrives at the agreed upon place, but the date is disrupted due to the appearance of the Countess. She, as usual, is dissatisfied with everything; Eternal companions - loneliness and melancholy - burden her nights. The Countess remembers her youth; Herman, who suddenly appears, seems to her like a ghost from the past. Herman begs the Countess to reveal to him the secret of the three cards, and she suddenly understands: this is the third one who is destined to become her killer. The Countess dies, taking the secret with her to the grave. Herman is in despair. He is haunted by memories of the countess's funeral, and he sees her ghost, who allegedly tells him three treasured cards: three, seven, ace. Lisa does not leave the bedside of the delirious Herman. She wants to believe that he loves her and that he did not cause the countess’s death. Herman is getting worse: the hospital ward, and the whole world, seem to him like a gambling house. Having captured the secret of three cards in his sick imagination, he boldly places bets. Three wins, seven wins twice: now Herman is fabulously rich. He makes a third bet - on an ace - but instead of an ace in his hand there is a queen of spades, in which he imagines the countess who died because of his greed. Herman's mind goes dark. From now on, in his madness, he is doomed to go through all the circles of hell again and again, the author and victim of which he himself essentially became.

Lev Dodin

Print

Radio station "Mayak" and "Firm "Melodiya" present a joint project "Night at the Opera" - complete recordings of outstanding opera productions.

P.I. Chaikovsky(1840-1893)

"QUEEN OF SPACE"

(Op. 68, 1890)

Opera in 3 acts, 7 scenes

The plot is borrowed from the story of the same name by A.S. Pushkin

Libretto by M.I. Tchaikovsky

The action takes place in St. Petersburg at the end of the 18th century.

Characters and performers:

Hermann- Z. Andzhaparidze, tenor

Count Tomsky- M. Kiselev, baritone

Prince Yeletsky- Yu. Mazurok, baritone

Chekalinsky- A. Sokolov, tenor

Surin- V. Yaroslavtsev, bass

Chaplitsky- V. Vlasov, tenor

Narumov- Yu. Dementiev, bass

Manager- A. Mishutin, tenor

Countess- V. Levko, mezzo-soprano

Lisa- T. Milashkina, soprano

Pauline- I. Arkhipova, contralto

Governess- M. Mityukova, mezzo-soprano

Masha- M. Miglau, soprano

Characters in the interlude " Cowgirl's Sincerity»:

Prilepa- V. Firsova, soprano

Milovzor- I. Arkhipova, contralto

Zlatogor- V. Nechipaylo, baritone

Nannies, governesses, nurses, strollers, guests, children, players, etc.

Choir, children's choir and orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater

Choirmaster - A. Rybnov

Director of the children's choir - I. Agafonnikov

Conductor - B. Khaikin

Recorded 1967

Sound engineer - A. Grossman

Remastering - E. Barykina

The opera takes place in St. Petersburg at the end of the 18th century.

First action

First picture. Sunny Summer Garden filled with a walking crowd. Officers Surin and Chekalinsky share their impressions of the strange behavior of their friend German: he spends nights in a gambling house, but never picks up cards. Soon, Herman himself appears, accompanied by Count Tomsky. He admits that he is passionately in love, but does not know the name of his chosen one. Meanwhile, Prince Yeletsky, who has joined the company of officers, shares his joy in connection with his imminent marriage: “The bright angel agreed to combine his destiny with mine!” Herman is horrified to learn that the object of his passion is the prince’s bride, when the Countess passes by, accompanied by her granddaughter, Lisa. Both women, who noticed Herman’s burning gaze, were overcome with heavy forebodings.

Tomsky tells his friends a social joke about a countess who, as a young “Venus of Moscow,” lost her entire fortune. “At the cost of one rendezvous,” she learned from the Count of Saint-Germain the fatal secret of three always winning cards in order to get her money back. From that moment on, her future fate was firmly connected with this secret: “Once she told her husband those cards, another time the handsome young man recognized them, but that same night, as soon as she was left alone, a ghost appeared to her and menacingly said: “You will receive a fatal blow you will come to forcefully learn from you three cards, three cards, three cards! After this story, Surin and Chekalinsky make fun of German and offer to find out the secret of the cards from the old woman, but German’s thoughts are focused on Lisa. A thunderstorm begins. The garden is emptying. Among the raging elements, Herman exclaims: “I’m not afraid of the storm! In me, all the passions awoke with such murderous force that this thunder is nothing in comparison! No, prince! While I’m alive, I won’t give it to you, I don’t know how, but I’ll take it away! ... She will be mine, mine, or I will die!

Second picture. Twilight. The girls try to cheer up the saddened Lisa, but she hides her thoughts. Only when left alone does Lisa confide her dark secret to the night. She feels love for a mysterious stranger, he is beautiful “like a fallen angel”, in his eyes there is “a fire of scorching passion”. Suddenly Herman appears on the balcony. He reveals his love to Lisa and begs her to accept this confession, because otherwise he is ready to give up his life. Her response is tears of compassion. They are interrupted by a knock on the door. The Countess enters the room, and Herman, who was hiding behind the curtain, when he sees her, suddenly remembers the terrible secret of the three cards. In the face of the old woman he imagines a terrible ghost of death. But she leaves and Herman’s impetuous explanation ends with Lisa’s reciprocal confession.

Second act

First picture. Ball. Yeletsky, alarmed by Lisa’s coldness, assures her of his love, but at the same time nobly gives her freedom. Surin and Chekalinsky, wearing masks, mock Herman: “Aren’t you the third one who, passionately loving, will come to learn from her three cards, three cards, three cards?” Herman is frightened by these words. At the end of the interlude "The Sincerity of the Shepherdess", he encounters the Countess. Having received the keys to the Countess’s secret door from Lisa, German perceives this as a fatal omen. Tonight he will learn the secret of the three cards.

Second picture. Herman sneaks into the Countess's bedroom. With trepidation, he peers at her portrait in her youth and feels a secret fatal force connecting him with her: “I look at you and hate you, but I can’t get enough of it.” The Countess herself appears, accompanied by her hangers-on. She grumpily recalls the past and gradually falls asleep in the chair. Suddenly Herman appears in front of her, begging her to reveal the secret of the three cards: “You can make up the happiness of your whole life, and it won’t cost you anything!” But the Countess, numb with fright, remains motionless. Enraged, Herman threatens with a pistol and the old woman falls dead. The prophecy came true, but the secret remained unknown to Herman. Lisa comes to the noise and sees Herman in a state of madness. She understands that Herman needed the secret of the three cards.

Third act

First picture. Herman in the barracks. He reads Lisa's letter, where she makes an appointment for him on the embankment. He goes over the past in his memory and in his imagination pictures of the old woman’s funeral arise, and a ghostly funeral singing is heard. There's a knock on the window. The candle goes out. Horrified Herman sees the ghost of the Countess and hears her words: “I came to you against your will. But I was ordered to fulfill your request. Save Lisa, marry her, and three cards will win in a row. Remember! Troika! Seven! Ace!" “Three... Seven... Ace...” Herman repeats like a spell.

Second picture. Lisa is waiting for Herman on the embankment near the Winter Canal. She experiences terrible torments of doubt: “Oh, I’m tired, I’m exhausted.” When the clock strikes midnight and Lisa finally loses hope, Herman appears, at first repeating Lisa’s words of love, but already obsessed with another idea. Lisa becomes convinced that Herman is the culprit in the death of the Countess. His madness intensifies, he does not recognize her, his thoughts are only about the gambling house: “There are piles of gold there, and they belong to me alone.” He runs away to a gambling house, and Lisa, driven to despair, throws herself into the water.

Third picture. Players are having fun at the card table. Tomsky entertains them with a playful song. In the midst of the game, an excited Herman appears. Twice in a row, offering large bets, he wins. “The devil himself is playing at the same time with you,” proclaim those present. Game continues. This time Prince Yeletsky is against Herman. And instead of a win-win ace, the queen of spades ends up in his hands. Herman sees the features of a dead old woman on the map: “Cursed! What do you need! My life? Take it, take it!” and he stabs himself. A beautiful image of Lisa appears in the mind of the dying hero: “Beauty! Goddess! Angel!" With these words, Herman dies.

LIBRETTO

Queen of Spades

ACT ONE

PICTURE ONE

A platform in the Summer Garden bathed in spring sunshine. Nannies, tutors and nurses walking or sitting on benches. Children play burners, jump over ropes, and throw balls.

Burn, burn clearly

So that it doesn't go out,

One two Three!

(Laughter, exclamations, running around.)

Nanny Choir

Have fun, dear children!

Rarely is the sunshine for you, my dears,

Amuses me with joy!

If, dear ones, you are free

You start games and pranks,

That's a little bit for your nannies

Then you bring peace.

Warm up, run, dear children,

And have fun in the sun!

Governess Choir

God bless,

At least you can rest a little,

Breathe the spring air,

See something!

Don't shout, spend time without making comments,

Forget about suggestions, punishments, the lesson.

Nanny Choir

Keep warm!

Run, dear children,

And have fun in the sun!

Chorus of Nurses

Bye, bye, bye!

Bye, bye, bye!

Sleep, darling, rest!

Don't open your eyes!

(Drumming and children's trumpets can be heard behind the stage.)

Choir of nannies, nurses and governesses.

Here are our warriors, little soldiers.

How slim!

Step aside!

Places! Places!

One, two, one, two,

One, two, one, two!

Boys wearing toy weapons, posing as soldiers, enter; ahead is the boy commander.

Boys' Choir

One, two, one, two!

Left, right, left, right!

Together, brothers!

Don't get lost!

Boy Commander

Right shoulder forward! One, two, stop!

(The boys stop.)

Listen! Musket in front of you!

Take it by the gun! Musket to the leg!

(The boys follow the command.)

Boys' Choir

We're all gathered here

For fear of Russian enemies.

Evil enemy, beware

And with a villainous thought

Run or submit!

Hurray, hurray, hurray!

Save the Fatherland

It was our lot to

We will fight

And enemies in captivity

Pick up without invoice!

Hurray, hurray, hurray!

Long live the wife,

Wise Queen,

She is the mother of us all,

Empress of these countries

And pride and beauty!

Hurray, hurray, hurray!

Boy commander. Well done boys!

Boys.

We are glad to try, your honor!

Boy Commander

Listen! Musket in front of you!

Right! On guard! March!

(The boys leave drumming and trumpeting.)

Chorus of nannies, nurses and governesses

Well, well done our soldiers!

And they will indeed bring fear to the enemy.

Well done! How slim!

Well done!

Other children follow the boys. The nannies and governesses disperse, giving way to other walkers. Enter Chekalinsky and Surin.

CHEKALINSKY. How did the game end yesterday?

SURIN. Of course, I blew it terribly! I'm unlucky.

CHEKALINSKY. Did you play again until the morning?

SURIN. Yes, I'm terribly tired... Damn it, I wish I could win at least once!

CHEKALINSKY. Was Herman there?

Was. And, as always, from eight to eight in the morning,

Chained to the gambling table, he sat and silently blew wine.

CHEKALINSKY. But only?

SURIN. Yes, I watched others play.

CHEKALINSKY. What a strange man he is!

SURIN. It's as if he has at least three crimes in his heart.

CHEKALINSKY. I heard that he is very poor...

SURIN. Yes, not rich.

Herman enters, thoughtful and gloomy; Count Tomsky is with him.

SURIN. Here he is, look. Like a demon of hell, gloomy... pale...

Surin and Chekalinsky pass.

TOMSKY. Tell me, Herman, what’s wrong with you?

HERMANN. With me?.. Nothing...

TOMSKY. You are sick?

HERMANN. No, I'm healthy.

You have become somehow different... You are dissatisfied with something...

Happened: reserved, thrifty,

At least you were cheerful;

Now you are gloomy, silent

And, - I don’t believe my ears:

You, burning with a new passion,

As they say, until the morning

You spend your nights playing.

Yes! Steady foot towards the goal

I can’t walk as before,

I myself don’t know what’s wrong with me,

I'm lost, I'm indignant at weakness,

But I can't control myself anymore...

I love! I love!

TOMSKY. How! Are you in love? in whom?

I don't know her name

And I don't want to find out

Without wanting an earthly name

Call her...

(With passion.)

Going through all the comparisons,

I don't know who to compare with...

My love, the bliss of paradise,

I would like to keep it forever!

But the jealous thought that it

for another to possess,

When I don't dare leave a trace

Kiss her

Torments me; and earthly passion

In vain I want to calm down

And then I want to hug everyone,

And I still want to hug my saint...

I don't know her name

And I don’t want to find out!

And if so, get to work quickly!

Let's find out who she is, and then

And make an offer boldly,

And - the matter is dealt with...

Oh no, alas!

She is noble and cannot belong to me!

This is what torments and gnaws at me!

TOMSKY. Let's find another... Not the only one in the world...

You do not know me!

No, I can’t stop loving her!

Ah, Tomsky! You do not understand!

I could only live in peace

While passions were dormant within me...

Then I could control myself

Now that the soul is in control

One dream, goodbye peace,

Goodbye peace!

Poisoned, as if intoxicated,

I'm sick, sick

I'm in love!

Is that you, Herman? I confess

I wouldn’t believe anyone that you are capable of loving like that!

German and Tomsky pass. Revelers fill the stage.

The general chorus of all those walking.

Finally God sent us

Sunny day!

What kind of air! What a sky!

It's definitely May here!

Oh, what a delight, really,

I wish I could walk all day!

Can't wait for a day like this

Long time for us again.

We haven't seen days like this for many years,

And it happened that we often saw them.

In the days of Elizabeth - a wonderful time -

Summer, autumn and spring were better!

Old women (at the same time as the old people).

We lived better before, and days like these

We visited every year in early spring.

Yes, we visited every year!

And now it’s rare for them

Sunshine in the morning

It's gotten worse, really, it's gotten worse,

Really, it's time to die!

What a joy! What happiness!

How joyful, how joyful it is to live!

How nice it is to go to the Summer Garden,

It’s wonderful how nice it is to walk into the Summer Garden!

Look, look

How many young people

Both military and civilian

He wanders a lot along the alleys,

Look, look

There are so many people wandering around here,

Both military and civilian

How graceful, how beautiful, how beautiful!

Look, look!

Young people (at the same time as the young ladies).

Sun, sky, air, nightingale song

And a bright blush on the cheeks of the maidens -

Then spring gives, and with it love

Sweetly excites young blood!

Sky, sun, clean air,

The sweet song of the nightingale,

The joy of life and the scarlet blush on the cheeks of the maidens -

Either the gifts of beautiful spring, or the gifts of spring!

Happy day, beautiful day, how nice

Oh joy, spring brings us love and happiness!

The general chorus of all those walking.

Finally God sent us

Sunny day!

What kind of air! What a sky!

It's definitely May here!

Oh, what a delight, really,

I wish I could walk all day!

Can't wait for a day like this

Long time for us again!

Herman and Tomsky enter.

Are you sure she doesn't notice you?

I bet she's in love and misses you...

If only I had a pleasant doubt

I have lost

Would I have endured the torment?

My soul?

You see, I live, I suffer,

But in a terrible moment, when I find out,

That I am not destined to take possession of her,

Then there will be only one thing left...

TOMSKY. What?

HERMANN. Die!..

Prince Yeletsky enters. Chekalinsky and Surin approach him.

CHEKALINSKY (To Yeletsky). Can I congratulate you?

SURIN. They say you are a groom?

Yes, gentlemen, I am getting married;

The bright angel gave consent

Combine your destiny with mine forever!

CHEKALINSKY. Well, good morning!

SURIN. I'm glad with all my heart. Be happy, prince!

TOMSKY. Yeletsky, congratulations!

ELETSKY. Thank you, friends!

ELETSKY (with feeling)

WITH happy day

I bless you!

How everything came together

To rejoice with me!

It was reflected everywhere

The bliss of unearthly life...

Everything smiles, everything shines,

Just like in my heart,

Everything is trembling cheerfully,

To the bliss of heaven beckoning!

What a happy day

I bless you!

HERMANN (to himself, at the same time as Yeletsky).

Unlucky day

I curse you!

It's like everything came together

To join the fight with me!

Joy was reflected everywhere,

But not in my soul is sick.

Everything smiles, everything shines,

When on my heart

Hellish annoyance trembles.

The annoyance of hell trembles,

It promises nothing but torment.

Oh yes, nothing but torment, torment is promised to me!

TOMSKY. Tell me, who will you marry?

HERMANN. Prince, who is your bride?

The Countess and Lisa enter.

ELETSKY (pointing to Lisa). Here she is.

HERMANN. She?! She is his bride! Oh my God! Oh my God!

LISA., COUNTESS. He's here again!

TOMSKY (to Herman). So that’s who your nameless beauty is!

I'm scared!

He's in front of me again

Mysterious and dark stranger!

In his eyes there is a silent reproach

Replaced by the fire of crazy, burning passion...

Who is he? Why is he following me?

I'm scared, scared, like I'm in power

His eyes of ominous fire!

I'm scared! I'm scared!

I'm scared!

COUNTESS (simultaneously).

I'm scared!

He's in front of me again

Mysterious and scary stranger!

He is the ghost of the fatal

Full of some kind of wild passion.

What does he want by pursuing me?

Why is he in front of me again?

I'm scared, like I'm in power

His eyes of ominous fire!

I'm scared! I'm scared!

I'm scared!

HERMANN (simultaneously).

I'm scared!

Here again in front of me,

Like a fatal ghost

A gloomy old woman appeared...

Terrible in her eyes

I read my sentence silently!

What does she need?

What does she need, what does she want from me?

It's like I'm in control

Her eyes of ominous fire!

Who, who is she!

I'm scared! I'm scared!

I'm scared!

ELETSKY (simultaneously).

I'm scared!

My God, how embarrassed she is!

Where does this strange excitement come from?

There is languor in her soul,

There is some kind of silent fear in her eyes!

For some reason it’s a clear day in them

The bad weather has come to change.

What with her? She doesn't look at me!

Oh, I'm scared, like I'm close

Some unexpected misfortune threatens

I'm scared, scared!

TOMSKY (simultaneously).

That's who he was talking about!

How embarrassed he is by the unexpected news!

I see fear in his eyes

Silent fear was replaced by the fire of insane passion!

What about her, what about her? How pale! How pale!

Oh, I'm scared for her, I'm scared!

I'm scared for her!

Tomsky approaches the Countess, Yeletsky approaches Lisa. The Countess looks intently at Herman.

TOMSKY. Countess! Let me congratulate you...

COUNTESS. Tell me who is this officer?

TOMSKY. Which? This? Herman, my friend.

COUNTESS. Where did he come from? How scary he is!

Tomsky sees her off and returns.

ELETSKY (giving his hand to Lisa).

Heaven's enchanting beauty,

Spring, light marshmallows rustle,

Cheerful crowd, hello friends

They promise many years in the future

We are happy!

Lisa and Yeletsky leave.

Rejoice, buddy! You forgot

What a thunderstorm happens on a quiet day,

That the creator gave happiness tears, a bucket of thunder!

A distant clap of thunder is heard. Herman sits down on the bench in gloomy thoughtfulness.

SURIN. What a witch this Countess is!

CHEKALINSKY. Scarecrow!

No wonder she was nicknamed “The Queen of Spades”!

I can’t understand why she doesn’t show off.

SURIN. How! An old woman? What are you talking about?!

CHEKALINSKY. An eighty-year-old hag! Ha ha ha!

TOMSKY. So you don't know anything about her?

SURIN. No, really, nothing!

CHEKALINSKY. Nothing!

Oh, listen!

Many years ago the Countess was known in Paris as a beauty.

All the youth were crazy about her,

Calling it “Venus of Moscow”.

Count Saint Germain among others,

Then he was still handsome, captivated by her,

But to no avail he sighed for the countess:

The beauty played all night long

And - alas! - preferred “Pharaoh”* to love.

Once upon a time at Versailles "Ai jeu de la Reine"**

“Venus moskovite” *** was lost completely.

Among the guests was the Count of Saint-Germain;

While watching the game, he heard her

She whispered in the midst of excitement:

"Oh my God! Oh my God!

Oh God, I could play it all back

When would it be enough to put it again

The graph, having chosen the right moment when

Stealthily leaving the full hall of guests,

The beauty sat silently alone,

Whispered lovingly in her ear

Words sweeter than the sounds of Mozart:

“Countess, Countess!

Countess, for the price of one “rundez-vous”****

Would you like me to tell you

Three cards, three cards, three cards?”

The Countess flared up: “How dare you?!”

But the count was not a coward. And when in a day

The beauty appeared again, alas,

Penniless, "Au jeu de la Reine"

She already knew three cards...

Boldly placing them one after another,

She got hers back... but at what cost!

Oh cards, oh cards, oh cards!

Since she told her husband those cards,

Another time, the handsome young man recognized them.

But that same night, only one remained,

The ghost appeared to her and said menacingly:

"You will receive a fatal blow,

From the third, who, ardently, passionately loving,

Three cards, three cards, three cards,

Three cards!

CHEKALINSKY. Se non e ver`e ben trovato.*****

Lightning flashes and thunder can be heard approaching. A thunderstorm begins.

* “Pharaoh” is a card game that was in vogue at the court of the French queen.

** In the royal game (French)

*** Venus of Moscow (French)

**** Date (French)

***** “Even if it’s not true, it’s well said.” Latin proverb.

Funny!.. But the Countess can sleep peacefully:

It’s hard for her to find an ardent lover!

CHEKALINSKY.

Listen, Herman!

Here's a great opportunity for you to play without money.

(Everyone laughs.) Think, think!

CHEKALINSKY, SURIN.

“From the third, who, ardently, passionately loving,

He will come to find out from you by force

Three cards, three cards, three cards!”

Chekalichsky, Surin and Tomsky leave. A strong clap of thunder is heard. The storm is breaking out. People walking are hurrying in different directions.

Walking chorus.

How quickly the storm came

Who would have expected, what passions!

Blow after blow, louder, more terrible!

Run quickly!

Hurry up to the gate!

Let's go home soon!

Everyone runs away. The thunderstorm is intensifying. From a distance you can hear the voices of people walking.

Hurry home! Oh my god! Trouble! Hurry to the gate! Run here! Hurry!

A strong clap of thunder.

HERMANN (thoughtfully).

"You will receive a fatal blow

From the third, who, ardently, passionately loving,

He will come to find out from you by force

Three cards, three cards, three cards!”

Oh, what do I care about them?

Even if I had them!

Everything is lost now...

I'm the only one left.

I'm not afraid of the storm!

All my passions have awakened in me

With such deadly force,

That this thunder is nothing in comparison!

No, prince!

As long as I'm alive, I won't give it to you,

I don’t know how, but I’ll take it!

Thunder, lightning, wind!

In your presence I solemnly swear an oath:

She will be mine

She will be mine, mine,

Mine or I'll die!

(Runs away.)

PICTURE TWO

Lisa's room. Lisa is sitting at the harpsichord. There are friends around her, among them Polina.

LISA, Polina.

It’s already evening... The edges of the clouds have darkened, *

The last ray of dawn on the towers dies;

The last flying stream in the river

With the extinct sky it fades away.

Everything is quiet... The groves are sleeping, peace reigns around,

Prostrate on the grass under a bent willow,

I listen to how it murmurs, merging with the river,

A stream overshadowed by bushes.

How the aroma is fused with the coolness of plants,

How sweet is the splashing of jets in the silence by the shore,

How quietly the ether blows across the waters

And the flexible willow trembles.

Choir of friends.

Charming! Charming!

Wonderful! Lovely!

Oh, wonderfully good!

Also, mesdames. Also, mesdames. More more!

LISA. Sing, Polya, we have one!

Pauline. One? but what to sing?

Choir of friends.

Please, what do you know?

Ma shere **, little dove, sing us something:

I’ll sing you Liza’s favorite romance.

(Sits down at the harpsichord.) Wait... How is this?

(Preludes.) Yes! I remembered.

(Sings with deep feeling.)

Dear friends, dear friends, ***

In playful carelessness,

To the tune of a dance, you frolic in the meadows.

And I, like you, lived happy in Arcadia,

And I am in the morning of days in these groves and fields

I tasted moments of joy,

I tasted a moment of joy.

Love in golden dreams

She promised me happiness;

__________________

* Poems by Zhukovsky

** My dear (French).

*** Poems by Batyushkov.

But what did I get in these joyful places,

In these joyful places?

Grave, grave, grave!..

(Everyone is touched and excited.)

So I decided to sing a song,

I'm so tearful! Well, why?

You’re already sad enough, Lisa,

On such and such a day, think!

After all, you are engaged, ah-ah-ah!

(To girlfriends.)

Well, why are you all hanging your noses?

Let's have a fun one, let's have a Russian one,

In honor of the bride and groom!

Well, I'll start, and you sing along with me!

Choir of friends. Indeed, let's have a fun, Russian one!

Girlfriends clap their hands. Lisa, not taking part in the fun, stands thoughtfully at the balcony.

Come on, little Mashenka,

You sweat, dance!

Polina and a choir of friends.

Ay, lyuli, lyuli, lyuli,

You sweat, dance!

Your white hands

Pick it up by the sides!

Polina and the choir of friends

Ay, lyuli, lyuli, lyuli,

Pick it up by the sides!

Your quick little legs

Don't be sorry, please!

Polina and the choir of friends

Ay, lyuli, lyuli, lyuli, Don’t be sorry, please!

(Polina and her friends start dancing.)

When mommy asks, “Happy!” - speak.

Polina and the choir of friends

Ay, lyuli, lyuli, lyuli - “Merry!” - speak.

And to the answer darling -

Like, “I drank until dawn!”

Polina and a choir of friends.

Ay, Lyuli, Lyuli, people -

Like, “I drank until dawn!”

Pauline. “Go away, go away!”

Polina and a choir of friends.

Ay, lyuli, lyuli, lyuli,

“Go away, go away!”

The Governess enters.

Governess.

Mesdemoiselles, what's all the noise you're making here?

The Countess is angry...

Ah ah ah! Aren't you ashamed to dance in Russian?

Fi, quel genre, mesdames *

To the young ladies of your circle

You need to know some decency!

You should have each other

Instill the rules of the world.

In girls only to rage

Possible, not here, mes mignones, **

Can't you have fun?

Not forgetting the bon ton?

To the young ladies of your circle

You need to know decency

You should have each other

Instill the rules of the world!

It's time to leave.

I was sent to call you to say goodbye.

The young ladies disperse.

Pauline (approaching Lisa). Lisa, why are you so boring?

I am boring? Not at all!

Look what a night it is

Like after a terrible storm

Everything was suddenly updated.

Look, I'll complain to the prince about you,

I'll tell him that on the day of the engagement you were sad.

LISA. No, for God's sake, don't talk!

Then please smile now.

Like this! Now goodbye!

(They kiss.)

LISA. I'll take you...

Polina and Lisa leave. Masha comes in and puts out the candles, leaving only one.

Just as she approaches the balcony to close it, Lisa returns.

* Fi, what genre6, ladies. (fr)

** My darlings (French).

LISA. No need to close it, leave it.

Masha. Don't catch a cold, young lady!

LISA. No, Masha, the night is so warm, so good!

Masha. Would you like me to help you undress?

LISA. No I myself. Go to bed!

Masha. It's too late, young lady...

LISA. Leave me, go!

Masha leaves. Lisa stands in deep thought and then quietly cries.

Where do these tears come from?

Why are they?

My girlish dreams

You cheated on me

My girlish dreams

You cheated on me!

This is how you were justified in reality!

I have now entrusted my life to the prince,

The chosen one after his heart, essence,

Intelligence, beauty, nobility, wealth

A worthy friend not like me.

Who is noble, who is handsome, who is stately like him?

Nobody! And what?

I'm full of longing and fear,

I'm shaking and crying!

Where do these tears come from?

Why are they?

My girlish dreams

You cheated on me

My girlish dreams

You cheated on me!

You cheated on me!

(Cries.)

It’s both hard and scary!

But why deceive yourself?

I'm alone here, everything around me is sleeping quietly...

(Passionately, enthusiastically.)

Oh, listen, night!

I can only tell you a secret

My soul.

She's gloomy like you, she's sad

Like the gaze of eyes,

Taking away my peace and happiness...

Queen Night!

How are you, beauty, like a fallen angel,

He's beautiful

There is a fire of burning passion in his eyes,

Like a wonderful dream

It beckons me, and my whole soul is in his power!

O night! oh night!..

Herman appears at the door of the balcony. Lisa retreats in silent horror. They look at each other silently. Lisa makes a move to leave.

HERMANN. Stop, I beg you!

LISA. Why are you here, crazy man? What do you need?

HERMANN. Say goodbye!

(Lisa wants to leave.)

Don't leave! Stay!

I'll leave now

And I won't come back here again...

Just a minute!.. What is it worth to you?

The dying man is calling to you.

LISA. Why, why are you here? Go away!.

HERMANN. No!

LISA. I'll scream!

HERMANN. Shout! Call everyone!

(Takes out a pistol.)

I will die anyway, alone or with others.

(Lisa lowers her head and is silent.)

But if there is, beauty, in you

Even a spark of compassion,

Then wait, don't go!

LISA. Oh my God, my God!

After all, this is my last hour of death!

I found out my verdict today:

You, cruel one, hand over your heart to another!

(Passionately.)

Let me die, blessing you,

And not cursing,

Can I live a day when I'm a stranger

You are for me!

I lived for you; just one feeling

And one persistent thought possessed me!

I will die.

But before saying goodbye to life,

Give me at least one moment to be with you,

Together in the wonderful silence of the night,

Let me drink in your beauty!

Then let death and peace be with it!

(Lisa stands, looking sadly at German.)

Stay like that! Oh, how beautiful you are!

Gorgeous! Goddess! Angel!

Sorry, lovely creature,

That I disturbed your peace

Sorry, but passionate

Don't reject confession

Don't reject it with sadness!

Oh, pity! I, dying,

I bring my prayer to you;

Look from the heights of heavenly paradise

To the death struggle

Souls tormented by torment

Love for you, oh have pity

And my spirit with affection, regret,

Warm me with your tears!

(Lisa is crying.)

You are crying! You!

What do these tears mean?

Don't you drive and regret?

He takes her hand, which she does not take away.

Thank you! Gorgeous! Goddess! Angel!

He falls to Lisa's hand and kisses it. At this time, the sound of footsteps and a knock on the door is heard.

COUNTESS (Behind the door). Lisa, open the door!

LISA (confused). Countess! Good God! I'm dead, run!.. It's too late! Here!

The knocking on the door gets louder. Lisa points Herman to the curtain, goes to the door and opens it. The Countess enters in a dressing gown, surrounded by maids with candles.

COUNTESS. Why aren't you sleeping? Why are you dressed? What's all this noise?

LISA (confused) I, grandma, walked around the room... I can’t sleep...

COUNTESS (gestures to close the balcony)

Look! Don't be stupid! Now go to bed!

(Knocks with a stick.) Do you hear?..

LISA. Me, grandma, now!

I can’t sleep!..Have you heard of this!

Well, times! I can’t sleep!.. Now go to bed!

LISA. I obey!.. Sorry!

COUNTESS (leaving).

But I hear a noise;

You're disturbing grandma!

(To the maid.) Let's go!

(Lise.) And don’t you dare try anything stupid here!

(Leaves with the maids.)

HERMANN (About myself).

"Who, loving passionately,

He'll probably come to find out from you

Three cards, three cards, three cards!”

The cold of the grave blew all around!

Oh scary ghost

Death, I don't want you!

Lisa, having closed the door behind the Countess, approaches the balcony, opens it and motions for Herman to leave.

Oh, have mercy on me!

Death a few minutes ago

It seemed like salvation to me, almost happiness!

Now it’s not like that: she’s scary to me, she’s scary to me!

You revealed the dawn of happiness to me,

I want to live and die with you!

LISA. Mad man, what do you want from me, what can I do?..

HERMANN. Decide my fate!

LISA. Have mercy, you are ruining me! Go away, I ask you, I command you!

HERMANN. So, that means you pronounce the sentence of death!

LISA. Oh God, I'm getting weak... Go away, please!

HERMANN. Say then: die!

LISA. Good God!

HERMANN. Goodbye!

LISA. Heavenly Creator! (Herman makes a move to leave.) No! Live!

Herman hugs Lisa; she rests her head on his shoulder.

HERMANN. Love you!

LISA. I'm yours!

HERMANN. Gorgeous! Goddess! Angel!

ACT TWO

PICTURE THREE

Masquerade ball for a rich dignitary. Large hall. On the sides, between the columns, there are boxes. Boys and girls in fancy dress dance country dance. The singers sing in the choirs.

Choir of singers.

Joyfully, cheerfully on this day *

Get together, friends!

Give up your idle time

Jump and dance boldly!

Jump, dance boldly,

Give up, give up your idle time,

Jump, dance, dance more fun!

Clap your hands with your hands

Click your fingers loudly!

Turn your black eyes,

You all say it with stature!

Fertik hands on your sides,

Take easy leaps

Knock on chobot,

Whistle with bold steps!

The Manager enters.

Manager.

The owner asks dear guests to welcome

Look at the sparkle of the entertainment lights!

All guests head to the garden terrace.

CHEKALINSKY.

Our Herman has hung his nose again,

I guarantee you that he is in love,

He was gloomy, then he became cheerful.

No, gentlemen, he is carried away,

What do you think?

How? Hope to learn three cards.

CHEKALINSKY. What a weirdo!

I don’t believe it, you have to be ignorant

For this. He's not a fool!

SURIN. He told me himself...

TOMSKY. Laughing!

CHEKALINSKY. (To Surin).

Come on, let's go tease him! (Pass.)

However, he is one of those who, having once conceived it,

Must accomplish everything! Poor fellow! Poor fellow!

(Tomsky passes. The servants are preparing the middle of the hall for the interlude. Prince Yeletsky and Liza enter.)

You are so sad, my dear,

As if you have grief...

Trust me!

LISA. No, later, Prince, another time... I beg you!

(Wants to leave.)

Wait a moment!

I must, I must tell you!

I love you, I love you immensely,

I can’t imagine living a day without you.

And a feat of unparalleled strength

I'm ready to do it for you now,

But know: your hearts are free

I don't want to bother you with anything,

I'm ready to hide to please you

And calm down the heat of jealous feelings,

Ready for anything, anything for you!

Not only a loving spouse,

Sometimes a useful servant

I wish I could be your friend

And always a comforter.

But I see clearly, I feel now,

Where did you take yourself in your dreams?

How little trust you have in me,

How alien and how distant I am to you!

Oh, I'm tormented by this distance,

I sympathize with you with all my heart,

I'm saddened by your sadness

And I cry with your tears...

Oh, I'm tormented by this distance,

I sympathize with you with all my heart!

I love you, I love you immensely,

I can’t imagine living a day without you,

I am a feat of unparalleled strength

Ready to do it for you now!

Oh honey, trust me!

Prince Yeletsky and Lisa pass. Herman enters without a mask, in a suit, holding a note in his hand.

HERMANN (is reading).

"After the performance, wait for me in the hall. I have to see you..."

I would rather see her and give up this thought...

(Sits down.) Three cards!.. Three cards to know - and I’m rich!..

And together with her I can run away from people...

Damn it!..

This thought will drive me crazy!

Several guests return to the hall; among them Chekalinsky and Surin. They point at Herman, sneak up and, leaning over him, whisper.

SURIN, CHEKALINSKY.

Aren't you the third one?

Who, loving passionately,

He will come to find out from her

Three cards, three cards, three cards?

They are hiding. Herman stands up in fear, as if not realizing what is happening. When he looks back, Chekalinsky and Surin have already disappeared into the crowd of young people.

CHEKALINSKY, SURIN and several guests.

Three cards, three cards, three cards!

They laugh and mingle with the crowd of guests, which little by little enters the hall.

What is this? Nonsense or mockery? No! What if?! (Covers his face with his hands.)

Madman, madman I am! (Thinks.)

Manager.

The owner asks his dear guests to listen to the pastoral under the title: “The Sincerity of the Shepherdess”! *

Guests are seated in prepared places. Boys and girls, dressed in costumes of shepherds and shepherdesses, go out into the meadow. They lead round dances, dance and sing. Prilepa alone does not take part in the dances and weaves a wreath in sad thoughtfulness.

Choir of shepherds and shepherdesses.

Under the thick shadow,

Near a quiet stream,

We came today in a crowd

Please yourself

______________

* The plot and most of the verses of this pastoral are borrowed from the poem of the same name by P. Karabanov.

Sing, have fun

And the news is round dances,

Enjoy nature

Weave floral wreaths.

The shepherds and shepherdesses move into the depths of the stage.

My dear little friend,

Dear shepherd,

For whom I sigh

And I wish to open passion,

Oh, I didn’t come to dance,

Milovzor (entering).

I'm here, but I'm boring, languid,

Look how much weight you've lost!

I won't be modest anymore

I hid my passion for a long time,

I won't be modest anymore

I hid my passion for a long time.

I won't be modest

I hid my passion for a long time!

My dear little friend,

Dear shepherd,

I miss you so much,

How I suffer for you,

Ah, I can’t say!

Ah, I can’t say!

I don’t know, I don’t know why!

Milovzor.

Loving you for a long time

I missed you without you

And you don't know that

And here you hide yourself

From my sight, from my sight.

I don't know, I don't know why,

I don’t know, I don’t know why!

Zlatogor's retinue brings in precious gifts while dancing. Zlatogor enters.

Zlatogor.

How sweet and beautiful you are!

Tell me: which of us?

Me or him

Do you agree to love forever?

Milovzor.

I agreed with my heart

I was inclined to love her,

Whom does it command?

To whom does it burn?

Zlatogor.

I am the mountains of gold

And the stones are expensive

I have it.

I promise to decorate

I use them all over you,

I have darkness

And gold and silver,

And all the best!

Milovzor.

My one estate -

Love has an unflattering heat.

And into eternal possession

Accept it as a gift,

And birds, and branches,

And ribbons and wreaths

In place of the speckled one

Precious clothes

I will bring

And give them to you!

I don’t need any estates

No rare stones

I'm with my sweetheart in the middle of the fields

And I’m glad to live in a hut,

And I’m glad to live in the hut!

(Zlatogor.)

Well, master, good luck...

(To Milovzor.)

And you be calm!

Here in solitude

Hurry to your reward

Such nice words

Bring me a bunch of flowers!

Prilepa and Milovzor.

The end of the torment has come,

Love's admiration

The hour will soon come,

Love, bind us!

Choir of Shepherds and Shepherdesses

The end of the torment has come,

Bride and groom

Worthy of admiration

Love, conjugate them!

Cupid and Hymen with their retinue enter to marry the young lovers. Prilepa and Milovzor, ​​holding hands, dance. The shepherds and shepherdesses imitate them, form round dances, and then everyone leaves in pairs.

Choir of shepherds and shepherdesses.

The sun shines red,

Zephyrs flew by

You are with a wonderful young man,

Prilepa, have fun!

The end of the torment has come,

Bride and groom

Worthy of admiration

Love, conjugate them!

Everyone leaves in pairs. At the end of the interlude, some guests stand up, others chat animatedly, remaining in their seats. Herman approaches the front of the stage.

HERMANN (thoughtfully).

“Who is ardent and passionately loving!”

Well? don't I love you? Of course yes!

He turns around and sees the Countess in front of him. Both shudder, looking at each other intently.

SURIN (wearing a mask).

Look, your lover!

(He laughs and hides.)

Who is it?.. Demon or people?

Why are they following me?

Damn it! Oh, how pathetic and ridiculous I am!

Lisa comes in wearing a mask.

LISA. Listen, Herman!

You, finally!

How happy I am that you came!

I love you!.. I love you!..

This is not the place...

That's not why I called you!

Listen... Here is the key to the secret door in the garden...

There's a staircase... You'll go up it to grandma's bedroom...

HERMANN. How? to her bedroom?..

She won't be there...

In the bedroom near the portrait there is a door to me.

I'll be waiting!

You, I want to belong to you alone!

We need to solve everything!

See you tomorrow, my dear, beloved!

Hermann. No, not tomorrow, No, today I’ll be there!..

LISA (scared). But, honey...

HERMANN. I want!

LISA. Let it be! After all, I am your slave! Sorry...

(Hides.)

Now it’s not me, fate itself wants it this way,

And I will know three cards!

(Runs away.)

Manager (excited and in a hurry).

Her Majesty would like to welcome you now...

There is great excitement among the guests. The manager divides those present so that a passage is formed in the middle for the queen.

Guest choir.

Queen! Her Majesty! Queen! She will arrive...

What an honor for the owner, what a happiness!..

It's a joy for everyone to look at our mother.

What a joy it is for us!

The French ambassador will be with her!

The Most Serene One will also honor!

Well, it was a real holiday!

What delight, what joy!

Well, it was a great holiday.

Manager (to the singers). You “Glory to this” now thunder -

Guest choir.

This is how the holiday turned out to be a success!

Sound out "Glory to this"!

Here, here, coming, coming, now our mother is coming!

Everyone turns towards the middle doors. The manager makes a sign. singers to start.

Choir of guests and singers

Glory to this, Catherine,

Hail, mother tender to us!

Vivat, vivat!

The men take a low courtly bow position. Ladies squat deeply. The pages enter in pairs, followed by Catherine, surrounded by her retinue. *

PICTURE FOUR

The Countess's bedroom, illuminated by lamps. Herman quietly enters through the secret door. He looks around the room.

* In pre-revolutionary productions of the opera, this action ended with the appearance of pages preceding the appearance of Catherine II. This was caused by the ban on depicting members of the royal family on stage.

Everything is as she told me...

What? Am I afraid, or what?

No! So it’s decided, I’ll find out the secret from the old woman!

(Thinks.)

What if there is no secret?

And this is all just empty delirium of my sick soul!

He goes to Lisa's door. As he passes, he stops at the portrait of the Countess. Midnight strikes.

And, here it is - “Venus of Moscow!”

By some secret force

I am connected to her by fate!

Do I get it from you, do you get it from me,

But I feel that one of us

Die from someone else!

I look at you and hate you

And I can’t get enough of it!

I would like to run away, but I don’t have the strength...

The inquisitive gaze cannot look away

From a terrible and wonderful face!

No, we cannot part without a fatal meeting!

Steps! They're coming here!.. Yes!..

Oh, come what may!

Herman is hiding behind the boudoir curtain. The maid runs in and hurriedly lights the candles. Other maids and hangers-on come running after her. The Countess enters, surrounded by bustling maids and hangers-on.

Choir of hangers-on and maids.

Our benefactor,

How did you go for a walk?

Our light, little lady

He probably wants to rest!

(They escort the Countess to the boudoir.)

Tired, tea?

So what,

Who was better looking there?

Were, perhaps, younger

But none is more beautiful!

(Behind the scenes.)

Our benefactor...

Our light, dear lady...

Tired, tea,

He probably wants to rest!

Lisa enters, followed by Masha.

LISA. No, Masha, come with me!

Masha. What's wrong with you, young lady - you're pale!

LISA. There is nothing...

Masha (having guessed). Oh my god! Really?..

Yes, He will come...

Shut up! He may already be there... And waiting...

Watch over us, Masha, be my friend!

Masha. Oh, I wish we didn’t get it!

That's what he ordered. I chose him as my husband...

And an obedient servant, faithful to the flock,

Who was sent to me by fate!

Lisa. and Masha leave. The hangers-on and maids bring in the Countess. She is wearing a dressing gown and a nightcap. She is put to bed.

Choir of hangers-on and maids

Benefactress,

Our light, dear lady,

Tired, tea,

He probably wants to rest!

Benefactress,

A beauty!

Go to bed, tomorrow you will be more beautiful again

Morning dawn!

Go to bed, you'll wake up better tomorrow

Morning dawn!

Benefactress!

Lie down in bed

Rest, rest,

Stop lying to you!.. I'm tired!.. I'm tired... I have no urine...

I don't want to sleep in bed!

(She is seated in a chair and covered with pillows)

Oh, I hate this light! Well, times!

They don't really know how to have fun.

What manners! What a tone! And I wouldn't look...

They don't know how to dance or sing!

Who are the dancers? Who sings? Girls!

And it happened: who was dancing? who sang?

Le duc d`Orlean, la duc d`Ayen, de Coigni,.. la comtesse d`Estrades,

La duchnesse de Brancas... *

What names!..

And even, sometimes, the Marquise Pompadour herself!..

I sang in front of them...

Le duc de la Valliere ** praised me!

Once, I remember, in Chantili ***, at Рripce de Conde ****,

The king heard me!

I can see everything now...

___________________

* Duke of Orleans, Duke d'Ayen, Duke de Coigny, Countess d'Estrade, Duchess de Branca. (French).

** Duke de la Vallière (French)

*** Chantilly, - royal castle near Paris (French)

**** Prince de Condé (French)

(Humming.)

Il me dit: “je vois fime”

Et je sens malgre moi

Mon Coeur qui bat...

Je ne sais pas porqoui... *

(As if waking up, he looks around.)

Why are you standing here? Get out there!

The maids and hangers-on, stepping carefully, disperse. The Countess is dozing and humming as if in a dream.

Je cranes de lui parler la nuit

J`ecoute trop tout ce qu`il dit,

Il me dit: “je vois fime”

Et je sens malgre moi

Mon Coeur qui bat...

Je ne sais pas porqoui...

Herman comes out and confronts the Countess. She wakes up and silently moves her lips in silent horror.

Don't be scared!

For God's sake, don't be scared!..

I won't harm you!

I came to beg you for one mercy!

The Countess silently looks at him as before.

You can make up your life's goals happiness! And it won't cost you anything! Do you know three cards... .

(The Countess stands up.)

For whom should you keep your secret?

Herman kneels down.

If you have ever known the feeling of love,

If you remember the ardor and delight of young blood,

If you ever smiled at the affection of a child,

If your heart has ever beat in your chest,

Then I beg you with the feeling of a wife, lover, mother,

To everything that is sacred to you in life,

Tell me, tell me, tell me your secret!

What do you need it for?!

__________________

* I'm afraid to talk to him at night,

I listen too much to everything he says.

He tells me: I love you,

And I feel, against my will,

I feel my heart

Which beats, which beats,

I do not know why! (from French)

May be,

It is associated with terrible sin,

With the destruction of bliss,

With a diabolical condition?

Think about it, you are old, you won’t live long,

And I am ready to take on your sin!..

Open up to me! Tell!..

The Countess, straightening up, looks menacingly at Herman.

Old witch!

So I'll make you answer!

Herman takes out a pistol. The Countess nods her head, raises her hands to shield herself from the shot, and falls dead.

Stop being childish!

Would you like to assign me three cards?

Yes or no?

He approaches the Countess and takes her hand. He sees with horror that the Countess has died.

She is dead! It came true!..

But I didn’t find out the secret!

(Stands like petrified.)

Dead!.. But I didn’t find out the secret...

Dead! Dead!

Lisa enters with a candle.

LISA. What's all the noise here? (Seeing Herman.) Are you, are you here?

HERMANN (rushing towards her, with fear).

Shut up! Shut up!

She's dead, but I didn't find out the secret!..

LISA. Who's dead? What are you talking about?

HERMANN (pointing to the corpse).

It came true! She's dead, but I didn't know the secret!..

LISA (rushes to the Countess's corpse)

Yes! died! Oh my God! And you did this?

(Sobbing.)

HERMANN. I didn’t want death, I just wanted to know three cards!

So that's why you're here!

Not for me!

You wanted to know three cards!

It wasn't me you needed, it was the cards!

Oh my God, my God!

And I loved him

She died because of him!..

Monster! Murderer! Monster!

Herman wants to speak, but with an imperious gesture she points to the secret door.

Away! Away! The villain! Away!

HERMANN. She is dead!

LISA. Away!

Herman runs away. Lisa, sobbing, falls on the Countess's corpse.

ACT THREE

PICTURE FIFTH

Barracks. Herman's room. Winter. Late evening. The moonlight either illuminates the room through the window, then disappears. The howling of the wind is heard. The room is dimly lit by a candle standing on the table. A military signal is heard behind the stage. Herman is sitting at the table.

HERMANN (reads the letter).

"...I don’t believe that you wanted the Countess to die... I am tormented by the consciousness of my guilt before you! Calm me down! Today I’m waiting for you on the embankment, when no one can see us there. If you don’t come before midnight, "I will have to admit the terrible thought that I am driving away from myself. Forgive me, forgive me, but I am suffering so much!.."

Poor thing! What an abyss I dragged her into with me!

Oh, if only I could forget myself and fall asleep!

Sinks into a chair in deep thought and as if... dozing. It seems to him that he again hears the church choir singing the funeral service for the deceased countess.

Choir of singers (behind the stage in the distance).

I pray to the Lord

So that he can hear my sadness,

For my soul is filled with evil

And I fear the captivity of hell,

Oh God, look at the suffering

You are your slave!

HERMANN (getting up in fear).

All the same thoughts

Still the same terrible dream and gloomy pictures of funerals

They stand as if alive before me...

(Listens.)

Singing or wind howling?

I can't figure it out...

(Distant funeral singing can be heard.)

Just like there... yes, yes, they sing!

And here is the church, and the crowd, and the candles,

And incense, and sobs...

(Singing more clearly.)

Here is the hearse, here is the coffin...

And in that coffin there is an old woman without movement, without breathing

Some kind of force draws me in, I walk up the black steps!

It’s scary, but there’s no strength to go back!..

I'm looking at a dead face...

And suddenly, squinting mockingly,

It blinked at me!

Away, terrible vision! Away!

(Sinks into a chair, covering his face with his hands.)

Choir of singers. Give her endless life!

For a moment, the howling of the storm subsides and a short knock on the window is heard in the silence. Herman raises his head and listens. A gust of wind comes again. Someone's shadow flashes in the window. The knocking on the window is repeated. A new gust of wind opens the window and extinguishes the candle, and again a shadow appears in the window. Herman stands as if petrified.

I'm scared! Scary!

There... there... steps... They open the door...

No, no, I can't stand it!

He runs to the door, but at that moment the ghost of the Countess in a white shroud appears in the doorway. Herman retreats, the ghost approaches him.

Ghost of the Countess.

I came to you against your will

But I was ordered to fulfill your request.

Save Lisa, marry her,

And three cards, three cards,

Three cards will win in a row.

Troika! Seven! Ace! Three, seven, ace!

(Disappears.)

HERMANN (with a look of madness).

Three, seven, ace! Three... Seven... Ace...

PICTURE SIX

Night. Winter Canal. In the background of the scene is the embankment and the Peter and Paul Fortress, illuminated by the moon. Under the arch, in a dark corner, Lisa is standing all in black.

Midnight is approaching

But Herman is still not there, still not there.

I know he will come and dispel suspicion.

He's a victim of chance

And he cannot, cannot commit a crime!

Oh, I’m tired, I’m exhausted!..

Oh, I'm exhausted with grief...

Whether at night or during the day, only about him

I tormented myself with thoughts...

Where are you, experienced joy?

Oh, I'm tired, I'm tired!

Life only promised me joy,

The cloud found, the thunder brought,

Everything I loved in the world

Happiness, my hopes were dashed!

Oh, I'm tired, I'm tired!

Whether at night or during the day, only about him,

Oh, I tormented myself with thoughts...

Where are you, experienced joy?

The cloud came and brought a thunderstorm,

Happiness, my hopes were dashed!

I'm tired! I'm exhausted!

Melancholy gnaws and gnaws at me...

And if the clock strikes in response,

That he is a murderer, a seducer?

Oh, I'm scared, I'm scared!..

The clock is striking on the fortress tower.

Wait, he'll be here now...

(With despair.)

Oh, darling, come, have pity,

Have pity on me

My husband, my lord!

So it's true! With a villain

I have tied my fate!

Murderer, monster forever

My soul belongs!..

by his criminal hand

Both my life and my honor are taken,

I am the fateful will of heaven

Cursed together with the murderer!

Lisa wants to run, but at this time Herman appears.

You are here, you are here! You are not a villain! Are you here!

The torment has come to an end,

And I became yours again!

Away with tears, torment and doubts!

You are mine again and I am yours!

Falls into his arms.

HERMANN. Yes, here I am, my dear! (Kisses her.)

LISA. Oh yes, the suffering is over, I’m with you again, my friend!

HERMANN. I'm with you again, my friend!

LISA. The bliss of the date has arrived!

HERMANN. The bliss of the date has arrived!

LISA. The end of our painful torment!

HERMANN. The end of our painful torment!

LISA. Oh yes, the suffering is over, I am with you again!

HERMANN. Those were heavy dreams, the deception of an empty dream.

LISA. The deception of a dream is empty.

The lamentations and tears are forgotten!

I'm with you again

Yes, I'm with you again!

Our torment and suffering are over,

The blessed hour of goodbye has come,

Oh my angel, I'm with you again!

LISA (at the same time as Herman)

The lamentations and tears are forgotten!

Oh my dear, desired one,

I'm with you again, again

Our suffering has passed forever,

The torment is over,

My dear, beloved,

I am with you again!

But, honey, we can’t hesitate, the hours are running...

Are you ready? Let's run!

LISA. Where to run? With you to the end of the world!

Where to run?.. Where?..

To the gambling house!

LISA. Oh my God! What's wrong with you, Herman?

There are piles of gold there

And to me, to me alone, they belong!

Herman, what are you saying? Come to your senses!

Oh, I forgot, you don’t know yet!

Three cards, remember?

What else did I want to find out from the old witch?

LISA. Oh my God! He's crazy!

Stubborn! She didn't want to tell me!

After all, today I had it

And she named me three cards.

LISA. So, does that mean you killed her?

Oh no! For what?

I just raised the gun

And the old witch suddenly fell!

(Laughs.)

LISA. So it's true! Is it true!

Yes! Yes! It’s true, I know three cards!

The killer has three cards,

She named three cards!

It was destined to be so

Three cards at this price

Only I could buy it!

I had to commit a crime

So that at this terrible price

I could recognize my three cards.

LISA (at the same time as Herman).

So it's true! With a villain

I have tied my fate!

Murderer, monster forever

My soul belongs!

by his criminal hand

Both my life and my honor are taken,

I am the fateful will of heaven

Cursed together with the murderer,

Along with the murderer, I am cursed too!

But no, it can’t be! Come to your senses, Herman!

HERMANN (in ecstasy).

Yes! I am the third who, passionately loving,

I came to forcefully learn from you

About three, seven, ace!

No matter who you are, I am still yours!

Run, come with me, I will save you!

Yes! I learned, I learned from you

About three, seven, ace!

(He laughs and pushes Lisa away.)

Leave me alone!

Who are you? I don't know you! Away! Away!

(Runs away.)

LISA. He's dead, he's dead! And with him and me!

He runs to the embankment and throws himself into the river.

PICTURE SEVEN

Gambling house.

Dinner. Some play cards.

Choir of guests and players.

Let's drink and have fun!

Let's play with life!

Youth doesn't last forever

Old age is not long to wait!

We don't have to wait long.

Let our youth drown

In bliss, cards and wine!

They are the only joy in the world,

Life will fly by like in a dream!

Let's drink and have fun!

Let's play with life!

Youth doesn't last forever

Old age is not long to wait!

We don't have to wait long.

SURIN (behind the cards). Dana!..

Chaplitsky. I'm guessing passwords!

Narumov. Killed!

Chaplitsky. No passwords!

CHEKALINSKY (throws). Would you like to bet?

Narumov. Atande!

CHEKALINSKY. Ace!

Prince Yeletsky enters.

SURIN. I'm a Mirandolem...

TOMSKY (To Yeletsky).

How did you get here? I haven't seen you around the players before.

Yes! This is my first time here.

You know what they say:

Those who are unhappy in love are happy in the game.

TOMSKY. What do you want to say?

I'm not a groom anymore.

Do not ask me-

I'm in too much pain, friend...

I'm here to take revenge...

After all, happiness is in love

Brings misfortune with you into the game.

Explain what this means.

Choir of guests and players.

Let's drink and have fun!

ELETSKY. You'll see!

Choir of guests and players.

Let's play with life!

Youth doesn't last forever

Old age is not long to wait!

We don't have to wait long.

The players join those having dinner.

CHEKALINSKY. Hey gentlemen! Let Tomsky sing something to us!

Choir of guests and players.

Sing, Tomsky, sing, something fun and funny!

TOMSKY. I can't sing something...

CHEKALINSKY.

Eh, come on, what nonsense! Drink and sing!

Good health to Tomsky, friends! Hooray!

Choir of guests and players.

Good health to Tomsky, friends! Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

TOMSKY (sings).

If only lovely girls *

So they could fly like birds,

And they sat on the branches,

I wish I was a bitch

So that thousands of girls

Sit on my branches

Sit on my branches!

Choir of guests and players

Bravo! Bravo! Oh, sing another verse!

Let them sit and sing,

They built nests and whistled,

* Poems by Derzhavin.

We would hatch chicks!

I would never bend

I would admire them forever,

I was the happiest of all the bitches

He was the happiest of all the bitches!

Choir of guests and players.

Bravo! Bravo! That's the song! This is nice! Bravo! Well done!

"I would never bend,

I would admire them forever,

I was the happiest of all the bitches!”

CHEKALINSKY. Now, according to custom, friends, “Igretskaya”!

CHEKALINSKY. Chaplitsky, Narumov and SuriN.

Oh, where are those islands, *

Where does the tryn-grass grow, -

So on rainy days

They were going

Choir of guests and players.

So on rainy days

They gathered often.

They bent, God forgive them,

From fifty

Choir of guests and players.

They bent, God forgive them,

From fifty

CHEKALINSKY, Chaplitsky, Narumov and SURIN.

And they won

And they unsubscribed

Choir of guests and players.

And they won

And they unsubscribed

CHEKALINSKY, Chaplitsky, Narumov and SURIN.

So on rainy days

They were studying

Choir of guests and players.

So on rainy days

They were studying

* Poems by Ryleev

CHEKALINSKY, Chaplitsky, Narumov and SURIN.

They bent, God forgive them,

From fifty

Choir of guests and players.

They bent, God forgive them,

From fifty

CHEKALINSKY, Chaplitsky, Narumov, SURIN and a choir of guests.

And they won

And they unsubscribed

So on rainy days

They were studying

They bent, God forgive them,

From fifty

(Whistling, shouting and dancing.)

One hundred, one hundred, one hundred, one hundred!

CHEKALINSKY. Let's get to work, gentlemen, get to the cards! Wine, wine! (They sit down to play.)

Choir of guests and players. Wine, wine!

Chaplitsky. Nine!

Narumov Passwords...

Chaplitsky. Down the drain!

SURIN. I'm betting on root...

Chaplitsky. Dana!

Narumov. Ten minutes from transport!

Herman enters.

ELETSKY (seeing him).

My premonition did not deceive me.

(Tomsky.)

I may need a second.

Won't you refuse?

Rely on me!

Choir of guests and players

A! Hermann! Friend! Buddy!

So late? Where?

CHEKALINSKY.

Sit down with me, you bring happiness.

Where are you from? Where were you? Isn't it in hell?

Look what it looks like!

CHEKALINSKY. It couldn't be more scary! Are you healthy?

HERMANN. Let me put down a card.

(Chekalinsky silently bows in agreement.)

SURIN. What a miracle, he started playing!

Choir of guests and players.

What a miracle, he began to pont, our Herman!

Herman puts down the card and covers it with a bank note.

Narumov. Mate, congratulations on solving such a long post!

Hermann (placing a card). Is it coming?

CHEKALINSKY. How much?

HERMANN. Forty thousand!

Choir of guests and players.

Forty thousand!

You're crazy! What a jackpot!

SURIN. Didn't you recognize the countess's three cards?

HERMANN (irritated). Well, do you hit or not?

CHEKALINSKY. It's coming! Which card?

HERMANN. Troika.

(Chekalinsky mosque.)

Won!

Choir of guests and players.

He won! What a lucky guy!

CHEKALINSKY.

Something's wrong here!

It's like he's unconscious!

No, there's something wrong here!

His eyes wander

It bodes ill!

SURIN

Something's wrong here!

The wandering of his eyes bodes ill,

He seems to be delirious, unconscious!

No, there's something wrong here!

No,

ELETSKY (simultaneously with Chekalinsky).

Something's wrong here!

But punishment is close, close!

I'll take my revenge on you

I will take revenge on you, villain, my suffering,

I will take revenge on you!

Narumov (simultaneously with Chekalinsky).

Something's wrong here!

The wandering of his eyes bodes ill,

It bodes ill!

No, there's something wrong here!

His wandering eyes bode ill!

Chaplitsky (simultaneously with Chekalinsky).

Something's wrong here!

His wandering eyes bode ill!

It's like he's unconscious!

No, there's something wrong here

His wandering eyes bode ill!

TOMSKY (simultaneously with Chekalinsky).

Something is wrong here, something is wrong!

His eyes wander

His wandering eyes bode ill!

No, there's something wrong here, something's wrong!

HERMANN (simultaneously with Chekalinsky).

My greatest wish is coming true.

No no! The old woman's prediction is not deceptive!

Choir of guests and players (simultaneously with Chekalinsky).

Something's wrong here!

The wandering of his eyes bodes ill.

Choir of guests and players. It's like he's unconscious!

CHEKALINSKY. Do you want to receive?

HERMANN. No! I'm going around the corner!

Choir of guests and players.

He's crazy! Is it possible to?

No, Chekalinsky, don't play with him,

Look, he's not himself!

HERMANN. Is it coming?

CHEKALINSKY. It's coming. And the map?

HERMANN. Here, seven!

(Chekalinsky mosque.) My!

Choir of guests and players.

Him again!

Something strange is happening to him.

Why are you hanging your noses?

Are you scared? Are you scared?

(Laughs hysterically.) Wine, wine!

Choir of guests and players.

Herman, what's wrong with you?

HERMAN (with a glass in his hand).

What is our life?

Good and evil are just dreams!

Labor and honesty are women's tales.

Who is right, who is happy here, friends!

Today you, and tomorrow me!

So give up the fight

Seize your moment of luck!

Let the loser cry

Let the loser cry

Cursing, cursing your fate!

What's true?

There is only one death!

Like the shore of the sea of ​​vanity,

She is a refuge for us all.

Which of us is dearer to her, friends?

Today you, and tomorrow me!

So give up the fight

Seize your moment of luck!

Let the loser cry

Let the loser cry

Cursing my fate!

Is it still going?

CHEKALINSKY.

No, get it! The devil himself is playing with you!

(Places the loss on the table.)

And if so, what a problem!

Anyone?

Is this all at stake? A?

ELETSKY (stepping forward). To me.

Choir of guests and players.

Prince, what's wrong with you? Stop doing that!

This is not a game, it's madness!

I know what I'm doing!

We have a score to settle with him!

HERMANN (embarrassed). To you? Do you want?

To me. Go ahead, Chekalinsky!

(Chekalinsky mosque.)

HERMANN (opening the map). My ace!

ELETSKY. No! Your lady is beaten!

HERMANN. Which lady?

The one you have in your hands -

Queen of Spades!

A ghost appears. Countesses. Everyone retreats from Herman.

HERMANN (horrified).

Old woman!..

You! Are you here!

Why are you laughing?

You drove me crazy!

Damn!

What... what do you need?

Life, my life?

Take her, take her!

Stabbed. The ghost disappears. Several people rush to the fallen Herman.

Choir of guests and players.

Unhappy!

How horribly he committed suicide!

He's still alive!

Herman comes to his senses. Seeing Yeletsky, he tries to get up.

Prince! Prince, forgive me!

It hurts, it hurts, I'm dying!

What is this? Lisa?

Are you here! My God!

Why why?

You forgive! Yes?

Don't you swear? Yes?

Gorgeous! Goddess! Angel!

(Dies.)

Choir of guests and players.

Lord! Forgive him!

And rest his rebellious one

And a tormented soul.

"Queen of Spades". Opera in 3 acts, 7 scenes.

Libretto by M.I. Tchaikovsky with the participation of P.I. Tchaikovsky based on the story of the same name by A.S. Pushkin.

The action takes place in St. Petersburg at the end of the 18th century.

Characters and performers:
German -Nikolai Cherepanov,
Honored Artist of Ukraine
Lisa-Elena Barysheva, laureate of the international competition
Countess - Valentina Ponomareva
Count Tomsky -Vladimir Avtomonov
Prince Yeletsky - Leonid Zaviryukhin,
-Nikolai Leonov
Chekalinsky -Vladimir Mingalev
Surin - Nikolai Lokhov,
-Vladimir Dumenko
Narumov -Evgeniy Aleshin
Manager - Yuri Shalaev
Polina - Natalia Semyonova, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation,
-Veronica Sirotskaya
Masha - Elena Yuneeva
-Alevtina Egunova

Characters and performers in the interlude:
Prilepa - Anna Devyatkina
-Vera Solovyova
Milovzor - Natalia Semyonova, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation
-Veronica Sirotskaya
Zlatogor -Vladimir Avtomonov

Act I

Picture 1.

Sunny Summer Garden. A crowd of townspeople, children accompanied by nannies and governesses, are strolling in an atmosphere of prosperity and joy. Officers Surin and Chekalinsky share their impressions of the strange behavior of their friend German. He spends all nights in a gambling house, but does not even try his luck. Soon Herman himself appears, accompanied by Count Tomsky. Herman opens his soul to him: he is passionately, ardently in love, although he does not know the name of his chosen one. Prince Yeletsky, who has joined the company of officers, talks about his upcoming marriage: “The bright angel agreed to combine his destiny with mine!” Herman is horrified to learn that the prince’s bride is the object of his passion when the Countess passes by, accompanied by her granddaughter, Lisa.

Both women are gripped by heavy forebodings, hypnotized by the burning gaze of the unfortunate Herman. Meanwhile, Tomsky tells those present a social anecdote about a countess who, as a young Moscow “lioness,” lost her entire fortune and “at the cost of one rendezvous,” having learned the fatal secret of three always winning cards, overcame fate: “Once she told her husband those cards, the next Once the handsome young man recognized them, but that same night, as soon as she was left alone, the ghost appeared to her and said menacingly: “You will receive a mortal blow from the third, who, ardently, passionately loving, will come to forcefully learn from you three cards, three cards, three cards!" Herman listens to the story with particular tension. Surin and Chekalinsky make fun of him and offer to find out the secret of the cards from the old woman. A thunderstorm begins. The garden becomes empty. Only Herman meets the raging elements "with an open visor", a fire is bubbling in his soul no less powerful: “No, prince! While I’m alive, I won’t give it to you, I don’t know how, but I’ll take it away!” he exclaims.

Picture 2.

At dusk, the girls play music in Lisa’s room, trying to cheer up the sad girl, despite her engagement to the prince. Left alone, she confides her secret to the night: “And my whole soul is in his power!” - she confesses her love for a mysterious stranger, in whose eyes she read “the fire of scorching passion.” Suddenly, Herman appears on the balcony, who came to her before he passed away. His passionate explanation captivates Lisa. The knock of the awakened Countess interrupts him. Herman, hiding behind the curtain, is excited by the very sight of the old woman, in whose face he imagines a terrible ghost of death. Unable to hide her feelings any longer, Lisa surrenders to Herman’s power.

Act II

Picture 1.

There is a ball in the house of a wealthy dignitary from the capital. Yeletsky, alarmed by Lisa’s coldness, assures her of the immensity of his love. Chekalinsky and Surin, wearing masks, mock German, whispering to him: “Aren’t you the third one who, passionately loving, will come to learn from her three cards, three cards, three cards?” Herman is excited, their words excite his imagination. At the end of the performance of "The Sincerity of the Shepherdess" he runs into the Countess. And when Lisa gives him the keys to the Countess’s bedroom, which leads to her room, Herman takes this as an omen. Tonight he learns the secret of three cards - the way to take possession of Lisa's hand.

Picture 2.

Herman sneaks into the Countess's bedroom. With trepidation, he peers at the portrait of a Moscow beauty, with whom he is connected “by some secret force.” Here she is, accompanied by her hangers-on. The Countess is dissatisfied, she does not like current morals and customs, she remembers the past with longing and falls asleep in a chair. Suddenly Herman appears in front of her, begging her to reveal the secret of the three cards: “You can make up the happiness of your whole life, and it won’t cost you anything!” But the Countess, numb with fright, remains motionless. Under the threat of a gun, she gives up her ghost. “She’s dead, but I didn’t find out the secret,” laments German, who is close to insanity, in response to the reproaches of Lisa who has entered.

Act III

Picture 1.

Herman in the barracks. He reads a letter from Lisa, who has forgiven him, where she makes an appointment for him on the embankment. Pictures of the old woman’s funeral appear in my imagination, and funeral singing is heard. The ghost of the Countess appears in a white funeral shroud and says: “Save Lisa, marry her, and three cards will win in a row. Remember! Three! Seven! Ace!” “Three... Seven... Ace...” - Herman repeats like a spell.

Picture 2.

Lisa is waiting for Herman on the embankment near Kanavka. She is torn by doubts: “Oh, I’m tired, I’m exhausted,” she exclaims in despair. At the moment when the clock strikes midnight, and Lisa has completely lost faith in her lover, he appears. But Herman, who at first repeats Lisa’s words of love, is already obsessed with another idea. Trying to entice the girl to rush after him to the gambling house, he runs away screaming. Realizing the inevitability of what happened, the girl rushes into the river.

Picture 3.

Players are having fun at the card table. Tomsky entertains them with a playful song. In the midst of the game, an excited Herman appears. Twice in a row, offering large bets, he wins. “The devil himself is playing at the same time with you,” those present exclaim. Game continues. This time Prince Yeletsky is against Herman. And instead of a win-win ace, the queen of spades ends up in his hands. Herman sees the features of a dead old woman on the map: “Cursed! What do you want! My life? Take it, take it!” He stabs himself. In a cleared consciousness, the image of Lisa appears: “Beauty! Goddess! Angel!” With these words, Herman dies.

The opera was commissioned by Tchaikovsky from the directorate of the imperial theaters. The plot was proposed by I.A. Vsevolozhsky. The beginning of negotiations with the management dates back to 1887/88. Initially, Ch. refused and only in 1889 decided to write an opera based on this plot. At a meeting in the directorate of the imperial theaters at the end of 1889, the script, layout of the opera scenes, staging aspects, and design elements of the performance were discussed. The opera was composed in sketches on January 19/31. to March 3/15 in Florence. July - Dec. 1890 Ch. made many changes to the score, literary text, recitatives, and vocal parts; at the request of N.N. Figner, two versions of Herman’s aria from the 7th cards were also created. (different tones). All these changes are recorded in the proof prints of the arrangement for singing with piano, notes, and various inserts of the 1st and 2nd ed.

When creating sketches, Ch. actively revised the libretto. He significantly changed the text, introduced stage directions, made cuts, and composed his own texts for Yeletsky’s aria, Liza’s aria, and the chorus “Come on, Little Light Mashenka.” The libretto contains poems by Batyushkov (in Polina's romance), V.A. Zhukovsky (in the duet of Polina and Lisa), G.R. Derzhavin (in the final scene), P.M. Karabanov (in the interlude).

The old French song "Vive Henri IV" is used in the scene in the Countess's bedroom. In the same scene, with minor changes, the beginning of Loretta's aria from A. Gretry's opera "Richard the Lionheart" is borrowed. The final scene uses the second half of the song (polonaise) “Thunder of Victory, Ring Out” by I.A. Kozlovsky. Before starting work on the opera, Tchaikovsky was in a depressed state, which he admitted in a letter to A.K. Glazunov: “I am going through a very mysterious stage on the way to the grave. Something is happening inside me, incomprehensible to me. fatigue from life, some kind of disappointment: at times an insane melancholy, but not the kind in the depths of which there is the anticipation of a new surge of love for life, but something hopeless, final... And at the same time, the desire to write is terrible... On the one hand I feel , that it’s as if my song has already been sung, and on the other hand, an irresistible desire to prolong either the same life, or even better, a new song."

All comments (censored and, if possible, literate) are considered on a first-come, first-served basis, taken into account and even published on the website. So if you have anything to say about the above -

In 1840, a son was born into the family of the head of the Kama-Votkinsk plant, Ilya Petrovich Tchaikovsky, a well-known mining specialist in his time, who was named Peter.

The boy grew up sensitive, receptive, impressionable. When he was four years old, his father brought an orchestrina (mechanical organ) from St. Petersburg, and the music of Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti began to sound in distant Votkinsk...

The family was financially secure. The future composer was able to receive a solid home education. Since childhood, Pyotr Ilyich spoke fluent French, read a lot and even wrote poetry. Music was also included in the home activities. Alexandra Andreevna Tchaikovskaya played well and sang well herself. Tchaikovsky especially liked to listen to Alyabyev’s “The Nightingale” performed by his mother.

The childhood years lived in the city of Votkinsk remained in the composer’s memory for the rest of his life. But to Tchaikovsky

turned eight years old, and the family from Votkinsk moved to Moscow, from Moscow to St. Petersburg, and then to Alapaevsk, where Ilya Petrovich received a position as plant manager.

In the summer of 1850, he sent his wife and two children (including the future composer) to St. Petersburg.

At the St. Petersburg School of Law, Tchaikovsky studies general disciplines and specializes in jurisprudence. Musical classes also continue here; he takes piano lessons and sings in the school choir, whose director was the outstanding Russian choral conductor G. E. Lomakin.

Attending symphony concerts and the theater also played an important role in Tchaikovsky's musical development. All his life he considered the operas of Mozart (Figaro, Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute), Glinka (Ivan Susanin) and Weber (The Magic Shooter) to be unsurpassed examples of operatic art.

Common artistic interests brought Tchaikovsky closer to many students of the school; Some of my friends from the school later became enthusiastic admirers of the composer. Among them is the poet A. N. Apukhtin, whose poems Tchaikovsky later wrote wonderful romances.

Every year the young lawyer became convinced that his true calling was music. He began composing at the age of fourteen, and at seventeen he wrote his first romance “My genius, my angel, my friend” (to the words of A. A. Fet).

By the time he graduated from college (in 1859), with all his soul,

All his thoughts were in art. But his dreams were not yet destined to come true. In winter, Tchaikovsky took the place of junior assistant to the chief clerk, and the dismal years of service in one of the departments of the Ministry of Justice began to flow.

In his career, Tchaikovsky achieved little. “They made me into an official, and even a bad one,” he wrote to his sister.

In 1861, Tchaikovsky began attending public music classes of Anton Grigorievich Rubinstein, the great Russian pianist and outstanding composer, founder of Russia's first conservatory. A.G. Rubinstein friendly advised Tchaikovsky to devote his entire life to his favorite work.

Tchaikovsky did just that: he left the service. Also in 1863, Tchaikovsky’s father resigned; he could no longer help his son, and the young musician experienced a life full of hardships. He lacked funds even for the most necessary expenses, and while studying at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (which was opened in 1862), he gave lessons and accompanied in concerts.

At the conservatory, Tchaikovsky studied with A. G. Rubinstein and N. I. Zaremba, studying music theory and composition. Among the students, Tchaikovsky stood out for his solid preparation, exceptional performance, and most importantly, creative determination. He did not limit himself to mastering the conservatory course and studied a lot himself, studying the works of Schumann, Berlioz, Wagner, and Serov.

The years of study of the young Tchaikovsky at the conservatory coincided with the period of social upsurge of the 60s. The democratic ideals of that time were reflected in the work of the young Tchaikovsky. Starting from his first symphonic work - the overture to A. N. Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm" (1864) - Tchaikovsky forever connects his art with folk song and fiction. In this work, for the first time, the main theme of Tchaikovsky’s art is put forward - the theme of man’s struggle against the inexorable forces of evil. This theme in Tchaikovsky’s major works is resolved in two ways: the hero either dies in the fight against opposing forces, or overcomes the obstacles that arise in his path. In both cases, the outcome of the conflict shows the strength, courage and beauty of the human soul. Thus, the features of Tchaikovsky’s tragic worldview are completely devoid of the features of decadence and pessimism.

In the year he graduated from the conservatory (1865), Tchaikovsky's dream came true: having completed his musical education with honors, he received a diploma and the title of free artist. For the graduation ceremony of the conservatory, on the advice of A.G. Rubinstein, he wrote music for the hymn of the great German poet Schiller “Ode to Joy.” That same year, the orchestra conducted by Johann Strauss, who came on tour to Russia, publicly performed Tchaikovsky’s “Character Dances.”

But perhaps the happiest and most significant event for Tchaikovsky at that time was his

meeting with Nikolai Grigorievich Rubinstein, brother of the director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

They met in St. Petersburg - Tchaikovsky, a still little-known musician, and N. G. Rubinstein, a famous conductor, teacher, pianist and musical and public figure.

Since that time, N. G. Rubinstein has closely followed Tchaikovsky’s work, rejoices at every new achievement of the young composer, and skillfully promotes his works. Having taken up the organization of the Moscow Conservatory, N. G. Rubinstein invited Tchaikovsky to take the position of teacher of music theory there.

From this time begins the Moscow period of P. I. Tchaikovsky’s life.

Tchaikovsky's first major work created in Moscow was the first symphony, entitled "Winter Dreams" (1866). Pictures of nature are captured here: a winter road, a “foggy land”, a blizzard. But Tchaikovsky does not simply reproduce scenes of nature; First of all, he conveys the emotional state that these paintings evoke. In Tchaikovsky's works, the image of nature is usually fused with a subtle, heartfelt revelation of the inner world of man. This unity in the depiction of the natural world and the world of human experiences is also clearly expressed in Tchaikovsky’s cycle of piano pieces “The Seasons” (1876). Outstanding German

pianist and conductor G. von Bülow once called Tchaikovsky “a true poet in sounds.” Von Bülow's words can serve as an epigraph to the first symphony and The Seasons.

Tchaikovsky's life in Moscow took place in an atmosphere of fruitful communication with major writers and artists. Tchaikovsky visited the “Artistic Circle”, where, in a circle of discerning artists, the great Russian playwright A. N. Ostrovsky read his new works; there were also the poet A. N. Pleshcheev, the wonderful artist of the Maly Theater P. M. Sadovsky, the Polish violinist G. Wieniawski, and N. G. Rubinstein.

The members of the “Artistic Circle” passionately loved Russian folk songs and enthusiastically collected, performed, and studied them. Among them, first of all, one should name A. N. Ostrovsky, who put a lot of effort into promoting Russian folk songs on the stage of the drama theater.

A. N. Ostrovsky became closely acquainted with Tchaikovsky. The results of this friendship soon showed: in 1868-1869, Tchaikovsky prepared a collection that included fifty of the most popular Russian folk songs for piano 4 hands.

Tchaikovsky repeatedly turned to folk songs in his work. The Russian song “Vanya was sitting on the sofa” was developed by Tchaikovsky in the first quartet (1871), the Ukrainian songs “Crane” and “Come out, Ivanka, sleep off the spring fly” - in the second symphony (1872) and in the first concert for piano and orchestra (1875).

The range of Tchaikovsky's works in which he uses folk melodies is so wide that to list them would mean to present a large list of works of various musical forms and genres.

Tchaikovsky, who so deeply and lovingly appreciated folk song, drew from it that broad melodiousness that marked all of his work.

Being a deeply national composer, Tchaikovsky was always interested in the culture of other countries. Ancient French songs formed the basis of his opera “The Maid of Orleans”, motives of Italian street songs inspired the creation of “Italian Capriccio”, the well-known duet “My dear friend” from the opera “The Queen of Spades” is a masterfully re-intonated Czech folk song “I have there was a dove."

Another source of the melodiousness of Tchaikovsky’s works is his own experience of romance. Tchaikovsky's first seven romances, written by the master's confident hand, were created in November - December 1869: “A Tear is Trembling” and “Don’t Believe, My Friend” (words by A.K. Tolstoy), “Why” and “No, only the one who knew" (to poems by Heine and Goethe in translations by L. A. Mey), "Forget so soon" (words by A. N. Apukhtin), "Both painful and sweet" (words by E. P. Rostopchina), "Not a word , oh my friend” (words by A. N. Pleshcheev). Throughout his creative career, Tchaikovsky wrote more than a hundred romances; they reflected bright feelings, passionate emotion, sorrow, and philosophical reflections.

Inspiration drew Tchaikovsky to various areas of musical creativity. This led to one phenomenon that arose naturally due to the unity and organicity of the composer’s creative style: often in his operas and instrumental works one can catch the intonations of his romances and, on the contrary, in the romances one can feel operatic ariosity and symphonic breadth.

If Russian song was a source of truth and beauty for Tchaikovsky, if it constantly updated his works, then the relationship between genres, their mutual penetration contributed to the constant improvement of mastery.

The largest work that nominated the twenty-nine-year-old Tchaikovsky among the first composers in Russia was the symphonic overture “Romeo and Juliet” (1869). The plot of this composition was suggested to Tchaikovsky by M. A. Balakirev, who then headed the community of young composers, which went down in music history under the name “The Mighty Handful.”

Tchaikovsky and the Kuchkists are two channels of the same current. Each of the composers - be it N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. P. Borodin, M. A. Balakirev, M. P. Mussorgsky or P. I. Tchaikovsky - made a unique contribution to the art of his era. And when we talk about Tchaikovsky, we cannot help but recall Balakirev’s circle, the commonality of their creative interests and recognition of each other. But among the links connecting the Kuchkists with Tchaikovsky, program music is perhaps the most significant link.

It is known that, in addition to the program for the symphonic overture “Romeo and Juliet,” Balakirev proposed to Tchaikovsky a plot for the symphony “Manfred” (after Byron), and both works are dedicated to Balakirev. “The Tempest,” Tchaikovsky’s symphonic fantasy on a Shakespearean theme, was created on the advice of V.V. Stasov and dedicated to him. Among Tchaikovsky’s most famous instrumental works is the symphonic fantasy “Francesca da Rimini,” which is based on the fifth canto of Dante’s “Divine Comedy.” Thus, Tchaikovsky's three greatest creations in the field of program music owe their appearance to Balakirev and Stasov.

The experience of creating major program works enriched Tchaikovsky's art. It is significant that Tchaikovsky's non-program music has all the fullness of figurative and emotional expressiveness, as if it had plots.

Following the symphony “Winter Dreams” and the symphonic overture “Romeo and Juliet” are the operas “The Voevoda” (1868), “Ondine” (1869), “The Oprichnik” (1872), and “The Blacksmith Vakula” (1874). Tchaikovsky himself was not satisfied with his first works for the opera stage. The score of “The Voivode,” for example, was destroyed by him; it was restored according to the surviving batches and delivered already in Soviet times. The opera “Ondine” is lost forever: the composer burned its score. And Tchaikovsky later reworked the opera “Blacksmith “Vakula” (1885) (the second

the editorial office is called “Cherevichki”). All these are examples of the composer’s great demands on himself.

Of course, Tchaikovsky, the author of “The Voevoda” and “The Oprichnik,” is inferior in maturity of talent to Tchaikovsky, the creator of “Eugene Onegin” and “The Queen of Spades.” And yet, Tchaikovsky’s first operas, staged in the late 60s and early 70s of the last century, retain artistic interest for listeners of our days. They have the emotional richness and melodic richness that are typical of the mature operas of the great Russian composer.

In the press of that time, in newspapers and magazines, prominent music critics G. A. Laroche and N. D. Kashkin wrote a lot and in detail about Tchaikovsky’s successes. Tchaikovsky's music found a warm response among the widest circles of listeners. Among Tchaikovsky’s followers were the great writers L.N. Tolstoy and I.S. Turgenev.

Tchaikovsky's many-sided activities in the 60-70s were of great importance not only for the musical culture of Moscow, but also for the entire Russian musical culture.

Along with intense creative activity, Tchaikovsky also carried out teaching work; he continued to teach at the Moscow Conservatory (among Tchaikovsky’s students was the composer S.I. Taneyev), and laid the foundations for musical theoretical teaching. In the early 70s, Tchaikovsky’s harmony textbook was published, which has not lost its significance to this day.

Defending his own artistic beliefs, Tchaikovsky not only implemented new aesthetic principles in his works, not only introduced them in the process of pedagogical work, he fought for them and acted as a music critic. Tchaikovsky was concerned about the fate of his native art, and he took upon himself the work of a musical reviewer in Moscow.

Tchaikovsky undoubtedly had literary abilities. If he needed to write a libretto for his own opera, this did not bother him; he is responsible for the translation of the literary text of Mozart’s opera “The Marriage of Figaro”; By translating the poems of the German poet Bodenstedt, Tchaikovsky inspired A. G. Rubinstein to create famous Persian songs. Tchaikovsky's gift as a writer is also evidenced by his magnificent legacy as a music critic.

Tchaikovsky's debut as a publicist was two articles - in defense of Rimsky-Korsakov and Balakirev. Tchaikovsky authoritatively refuted the negative judgment of the reactionary critic about Rimsky-Korsakov’s early work “Serbian Fantasy” and predicted a brilliant future for the twenty-four-year-old composer.

The second article (“Voice from the Moscow musical world”) was written in connection with the fact that the dignitary “patrons” of art, led by Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, expelled Balakirev from the Russian Musical Society. In response to this, Tchaikovsky angrily wrote: “Balakirev can now say what the father of Russian literature said when he received news of his expulsion from

Academy of Sciences: “The Academy can be separated from Lomonosov..., but Lomonosov cannot be separated from the Academy!”

Everything advanced and viable in art found Tchaikovsky’s warm support. And not only in Russian: in his homeland, Tchaikovsky promoted the most valuable thing in French music of that time - the work of J. Bizet, C. Saint-Saens, L. Delibes, J. Massenet. Tchaikovsky treated both the Norwegian composer Grieg and the Czech composer A. Dvorak with equal love. These were artists whose work corresponded to Tchaikovsky’s aesthetic views. He wrote about Edvard Grieg: “My nature and his are in close internal kinship.”

Many talented Western European composers wholeheartedly embraced his affection, and now one cannot read Saint-Saëns’ letters to Tchaikovsky without emotion: “You will always have in me a devoted and faithful friend.”

It is also worth recalling the significance of Tchaikovsky’s critical activity in the history of the struggle for national opera.

The seventies for Russian opera were years of rapid prosperity, which took place in a bitter struggle with everything that hindered the development of national music. A long struggle unfolded over musical theater. And in this struggle Tchaikovsky played a big role. For Russian opera, he demanded space and freedom of creativity. In 1871, Tchaikovsky began writing about the “Italian Opera” (the so-called Italian

opera troupe, constantly touring in Russia).

Tchaikovsky was far from the idea of ​​denying the operatic achievements of Italy, the cradle of operatic art. With what admiration Tchaikovsky wrote about the joint performances on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater by wonderful Italian, French and Russian singers: the gifted A. Patti, D. Artaud, E. Noden, E. A. Lavrovskaya, E. P. Kadmina, F. I. Stravinsky . But the rules established by the management of the imperial theaters prevented creative competition between representatives of two national cultures - Italian and Russian. The position of Russian opera was negatively affected by the fact that the aristocratic public demanded, above all, entertainment and refused to recognize the successes of their national composers. Therefore, the management gave unprecedented privileges to the entrepreneur of the Italian opera troupe. The repertoire was limited to works by foreign composers, and Russian operas and Russian artists were suppressed. The Italian troupe became a purely commercial enterprise. In pursuit of profit, the entrepreneur speculated on the tastes of the “most illustrious parterre” (Tchaikovsky).

With exceptional tenacity and consistency, Tchaikovsky exposed the cult of profit, incompatible with genuine art. He wrote: “Something ominous seized my soul when, amid the performance in one of the boxes of the benoir, the tall, skinny figure of the ruler of Moscow pockets, Signor Merelli, appeared. His face

breathed calm self-confidence and from time to time a smile of either contempt or cunning self-satisfaction played on the lips...”

Condemning the entrepreneurial approach to art, Tchaikovsky also denounced the conservatism of tastes, supported by certain sections of the public, dignitaries from the Ministry of the Court, and officials from the office of the imperial theaters.

If the seventies were the heyday of Russian opera, then Russian ballet at that time was experiencing an acute crisis. G. A. Laroche, figuring out the causes of this crisis, wrote:

“With very few exceptions, serious, serious composers keep themselves away from ballet.”

Favorable conditions were created for artisan composers. The stage was literally filled with ballet performances in which the music served as a dance rhythm - nothing more. Ts. Puni, a staff composer of the Mariinsky Theatre, managed to compose more than three hundred ballets in this “style”.

Tchaikovsky was the first Russian classical composer to turn to ballet. He could not have achieved success without mastering the best achievements of Western European ballet; he also relied on the wonderful traditions created by M. I. Glinka in the dance scenes from “Ivan Susanin”, “Ruslan and Lyudmila”.

Did Tchaikovsky think when he created his ballets that he was carrying out a reform in Russian choreographic art?

No. He was overly modest and never considered himself an innovator. But from the day Tchaikovsky agreed to fulfill the order of the Bolshoi Theater management and began writing the music for Swan Lake in the summer of 1875, he began to reform the ballet.

The element of dance was no less close to him than the sphere of song and romance. It is not for nothing that the “Character Dances” were the first to become famous among his works, attracting the attention of I. Strauss.

Russian ballet, in the person of Tchaikovsky, has acquired a subtle lyricist-thinker, a true symphonist. And Tchaikovsky's ballet music is deeply meaningful; it expresses the characters of the characters, their spiritual essence. In the dance music of previous composers (Puni, Minkus, Gerber) there was neither great content, nor psychological depth, nor the ability to express the image of the hero in sounds.

Innovation in ballet art was not easy for Tchaikovsky. The premiere of Swan Lake at the Bolshoi Theater (1877) could not bode well for the composer. According to N.D. Kashkin, “almost a third of Tchaikovsky’s music was replaced by inserts from other ballets, and the most mediocre ones at that.” Only at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, through the efforts of choreographers M. Petipa, L. Ivanov, I. Gorsky, artistic productions of “Swan Lake” were carried out, and the ballet received worldwide recognition.

1877 was perhaps the most difficult year in the composer's life. All his biographers write about this. After an unsuccessful marriage, Tchaikovsky leaves Moscow and goes abroad. Tchaikovsky lives in Rome, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Geneva, Venice, Florence... And he doesn’t stay anywhere for long. Tchaikovsky calls his lifestyle abroad wandering. Creativity helps Tchaikovsky overcome his mental crisis.

For his homeland, 1877 was the year the Russian-Turkish War began. Tchaikovsky's sympathies were with the Slavic peoples of the Balkan Peninsula.

In one of his letters to his homeland, Tchaikovsky wrote that in difficult moments for the people, when because of the war every day “many families are orphaned and turned into beggary, it is ashamed to plunge up to their necks in their private petty affairs.”

The year 1878 was marked by two greatest creations, which were created in parallel. Those were the fourth symphony and the opera “Eugene Onegin” - they were the highest expression of Tchaikovsky’s ideals and thoughts in that period.

There is no doubt that personal drama (Tchaikovsky even thought about suicide), as well as historical events, influenced the content of the fourth symphony. Having completed this work, Tchaikovsky dedicated it to N. F. von Meck. At a critical moment in Tchaikovsky's life

Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck played a big role, providing moral support and material assistance, which promoted Tchaikovsky’s independence and was used by him to devote himself entirely to creativity.

In one of his letters to von Meck, Tchaikovsky outlined the contents of the fourth symphony.

The main idea of ​​the symphony is the idea of ​​conflict between man and forces hostile to him. As one of the main themes, Tchaikovsky uses the “rock” motif, which permeates the first and last parts of the symphony. The theme of rock has a broad collective meaning in the symphony - it is a generalized image of evil, with which man enters into an unequal struggle.

The fourth symphony summed up the instrumental creativity of the young Tchaikovsky.

Almost at the same time, another composer, Borodin, created the “Heroic Symphony” (1876). The appearance of the epic “Heroic” and lyrical-dramatic fourth symphony was a real creative victory for Borodin and Tchaikovsky, the two founders of the classical Russian symphony.

Like the participants in Balakirev's circle, Tchaikovsky highly valued and loved opera as the most democratic genre of musical art. But unlike the Kuchkists, who turned to historical themes in their operatic works (“The Woman of Pskov” by Rimsky-Korsakov, “Boris Godunov” by Mussorgsky, “Prince Igor” by Borodin), where the main character is the people, Tchaikovsky is attracted

stories that help him reveal the inner world of a common man. But before finding these “his” subjects, Tchaikovsky went through a long journey of search.

Only in the thirty-eighth year of his life, after “Ondine”, “The Voevoda”, “The Blacksmith Vakula”, Tchaikovsky created his operatic masterpiece, writing the opera “Eugene Onegin”. Everything in this opera boldly violated the generally accepted traditions of opera productions; everything was simple, deeply truthful and, at the same time, everything was innovative.

In the fourth symphony, in Onegin, Tchaikovsky came to the full maturity of his mastery. In the further evolution of Tchaikovsky's operatic work, the dramaturgy of the operas becomes more complex and enriched, but everywhere his inherent deep lyricism and exciting drama, the transmission of the most subtle shades of spiritual life, and a classically clear form remain.

In 1879, Tchaikovsky completed the opera “The Maid of Orleans” (the libretto was written by the composer based on Schiller’s drama). The new opera was associated with a heroic page in the history of France - an episode from the Hundred Years' War in Europe in the 14th-15th centuries, the feat of Joan of Arc, the heroine of the French people. Despite the diversity of external effects and theatrical techniques, which clearly contradict the aesthetic views of the composer himself, the opera “The Maid of Orleans” contains many pages filled with real drama and lyrically soulful. Some of them can be safely attributed to the best examples of Russian operatic art: for example, the wonderful

Joanna’s aria “Forgive me, dear fields, forests” and the entire third picture, saturated with powerful emotional power.

Tchaikovsky reached the heights of operatic art in his works on Pushkin's themes. In 1883, he wrote the opera “Mazepa” based on the plot of Pushkin’s “Poltava”. The harmony of the compositional plan of the opera, the brightness of the dramatic contrasts, the versatility of the images, the expressiveness of the folk scenes, the masterful orchestration - all this cannot but indicate that after the opera “The Maid of Orleans” Tchaikovsky stepped forward significantly and that “Mazeppa” is an outstanding work that has enriched the Russian art of the 80s.

In the field of symphonic creativity, during these years Tchaikovsky created three orchestral suites (1880, 1883, 1884): “Italian Capriccio” and “Serenade for String Orchestra” (1880), and the large program symphony “Manfred” (1884).

The ten-year period, from 1878 to 1888, which separates Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony from his fifth symphony, was marked by important historical events. Let us remember that first it was a time of a revolutionary situation (1879-81), and then a period of reaction. All this, albeit in an indirect form, was reflected in Tchaikovsky. From the composer's correspondence we learn that he, too, did not escape the oppression of reaction. “At present, even the most peaceful citizen has a hard time living in Russia,” Tchaikovsky wrote in 1882.

Political reaction failed to undermine the creative powers of the best representatives of art and literature. It is enough to list the works of L. N. Tolstoy (“The Power of Darkness”), A. P. Chekhov (“Ivanov”), M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (“Judushka Golovlev”, “Poshekhon Antiquity”), the brilliant paintings of I. E. Repin (“They Didn’t Expect”, “Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan”) and V. I. Surikov (“Morning of the Streltsy Execution”, “Boyarina Morozova”), point to Mussorgsky’s “Khovanshchina”, Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Snow Maiden” and "Mazepa" by Tchaikovsky to remember the great achievements of Russian art and literature of the 80s.

It was at this time that Tchaikovsky’s music conquered and brought world fame to its creator. The original concerts of Tchaikovsky, the conductor, are held with great success in Paris, Berlin, Prague, in cities that have been centers of European musical culture for a long time. Later, in the early 90s, Tchaikovsky's performances in America were triumphant - in New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia, where the great composer was greeted with exceptional hospitality. In England, Tchaikovsky was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge. Tchaikovsky was elected to the largest musical societies in Europe.

In April 1888, Tchaikovsky settled near Moscow, not far from the city of Klin, in Frolovskoye. But here Tchaikovsky could not feel completely calm, so

how he found himself an unwitting witness to the predatory destruction of the surrounding forests, and moved to Maidanovo. In 1892, he moved to Klin, where he rented a two-story house, now known throughout the world as the Tchaikovsky House Museum.

In Tchaikovsky's life, this time was marked by the highest achievements of creativity. During these five years, Tchaikovsky created the fifth symphony, the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty”, the operas “The Queen of Spades”, “Iolanta”, the ballet “The Nutcracker” and, finally, the brilliant sixth symphony.

The main idea of ​​the fifth symphony is the same as the fourth - the opposition of fate and the human desire for happiness. In the fifth symphony, the composer returns to the theme of rock in each of the four movements. Tchaikovsky introduces lyrical musical landscapes into the symphony (he composed in the most picturesque surroundings of Klin). The outcome of the struggle, the resolution of the conflict is given in the finale, where the theme of rock develops into a solemn march, personifying the victory of man over fate.

In the summer of 1889, Tchaikovsky completely completed the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” (based on the fairy tale by the French writer Charles Perrault). In the autumn of the same year, when the new ballet was being prepared for production on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, the director of the imperial theaters I. A. Vsevolozhsky ordered Tchaikovsky’s opera “The Queen of Spades”. Tchaikovsky agreed to write a new opera.

The opera was composed in Florence. Tchaikovsky arrived here on January 18, 1890, and settled in a hotel. After 44 days - March 3 - the opera “The Queen of Spades” was completed

in the clavier. The process of instrumentation proceeded very quickly, and soon after the completion of the score, “The Queen of Spades” was accepted for production by the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, as well as at the Kyiv Opera and the Bolshoi Theater.

The premiere of The Queen of Spades took place at the Mariinsky Theater on December 19, 1890. The part of Herman was sung by the outstanding Russian singer N. N. Figner, and the inspired performer of the part of Lisa was his wife M. I. Figner. Prominent artistic forces of that time took part in the performance: I. A. Melnikov (Tomsky), L. G. Yakovlev (Eletsky), M. A. Slavina (Countess). Conducted by E. F. Napravnik. A few days later, on December 31 of the same year, the opera was staged in Kiev with the participation of M. E. Medvedev (German), I. V. Tartakov (Eletsky) and others. A year later, on November 4, 1891, the first production of “The Queen of Spades” took place "in Moscow on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. The main roles were entrusted to a remarkable galaxy of artists: M. E. Medvedev (German), M. A. Deisha-Sionitskaya (Liza), P. A. Khokhlov (Eletsky), B. B. Korsov (Tomsky), A. P. Krutikova (Countess), conducted by I.K. Altani.

The first productions of the opera were distinguished by great care and were a huge success with the public. There were so many stories similar to the “little” tragedy of Herman and Lisa during the reign of Alexander III. And the opera made us think, sympathize with the downtrodden, and hate everything dark and ugly that interfered with people’s happy lives.

The opera “The Queen of Spades” was in tune with the sentiments of many people in Russian art in the 90s. The ideological similarities of Tchaikovsky's opera With works of fine art and literature of those years is found in the works of great Russian artists and writers.

In the story “The Queen of Spades” (1834), Pushkin created typical images. Having painted a picture of the ugly morals of secular society, the writer condemned the noble Petersburg of his time.

Long before Tchaikovsky, the plot conflict of “The Queen of Spades” was used in an opera by the French composer J. Halévy, in an operetta by the German composer F. Suppe and in a drama by the Russian writer D. Lobanov. None of the listed authors managed to create any original work. And only Tchaikovsky, turning to this plot, created a work of genius.

The libretto for the opera “The Queen of Spades” was written by the composer’s brother, playwright Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The original source was processed in accordance with the principles of creativity, desires and instructions of the composer; he took an active part in compiling the libretto: he wrote poetry, demanded the introduction of new scenes, and shortened the texts of opera parts.

The libretto clearly outlines the main dramatic stages in the development of the action: Tomsky’s ballad about three cards marks the beginning of the tragedy, which reaches its climax

in the fourth scene; then comes the denouement of the drama - first the death of Lisa, then Herman.

In Tchaikovsky's opera, Pushkin's plot is supplemented and developed, and the accusatory motives of Pushkin's story are strengthened.

From the story “The Queen of Spades,” Tchaikovsky and his librettist left the scenes in the countess’s bedroom and in the barracks untouched. At the request of Vsevolozhsky, the action of the opera was transferred from St. Petersburg during the time of Alexander I to St. Petersburg during the time of Catherine the Great. The same Vsevolozhsky advised Tchaikovsky to introduce the interlude “The Sincerity of the Shepherdess” (third scene). The music of the interlude is written in the style of Mozart, a composer dearly loved by Tchaikovsky, and the words are taken from the texts of Karabanov, a little-known and long-forgotten poet of the 18th century. To further emphasize the everyday flavor, the librettist turned to the heritage of more famous poets: Tomsky’s playful song “If only dear girls” was written to the text by G. R. Derzhavin, a poem by V. A. Zhukovsky was chosen for the duet of Lisa and Polina, words by another poet XIX century - K.N. Batyushkova were used for Polina’s romance.

It should be noted that there is a difference between the image of Herman in Pushkin’s story and in Tchaikovsky’s opera. Pushkin's German does not evoke sympathy: he is an egoist who has some wealth and strives with all his might to increase it. Tchaikovsky's Herman is contradictory and complex. Two passions fight in him: love and the thirst for wealth. The contradiction of this image

his internal development - from love and the obsession of profit gradually darkening the mind to death and rebirth at the time of the death of the former Herman - provided the composer with exceptionally grateful material for embodying Tchaikovsky’s favorite theme in the operatic genre - the theme of contrasting man, his dream of happiness with a fate hostile to him.

The contrasting features of the image of Herman, who is the central figure of the entire opera, are revealed with enormous realistic power in the music of his two ariosos. In the poetically penetrating monologue “I don’t know her name,” Herman appears overwhelmed by ardent love. In the arioso “What is our life” (in a gambling house), the composer brilliantly conveyed the moral decline of his hero.

The librettist and composer also revised the image of Lisa, the heroine of the story “The Queen of Spades.” In Pushkin, Liza is presented as a poor pupil and a downtrodden hanger-on of the old countess. In the opera, Lisa (here she is the granddaughter of a wealthy countess) actively fights for her happiness. According to the original version, the performance ended with the reconciliation of Lisa and Yeletsky. The falsity of such a situation was obvious, and the composer created the famous scene at the Kanavka, where an artistically completed, truthful end to the tragedy of Lisa, who commits suicide, is given.

Lisa's musical image contains the features of warm lyricism and sincerity with the typical features of Tchaikovsky's tragic doom. At the same time, Tchaikovsky expresses the complex inner world of the heroine

without the slightest pretentiousness, maintaining complete natural vitality. Lisa’s arioso “Oh, I’m tired of grief” is widely known. The exceptional popularity of this dramatic episode is explained by the fact that the composer managed to put into it all his understanding of the great tragedy of a Russian woman, lonely mourning her fate.

Some characters absent from Pushkin's story are boldly introduced into Tchaikovsky's opera: these are Lisa's fiancé and Herman's rival, Prince Yeletsky. A new character escalates the conflict; In the opera, two contrasting images appear, brilliantly captured in Tchaikovsky’s music. Let us remember Herman’s arioso “Forgive me, heavenly creature” and Yeletsky’s arioso “I love you.” Both heroes turn to Lisa, but how different their experiences are: Herman is enveloped in fiery passion; in the appearance of the prince, in his arioso music there is beauty, self-confidence, as if he is talking not about love, but about calm affection.

The opera's characterization of the old countess - the imaginary owner of the secret of three cards - is very close to Pushkin's original source. Tchaikovsky's music depicts this character as an image of death. Minor changes have been made to minor characters like Chekalinsky or Surin.

The dramaturgical concept determined the system of leitmotifs. The most widely developed in the opera are the leitmotif of Herman's fate (the theme of three cards) and the exciting, deeply emotional theme of the love of Lisa and Herman.

In the opera The Queen of Spades, Tchaikovsky brilliantly combined the melodic richness of the vocal parts with the development of musical material. “The Queen of Spades” is the highest achievement of Tchaikovsky’s operatic creativity and one of the greatest peaks in the world opera classics.

Following the tragic opera “The Queen of Spades,” Tchaikovsky creates a work of optimistic content. It was Iolanta (1891) - Tchaikovsky's last opera. According to Tchaikovsky, the one-act opera “Iolanta” should be performed in one performance with the ballet “The Nutcracker”. With the creation of this ballet, the composer completes the reform of musical choreography.

Tchaikovsky's last work was his sixth symphony, performed on October 28, 1893, a few days before the composer's death. Tchaikovsky himself conducted. On November 3, Tchaikovsky fell seriously ill and died on November 6.

Russian musical classics of the second half of the 19th century gave the world many famous names, but Tchaikovsky’s brilliant music distinguishes him even among the greatest artists of this era.

Tchaikovsky's creative path runs through the complex historical period of the 60s-90s. Over a relatively short period of creativity (twenty-eight years), Tchaikovsky wrote ten operas, three ballets, seven symphonies and many works in other genres.

Tchaikovsky amazes with his versatile talents. It is not enough to say that he is an opera composer, creator of ballets, symphonies, and romances; He achieved recognition and fame in the field of program-instrumental music, created concerts, chamber ensembles, and piano works. And in any of these art forms he performed with equal force.

Tchaikovsky gained wide fame during his lifetime. He had an enviable fate: his works always found a response in the hearts of listeners. But he truly became a national composer in our time. Remarkable achievements of science and technology - sound recording, radio, cinema and television made his work accessible in the most remote corners of our country. The great Russian composer became the favorite composer of all the peoples of our country.

The musical culture of millions of people is brought up on the creative heritage of Tchaikovsky.

His music lives among the people, and this is immortality.

O. Melikyan

Queen of Spades

Opera in 3 acts

PLOT
BORROWED FROM THE STORY
A. S. PUSHKINA

Libretto
M. TCHAIKOVSKY

Music
P. I. TCHAIKOVSKY

CHARACTERS

Count Tomsky (Zlatogor)
Prince Yeletsky
Chekalinsky
Chaplitsky
Manager
	mezzo-soprano
Polina (Milovzor)	contralto
Governess	mezzo-soprano
Boy Commander	non-singing
Characters in the sideshow
Milovzor (Polina)	contralto
Zlatogor (city of Tomsk)

Nannies, governesses, nurses, walkers
guests, children, players, etc.

The action takes place in St. Petersburg
at the end of the 18th century.

INTRODUCTION.
ACT ONE

PICTURE ONE

Spring. Summer garden. Area. Nannies, governesses and nurses sit on benches and walk around the garden. Children play burners, others jump over ropes and throw balls.

Burn, burn clearly
So that it doesn't go out,
One two Three!
(Laughter, exclamations, running around.)

Have fun, dear children!
Rarely is the sunshine for you, my dears,
Amuses me with joy!
If, dear ones, you are free
You start games and pranks,
That's a little bit for your nannies
Then you bring peace.
Warm up, run, dear children,
And have fun in the sun!

Nurses

Bye, bye bye!
Sleep, darling, rest!
Don't open your eyes!

(Drumming and children's trumpets are heard.)

Here are our soldiers coming - little soldiers.
How slim! Step aside! Places! One, two, one two...

(Boys wearing toy weapons enter; a boy commander is in front.)

Boys (marching)

One, two, one, two,
Left, right, left right!
Together, brothers!
Don't get lost!

Boy Commander

Right shoulder forward! One, two, stop!

(The boys stop)

Listen!
Musket in front of you! Take it by the gun! Musket to the leg!

(The boys follow the command.)

Boys

We're all gathered here
For fear of Russian enemies.
Evil enemy, beware!
And run away with villainous thoughts, or submit!
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
Save the Fatherland
It was our fate.
We will fight
And enemies in captivity
Pick up without invoice!
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
Long live the wife,
Wise Queen,
She is the mother of us all,
Empress of these countries
And pride and beauty!
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

Boy Commander

Well done boys!

Boys

We are glad to try, your honor!

Boy Commander

Listen!
Musket in front of you! Right! On guard! March!

(The boys leave drumming and trumpeting.)

Nannies, wet nurses, governesses

Well, well done, our soldiers!
And they will indeed bring fear to the enemy.

(Other children follow the boys. The nannies and governesses disperse, giving way to other walkers. Chekalinsky and Surin enter.)

Chekalinsky

How did the game end yesterday?

Of course, I blew it terribly!
I'm unlucky...

Chekalinsky

Did you play again until the morning?

I'm terribly tired
Damn it, I wish I could win at least once!

Chekalinsky

Was Herman there?

Was. And, as always,
From eight to eight in the morning
Chained to the gambling table
sat,

And silently blew wine,

Chekalinsky

But only?

Yes, I watched others play.

Chekalinsky

What a strange man he is!

It's like it's in his heart
There are at least three villains.

Chekalinsky

I heard that he is very poor...

Yes, not rich. Here it is, look:
Like a demon of hell, gloomy... pale...

(Herman enters, thoughtful and gloomy; Count Tomsky is with him.)

Tell me, Herman, what’s wrong with you?

With me? Nothing...

You are sick?

No, I'm healthy!

You have become something different...
Dissatisfied with something...
Happened: reserved, thrifty,
At least you were cheerful;
Now you are gloomy, silent
And, - I don’t believe my ears:
You, burning with a new passion,
As they say, until the morning
Do you spend your nights gaming?

Yes! Steady foot towards the goal
I cannot walk as before.

I myself don’t know what’s wrong with me.
I'm lost, I'm indignant at weakness,
But I can't control myself anymore...
I love! I love!

How! Are you in love? In whom?

I don't know her name
And I can't find out
Without wanting an earthly name,
Call her...
Going through all the comparisons,
I don't know who to compare with...
My love, the bliss of paradise,
I would like to keep it forever!
But the thought is jealous that someone else should have it
When I don’t dare kiss her footprint,
Torments me; and earthly passion
In vain I want to calm down,
And then I want to hug everyone,
And I still want to hug my saint...
I don't know her name
And I don't want to find out...

And if so, get to work quickly!
Let's find out who she is, and then -
And make an offer boldly,
And - it's a deal!

Oh no! Alas, she is noble
And it cannot belong to me!
This is what bothers and gnaws at me!

Let's find another... Not the only one in the world...

You do not know me!
No, I can’t stop loving her!
Oh, Tomsky, you don’t understand!
I could only live in peace
While passions were dormant within me...
Then I could control myself.
Now that the soul is in the grip of one dream,
Goodbye peace! Poisoned, as if intoxicated,
I'm sick, sick... I'm in love.

Is it you, Herman?
I admit, I wouldn't trust anyone
That you are capable of loving so much!

(Herman and Tomsky pass. People walking fill the stage.)

Walking Choir

Finally, God sent a sunny day!


We won't be able to wait long for a day like this again.

We haven't seen days like this for many years, And it happened that we often saw them. In the days of Elizabeth - a wonderful time - Summer, autumn and spring were better. Oh, many years have passed since there were such days, And it used to be that we saw them often before. The days of Elizabeth, what a wonderful time! Oh, in the old days life was better, more fun, Such spring, clear days have not happened for a long time!		Simultaneously
What a joy! What happiness! How joyful, how joyful it is to live! How nice it is to go to the Summer Garden! Lovely, how nice it is to walk into the Summer Garden! Look, look how many young people There are a lot of both military and civilians wandering along the alleys Look, look how many people are wandering around here: Both military and civilian, how graceful, how beautiful. How beautiful, look, look! Finally, God sent us a sunny day! What kind of air! What a sky! It's definitely May here! Oh, how lovely! Really, I wish I could walk all day! Can't wait for a day like this Can't wait for a day like this Long time for us again. Can't wait for a day like this Long time for us, long time for us again!
Young people Sun, sky, air, nightingale song And a bright blush on the girls’ cheeks. Then spring gives, and with it love Sweetly excites young blood!

Are you sure she doesn't notice you?
I bet she's in love and misses you...

If only I were deprived of gratifying doubt,
Would my soul have endured the torment?
You see: I live, I suffer, but in a terrible moment,
When I find out that I am not destined to possess her,
Then there will be only one thing left...

Die! (Prince Yeletsky enters. Chekalinsky and Surin go to him.)

Chekalinsky (to the prince)

We can congratulate you.

They say you are a groom?

Yes, gentlemen, I am getting married; the bright angel gave consent
Combine your destiny with mine forever!..

Chekalinsky

Well, good morning!

I'm glad with all my heart. Be happy, prince!

Yeletsky, congratulations!

Thank you, friends!

Prince(with feeling)

Happy day, I bless you! How everything came together To rejoice with me, It was reflected everywhere The bliss of unearthly life... Everything smiles, everything shines, Just like in my heart, Everything is trembling cheerfully, To the bliss of heaven beckoning!		Simultaneously
Unlucky day I curse you! It's like everything came together To join the fight with me. Joy was reflected everywhere, But not in my sick soul... Everything smiles, everything shines, When on my heart The annoyance of hell trembles, It promises only torment...

Tomsk(to the prince)

Tell me, who will you marry?

Prince, who is your bride?

(The Countess enters with Lisa.)

Prince(pointing to Lisa)

She? She is his bride! Oh my God!...

Lisa and Countess

He's here again!

So that’s who your nameless beauty is!

I'm scared! He's in front of me again Mysterious and dark stranger! In his eyes there is a silent reproach Replaced by the fire of crazy, burning passion... Who is he? Why is he following me? His eyes of ominous fire! I'm scared!.		Simultaneously
I'm scared! He's in front of me again Mysterious and scary stranger! He is the ghost of the fatal Full of some kind of wild passion,

What does he want by pursuing me? Why is he in front of me again? I'm scared, like I'm in power His eyes of ominous fire! I'm scared...		Simultaneously
I'm scared! Here again before me, like the ghost of a fatal A gloomy old woman appeared... Terrible in her eyes I read my sentence silently! What does she need, what does she want from me? It's like I'm in control Her eyes of ominous fire! Who, who is she? I'm scared!
I'm scared! My God, how embarrassed she is! Where does this strange excitement come from? There is languor in her soul, There is some kind of silent fear in her eyes! It’s a clear day in them for some reason The bad weather has come to change. What with her? Doesn't look at me! Oh, I'm scared, like I'm close Some unexpected misfortune threatens. I'm scared!
So who was he talking about? How embarrassed he is by the unexpected news! I see fear in his eyes... Silent fear was replaced by the fire of insane passion!

I'm scared.

(Count Tomsky approaches the Countess. The Prince approaches Lisa. The Countess looks intently at Herman)

Countess,
Let me congratulate you...

Tell me who is this officer?

Which? This? Herman, my friend.

Where did he come from? How scary he is!

(Tomsky accompanies her to the back of the stage.)

Prince (giving hand to Lisa)

Heaven's enchanting beauty,
Spring, zephyrs light rustle,
The joy of the crowd, hello friends, -
They promise many years in the future
We are happy!

Rejoice, buddy!
Have you forgotten that behind a quiet day
There is a thunderstorm. What is the creator
Gave happiness tears, a bucket - thunder!

(Distant thunder. Herman sits down on the bench in gloomy thoughtfulness.)

What a witch this Countess is!

Chekalinsky

Scarecrow!

No wonder she was nicknamed “The Queen of Spades.”
I can’t understand why she doesn’t show off?

How? An old woman?

Chekalinsky

An eighty-year-old hag!

So you don't know anything about her?

No, really, nothing.

Chekalinsky

Oh, listen!
Many years ago the Countess was known in Paris as a beauty.
All the youth were crazy about her,
Calling it “Venus of Moscow”.
Count Saint-Germain - among others then still handsome,
I was captivated by her. But to no avail he sighed for the countess:
All night long the beauty played and, alas,
Pharaoh preferred love.

Once at Versailles, “au jeu de la Reine” Venus moscovite was lost to the ground.

Among the guests was the Count of Saint-Germain;
While watching the game, he heard her
She whispered in the midst of excitement: “Oh, God! Oh my God!
Oh God, I could play it all back
When would it be enough to put it again

The graph, having chosen the right moment when
Stealthily leaving the full hall of guests,
The beauty sat silently alone,
In love, he whispered words sweeter than the sounds of Mozart in her ear:

“Countess, Countess, Countess, at the price of one, “rendezvous” you want,
Perhaps I'll tell you three cards, three cards, three cards?
The Countess flared up: “How dare you!”
But the count was not a coward... And when a day later
The beauty appeared again, alas,
Penniless "au jeu de la Reine"
She already knew three cards.
Boldly placing them one after another,
She got hers back... but at what cost!
Oh cards, oh cards, oh cards!

Since she told her husband those cards,
Another time, the handsome young man recognized them.
But that same night, only one remained,
The ghost appeared to her and said menacingly:
"You will receive a fatal blow


Three cards, three cards, three cards!”

Chekalinsky

Se nonè vero, è ben trovato.

(Thunder is heard, a thunderstorm is coming.)

Funny! But the Countess can sleep peacefully:
It is difficult for her to find an ardent lover.

Chekalinsky

Listen, Herman, here's a great opportunity for you,
To play without money. Think about it!

(Everyone laughs.)

Chekalinsky, Surin

“From the third, who ardently, passionately loving,
He will come to find out from you by force
Three cards, three cards, three cards!”

(They leave. A strong clap of thunder. A thunderstorm breaks out. The walkers hurry in equal directions. Exclamations, shouts.)

Walking Choir

How quickly the storm came... Who would have expected?..
What passions... Blow after blow, louder, more terrible!
Run quickly! Hurry up to the gate!

(Everyone runs away. The thunderstorm intensifies.)
(From a distance.)

Ah, hurry home!
Run here quickly!

(Strong clap of thunder.)

Hermann (thoughtfully)

"You will receive a fatal blow
From the third, who ardently, passionately loving,

He will come to find out from you by force
Three cards, three cards, three cards!”
Oh, what do I care about them, even if I possessed them!
Everything is lost now... I am the only one left. I'm not afraid of the storm!
In myself all the passions awoke with such murderous force,
That thunder is nothing in comparison! No, prince!
As long as I'm alive, I won't give it to you.
I don’t know how, but I’ll take it!
Thunder, lightning, wind, in your presence I solemnly grant
I take an oath: she will be mine, or I will die!

(Runs away.)

PICTURE TWO

Lisa's room. Door to balcony overlooking the garden. Lisa at the harpsichord. Polina is near her. Girlfriends.

Lisa and Polina

It’s already evening... the edges of the clouds have darkened,
The last ray of dawn on the towers dies;
The last shining stream in the river
With the extinct sky it fades away.
Everything is quiet: the groves are sleeping; there is peace all around;
Prostrate on the grass under a bent willow,
I listen to how it murmurs, merging with the river,
A stream overshadowed by bushes.
How the aroma is fused with the coolness of the plants!
How sweet is the splashing of the jets in the silence by the shore!
How softly the zephyr blows across the waters,
And the fluttering of the flexible willow!

Chorus of girlfriends

Charming! Charming!
Wonderful! Lovely! Oh, wonderful, good!
More, mesdames, more, more.

Sing, Polya, for us alone.

One?
But what to sing?

Chorus of girlfriends

Please, what do you know?
Ma chère, little dove, sing us something.

I'll sing my favorite romance...

(Sits down at the harpsichord, plays and sings with deep feeling.)

Wait... How is this? Yes, I remembered!
Dear friends, in playful carelessness,
You frolic in the meadows to the tune of a dance tune!
And I, like you, lived happy in Arcadia,
And I, in the morning of days, in these groves and fields
I tasted moments of joy:
Love promised me happiness in golden dreams,
But what did I get in these joyful places?
Grave!

(Everyone is touched and excited.)

So I decided to sing a tearful song like this?
Well, why? You’re already sad enough, Lisa,
On such and such a day! Think about it, you're engaged, ah, ah, ah!

(To girlfriends.)

Well, why are you all hanging your noses? Let's have fun,

Yes, Russian in honor of the bride and groom!
Well, I'll start, and you sing along with me!

Chorus of girlfriends

Indeed, let's have a fun, Russian one!

(The friends clap their hands. Lisa, not taking part in the fun, stands thoughtfully by the balcony.)

Pauline (friends sing along with her)

Come on, little Mashenka,
You sweat, dance,
Ay, lyuli, lyuli,
You sweat, dance.
Your white hands
Pick it up at the sides.
Ay, lyu-li, lyu-li,
Pick it up at the sides.
Your quick little legs
Don't be sorry, please.
Ay, lyuli, lyuli,
Don't be sorry, please.

(Polina and some friends start dancing.)

When mommy asks: “Have fun!”
Ay, lyu-li, lu-li, “fun!” speak.
And to the answer aunty:
Like, “I drank until dawn!”
Ay, lyu-li, lu-li, lu-li,
Like, “I drank until dawn!”
The fellow will reproach:
“Go away, go away!”
Ay, lyu-li, lyu-li,
“Go away, go away!”

(The Countess's governess enters.)

Governess

Mesdemoiselles, what's all the noise you're making here? The Countess is angry...
Ah ah ah! Aren't you ashamed to dance in Russian!
Fi, quel genre, mesdames!
The young ladies of your circle need to know some decency!
You should have taught each other the rules of the world.
In girls' rooms you can only rage, not here, mes mignonnes.
Isn't it possible to have fun without forgetting the bon ton?...
It's time to leave...
I was sent to call you to say goodbye...

(The young ladies disperse.)

Pauline (approaching Lisa)

Lise, why are you so boring?

I am boring? Not at all! Look what a night!
As if after a terrible storm, everything was suddenly renewed.

Look, I'll complain to the prince about you.
I'll tell him that on the day of the engagement you were sad...

No, for God's sake, don't talk!

Then please smile now...
Like this! Now goodbye. (They kiss.)

I'll take you...

(They leave. The maid comes and puts out the fire, leaving one candle. As she approaches the balcony to close it, Lisa returns.)

No need to close. Leave it.

Don't catch a cold, young lady.

No, Masha, the night is so warm, so good!

Would you like me to help you undress?

No I myself. Go to bed.

It's too late, young lady...

Leave me, go...

(Masha leaves. Lisa stands in deep thought, then quietly cries.)

Where do these tears come from, what are they for?
My girlish dreams, you cheated on me!
This is how you justified yourself in reality!..
I have now entrusted my life to the prince - the chosen one after my heart,
Being, intelligence, beauty, nobility, wealth,
A worthy friend not like me.
Who is noble, who is handsome, who is stately like him?
Nobody! And what?...
I’m full of melancholy and fear, I’m trembling and crying.
Why are these tears, why are they?
My girlish dreams, you cheated on me...
It’s both hard and scary! But why deceive yourself?
I'm alone here, everything around me is sleeping quietly...

Oh, listen, night!

You alone can trust the secret of my soul.
She is gloomy, like you, she is like the sad gaze of eyes,
Those who took away my peace and happiness...

Queen of the night!

Like you, beauty, like a fallen angel, he is beautiful.
There is a fire of burning passion in his eyes,
Like a wonderful dream, it beckons me.
And my whole soul is in his power.
Oh night!

(Herman appears at the door of the balcony. Lisa retreats in horror. They silently look at each other. Lisa makes a move to leave.)

Stop, I beg you!

Why are you here, crazy man?
What do you need?

Say goodbye!

(Lisa wants to leave.)

Don't leave! Stay! I'll leave now
And I won’t come back here again... Just a minute!
What's it worth to you? The dying man is calling to you.

Why, why are you here? Go away!

I'll scream.

Shout! (Taking out a gun) Call everyone!
I will die anyway, alone or with others.

(Lisa lowers her head.)

But if there is, beauty, there is even a spark of compassion in you,
Then wait, don’t go!..

After all, this is my last hour of death!
I found out my verdict today.
You, cruel one, entrust your heart to another!

(Passionately and expressively.)

Let me die, blessing you, not cursing you,
Can I live a day when you are a stranger to me!

I lived for you;

Only one feeling and one persistent thought possessed me.
I will die, but before I say goodbye to life,
Give me at least one moment to be alone with you,
In the midst of the wonderful silence of the night, let me revel in your beauty.
Then let death and peace come with it!

(Lisa stands, looking sadly at German.)

Stay like that! Oh, how beautiful you are!

Go away! Go away!

Gorgeous! Goddess! Angel!

(Herman kneels down.)

I'm sorry, heavenly creature, that I disturbed your peace.
Sorry! but don’t reject a passionate confession,
Don't reject with sadness.
Oh, have pity, I, dying,
I bring you my prayer:
Look from the heights of heavenly paradise
To the death struggle
A soul tormented by the torment of love for you,
Oh, have pity and my spirit with affection, regret,
Warm me with your tears!

(Lisa is crying.)

You are crying! What do these tears mean?
Don't you drive and regret?

(Takes her hand, which she does not take away)

Thank you! Gorgeous! Goddess! Angel!

(Falls down on Liza’s hand and kisses it. There is the sound of footsteps and a knock on the door.)

Countess (Behind the door)

Lisa, open the door!

Lisa (confused)

Countess! Good God! I'm dead!
Run!.. It's too late!.. Here!..

(The knocking intensifies. Lisa points German to the curtain. Then she goes to the door and opens it. A countess enters in a dressing gown, surrounded by maids with candles.)

Why aren't you sleeping? Why are you dressed? What's all this noise?..

Lisa (confused)

I, grandma, walked around the room... I can’t sleep...

Countess (gestures to close the balcony)

Why is the balcony open? What kind of fantasies are these?..
Look! Don't be stupid! Now go to bed (knocks with a stick)
Do you hear?...

Me, grandma, now!

I can’t sleep!..Have you heard of this! Well, times!
I can't sleep!... Now go to bed!

I obey. Sorry.

Countess (leaving)

And then I hear a noise; you're disturbing grandma! Let's go...
And don’t you dare try anything stupid here!

"Who, loving passionately,
He'll probably come to find out from you
Three cards, three cards, three cards!”
The cold of the grave blew all around!
Oh, terrible ghost! Death, I don't want you!..

(Lisa, having closed the door behind the Countess, approaches the balcony, opens it and motions for Herman to leave.)

Oh, have mercy on me!

Death a few minutes ago
It seemed like salvation to me, almost happiness!
Not so now! She's scary to me!
You revealed the dawn of happiness to me,
I want to live and die with you.

Mad man, what do you want from me,
What can I do?

Decide my fate.

Have mercy! You are ruining me!
Go away! I ask you, I command you!

So, that means you pronounce the sentence of death!

Oh, God... I'm getting weaker... Go away, please!

Say then: die!

Good God!

(Herman wants to leave.)

No! Live!

(Impulsively hugs Lisa; she lowers her head onto his shoulder.)

Gorgeous! Goddess! Angel!
Love you!

ACT TWO

PICTURE THREE

A masquerade ball in the house of a wealthy nobleman in the capital. Large hall. On the sides, between the columns, there are boxes. Guests dance contradance. The singers sing in the choirs.

Choir of singers

Joyful! funny!
On this day, gather together, friends!
Give up your idle time
Jump and dance boldly!
Clap your hands with your hands
Click your fingers loudly!
Turn your black eyes,
You say everything with stature!
Fertik hands on your sides,
Take easy leaps
Knock on chobot,
Whistle with courage!
The owner and his wife
Welcomes good guests!

(The manager enters.)

Manager

The owner asks dear guests
Welcome to look at the sparkle of entertainment lights.

(All guests go to the garden terrace.)

Chekalinsky

Our Herman hung his nose again.
I guarantee you that he is in love;
He was gloomy, then he became cheerful.

No, gentlemen, he is carried away,
What do you think?
Hope to learn three cards.

Chekalinsky

What a weirdo!

I don’t believe it, you have to be ignorant to do this!
He's not a fool!

He told me himself.

Chekalinsky (to Surin)

Come on, let's go tease him!

(Pass.)

However, he is one of those
Who, once thinking,
Must accomplish everything!
Poor fellow!

(The hall empties. Servants enter to prepare the middle of the stage for the interlude. The Prince and Lisa pass.)

You're so sad, darling
As if you have grief...
Trust me.

No, later, prince.
Another time... I beg you!

(Wants to leave.)

Wait... just a moment!
I must, I must tell you!
I love you, I love you immensely,
I can’t imagine living a day without you,
I am a feat of unparalleled strength,
I'm ready to do it for you now,
But know: your hearts are free
I don't want to bother you with anything,
I'm ready to hide to please you
And calm down the heat of jealous feelings.
I am ready for anything, for you!
Not only a loving spouse -
Sometimes a useful servant
I wish I could be your friend
And always a comforter.
But I see clearly, I feel now,
Where did you take yourself in your dreams?
How little trust you have in me,
How alien and how distant I am to you!
Ah, I am tormented by this distance.
I sympathize with you with all my heart,
I'm saddened by your sadness
And I cry with your tears,
Oh, I'm tormented by this distance,
I sympathize with you with all my heart!

I love you, I love you immensely...
Oh honey, trust me!

(They leave.)
(Herman enters without a mask, holding a note in his hands.)

Hermann (is reading)

After the performance, wait for me in the hall. I need to see you...
I would rather see her and give up this thought (sits down).
Three cards to know - and I'm rich!
And I can run with her
Away from people.
Damn it! This thought will drive me crazy!

(Several guests return to the hall; among them Chekalinsky and Surin. They point to Herman, creep up and, leaning over him, whisper.)

Chekalinsky, Surin

Aren't you the third one?
Who passionately loves
Will come to find out from her
Three cards, three cards, three cards...

(They are hiding. Herman stands up in fear, as if not realizing what is happening. When he looks around, Chekalinsky and Surin have already disappeared into the crowd of young people.)

Chekalinsky, Surin, several people from the choir

Three cards, three cards, three cards!

(They laugh. They mingle with the crowd of guests).

What is this? Nonsense or mockery?
No! What if...

(Covers his face with his hands.)

Madman, madman I am!

(Thinks.)

Manager

The owner asks his dear guests to listen to the pastoral
Under the title: “The Sincerity of a Shepherdess!”

(Guests are seated in the prepared places.)

Choir of Shepherds and Shepherdesses

(During the chorus, Prilepa alone does not take part in the dancing and weaves a wreath in sad thoughtfulness.)

Under the thick shade,
Near a quiet stream,
We came today in a crowd
Please yourself, sing, have fun
And the news is round dances,
Enjoy nature
Weave flower wreaths...

(The shepherds and shepherdesses dance, then retreat to the back of the stage.)

My dear little friend,
Dear shepherd,
For whom I sigh
And I wish to open passion,
Oh, I didn’t come to dance,
Oh, I didn’t come to dance!

(Milovzor enters.)

Milovzor

I'm here, but I'm boring, languid,
Look how much weight you've lost!
I won't be modest anymore
I hid my passion for a long time...

Zlatogor

How sweet and beautiful you are!
Tell me: which of us -
Me or him -
Do you agree to love forever?

Milovzor

I agreed with my heart
I was inclined to love her,
Whom does it command?
To whom does it burn?

I don’t need any estates
No rare stones
I'm with my sweetheart in the middle of the fields
And I’m glad to live in the hut! (To Milovzor.)
Well, master, good luck,
And you be calm!
Here, in solitude
Hurry to your reward
Such beautiful words
Bring me a bunch of flowers!

Prilepa and Milovzor

The end of the torment has come,

Love's admiration
The hour will soon come,
Love! Hide us.

Choir of Shepherds and Shepherdesses

The end of the torment has come -
The bride and groom are worthy of admiration,
Love! Conjugate them!

(Cupid and Hymen with their retinue enter to marry the young lovers. Prilepa and Milovzor, ​​holding hands, dance. Shepherds and shepherdesses imitate them, form round dances, and then all leave in pairs. At the end of the interlude, some of the guests stand up, others talk animatedly, remaining in place. Herman approaches the front of the stage.)

Hermann (thoughtfully)

“Who ardently and passionately loves”... -
Well, don't I love you?
Of course yes!

(He turns around and sees the countess in front of him. Both shudder and look intently at each other.)

Surin (wearing a mask)

Look, your lover!

(He laughs and hides.)

(Lisa enters wearing a mask.)

Listen, Herman!

You! Finally!
How happy I am that you came!
Love you!

This is not the place...
That's not why I called you.
Listen: - here is the key to the secret door in the garden:
There's a staircase. You will go up it to your grandmother's bedroom...

How? To her bedroom?...

She won't be there...
In the bedroom near the portrait
There is a door to me. I'll be waiting.
You, you alone, I want to belong to.
We need to solve everything!
See you tomorrow, my dear, beloved!

No, not tomorrow, I'll be there today!

Lisa (scared)

But, honey...

Let it be!
After all, I am your slave!
Sorry...

(Hides.)

Now it's not me
Fate itself wants it this way
And I will know three cards!

(Runs away.)

Manager (excitedly)

Her Majesty would like to welcome you now...

Guest Choir

(There is great excitement in the choir. The director divides the crowd so that a passage is formed in the middle for the queen. Among the guests, those who made up the choir in the interlude also participate in the choir.)

(Everyone turns towards the middle doors. The manager makes a sign for the singers to begin.)

Choir of guests and singers

Glory to this, Catherine,
Hail, mother tender to us!

(The men take a low court bow. The ladies crouch deeply. Pages appear.)

Vivat! Viva!

PICTURE FOUR

The countess's bedroom, illuminated by lamps. Herman enters through the secret door. He looks around the room.

Everything is as she told me...
What? Am I afraid?
No! So it is decided:
I will find out the secret from the old woman!

(Thinks.)

And if there is no secret,
And this is all just empty nonsense
My sick soul?

(He goes to Lisa’s door. Stops at the portrait of the Countess. Midnight strikes.)

And, here it is, “Venus of Moscow”!
By some secret force
I am connected with her by fate.
Do I need it from you?
Do you want it from me?
But I feel that one of us
Die from someone else.
I look at you and hate you
And I can’t get enough of it!
I would like to run away
But there is no strength...
The inquisitive gaze cannot look away
From a terrible and wonderful face!
No, we can't separate
Without a fatal meeting.
Steps! Here they come! Yes!
Ah, come what may!

(Hides behind the boudoir curtain. The maid runs in and hastily lights the candles. Other maids and hangers-on come running after her. The Countess enters, surrounded by bustling maids and hangers-on.)

Choir of hangers-on and maids

Our benefactor,
How did you go for a walk?
Our light, little lady
He really wants to rest?
Tired, tea? So what:
Who was better looking there?
Were, perhaps, younger
But there is none more beautiful!

(They escort the Countess to the boudoir. Lisa enters, followed by Masha.)

No, Masha, come with me!

What's wrong with you, young lady, you're pale!

There is nothing...

Masha (guessing)

Oh my god! Really?...

Yes, he will come...
Shut up! He can be,
It's waiting there...
Watch over us, Masha, be my friend.

Oh, I wish we didn’t get it!

That's what he ordered. My husband
I chose him. And an obedient, faithful slave
Became the one sent to me by fate.

(They leave. The campers and maids bring in the Countess. She is in a dressing gown and nightcap. They put her to bed.)

Maids and hangers-on

Benefactor, our light lady,
Tired, tea. He probably wants to rest!
Benefactor, beauty! Go to bed.
Tomorrow you will be more beautiful than the morning dawn again!
Benefactor, go to bed and rest!

Totally lie to you! Tired of it!..
I'm tired... I have no urine...
I don't want to sleep in bed!

(She is seated in a chair and covered with pillows.)

Oh, I hate this light.
Well, times! They don't really know how to have fun.
What manners! What a tone!
And I wouldn't look...
They don't know how to dance or sing!
Who are the dancers? Who sings? girls!
And it happened: who was dancing? Who sang?
Le duc d'Orléans, le duc d'Ayen, duc de Coigny..
La comtesse d'Estrades, la duchesse de Brancas...
What names! and even, sometimes, the Marquise of Pampadour herself!
I sang in front of them... Le duc de la Vallière
He praised me. Once, I remember, in Chantylly, y Prince de Condé
The king heard me! I can see everything now...

Je cranes de lui parler la nuit,
J'ecoute trop tout ce qu'il dit;
Il me dit: je vous aime, et je sens malgré moi,
Je sens mon coeur qui bat, qui bat...
Ja ne sais pas pourquoi...

(As if waking up, he looks around)

Why are you standing here? Get out there!

(The maids and hangers-on disperse. The Countess falls asleep, humming the same song. Herman comes out from behind the shelter and stands opposite the Countess. She wakes up and silently moves her lips in horror.)

Don't be scared! For God's sake, don't be scared!
For God's sake, don't be scared!
I won't harm you!
I came to beg you for one mercy!

(The Countess silently looks at him as before.)

You can create the happiness of a lifetime!
And it won't cost you anything!
You know three cards.

(The Countess stands up.)

For whom should you keep your secret?

(Herman kneels down.)

If you have ever known the feeling of love,
If you remember the ardor and delight of young blood,
If you ever smiled at the affection of a child,
If your heart has ever beat in your chest,
Then I beg you, with the feeling of a wife, lover, mother, -
To everything that is sacred to you in life. Tell me, tell me
Tell me your secret! What do you need it for?
Perhaps it is associated with terrible sin,
With the destruction of bliss, with a devilish condition?

Think about it, you are old, you won’t live long,
And I am ready to take on your sin!
Open up to me! Tell!

(The Countess, straightening up, looks menacingly at Herman.)

Old witch! So I'll make you answer!

(Takes out a pistol. The Countess nods her head, raises her hands to shield herself from the shot and falls dead. Herman approaches the corpse and takes his hand.)

Stop being childish! Would you like to assign me three cards?
Yes or no?...
She is dead! It came true! But I didn’t find out the secret!
Dead! But I didn’t find out the secret... She’s dead! Dead!

(Lisa enters.)

What's all the noise here?

(Seeing Herman.)

Are you, are you here?

Be silent!.. Be silent!.. She is dead,
But I didn’t find out the secret!..

How dead? What are you talking about?

Hermann (pointing to the corpse)

It came true! She's dead, but I didn't find out the secret!

(Lisa rushes to the countess’s corpse.)

Yes! She died! Oh my God! And you did this?

I didn't want her to die...
I just wanted to know three cards!

So that's why you're here! Not for me!
You wanted to know three cards!
It wasn't me you needed, it was the cards!
Oh my God, my God!
And I loved him, because of him I died!
Monster! Murderer! Monster.

(Herman wants to speak, but she points with an imperious gesture to the secret door.)

Killer, Fiend! Away! Away! The villain! Away! Away!

She is dead!

(Herman runs away. Lisa, sobbing, falls on the countess’s corpse.)

ACT THREE

PICTURE FIFTH

Barracks. Herman's room. Late evening. The moonlight alternately illuminates the room through the window and then disappears. Howl of the wind. Herman is sitting at the table near a candle. He reads the letter.

Hermann (is reading)

I don’t believe that you wanted the countess dead... I was tormented by the consciousness of my guilt before you. Calm me down. Today I’m waiting for you on the embankment, when no one can see us there. If you don’t come before midnight, I’ll have to admit a terrible thought that I’m driving away from myself. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I'm suffering so much!..

Poor thing! What an abyss I dragged her into with me!

Oh, if only I could forget myself and fall asleep.

(Sinks into a chair in deep thought and seems to be dozing. Then he gets up in fear.)

What is this? singing or wind howling? I can't figure it out... Just like there... Yes, yes, they sing! And here is the church, and the crowd, and candles, and incense, and sobs... Here is the hearse, here is the coffin... And in that coffin there is an old woman without movement, without breathing... By some force I am drawn up the black steps! It's scary, but there's no strength to go back, I look at a dead face... And suddenly Squinting mockingly, it blinked at me! Away, terrible vision! Away! (Sits down on a chair, covering his face with his hands.)		Simultaneously
Choir of singers behind the stage I pray to the Lord that he will heed my sorrow, For my soul is filled with evil and I fear the captivity of hell. Oh, look, O God, at the suffering of your servant. Give her endless life.

(There is a knock on the window. Herman raises his head and listens. The howl of the wind. Someone looks out of the window and disappears. Again there is a knock on the window. A gust of wind opens it and a shadow appears from there again. The candle goes out.)

Hermann (horrified)

I'm scared! Scary! There... there are steps...
They open the door... No, no, I can’t stand it!

(Runs to the door, but is stopped there by the ghost of the Countess. Herman retreats. The ghost approaches.)

Ghost of the Countess

I came to you against your will, but I was ordered to fulfill your request. Save Lisa, marry her, and three cards, three cards, three cards will win in a row. Remember: three, seven, ace!

(Disappears.)

Hermann (repeats with an air of madness)

Three, seven, ace!

PICTURE SIX

Night. Winter Canal. In the back of the scene are the embankment and the Peter and Paul Fortress, illuminated by the moon. Under the arch, in a dark corner, all in black, stands Lisa.

Midnight is approaching, and Herman is still not there, still not there...
I know he will come and dispel suspicion.
He is a victim of chance and crime
Can't, can't do it!
Oh, I’m tired, I’m exhausted!..
Oh, I'm exhausted with grief...
Night or day - only about him
I tormented myself with thoughts,
Where have you been?
Oh, I'm tired, I'm tired!
Life only promised me joy,
The cloud found, the thunder brought,
Everything I loved in the world
Happiness, my hopes were dashed!
Oh, I’m tired, I’m tired!..
Whether at night or during the day - only about him.
Oh, I tormented myself with thoughts,
Where are you, experienced joy?
The cloud came and brought a thunderstorm,
Happiness, my hopes were dashed!
I'm tired! I'm exhausted!
Melancholy gnaws and gnaws at me.

And if the clock strikes in response,
That he is a murderer, a seducer?
Oh, I'm scared, I'm scared!

(The clock strikes on the fortress tower.)

Oh, time! wait, he'll be here now... (with despair)
Oh, darling, come, have pity, have pity on me,
My husband, my lord!

So it's true! With a villain
I have tied my fate!
Murderer, monster forever
My soul belongs!..
by his criminal hand
And my life and honor were taken,
I am the fateful will of heaven
Cursed together with the murderer. (He wants to run, but Herman enters.)
You are here, you are here!
You are not a villain! Are you here.
The end of the torment has come
And I became yours again!
Away with tears, torment and doubts!
You are mine again and I am yours! (Falls into his arms.)

Hermann (kisses her)

Yes, here I am, my dear!

Oh yes, the suffering is over,
I'm with you again, my friend!

I'm with you again, my friend!

The bliss of the date has arrived.

The bliss of the date has arrived.

The end of our painful torment.

The end of our painful torment.

Oh yes, the suffering is over, I’m with you again!..

Those were heavy dreams,
The dream deception is empty!

The dream deception is empty!

The lamentations and tears are forgotten!

The lamentations and tears are forgotten!

But, honey, we can't hesitate,
The hours are running...Are you ready? Let's run!

Where to run? With you to the end of the world!

Where to run? Where? To the gambling house!

Oh God, what's wrong with you, Herman?

There are piles of gold for me too,
They belong to me alone!

Oh woe! Herman, what are you saying? Come to your senses!

Oh, I forgot, you don’t know yet!
Three cards, remember what else I wanted to find out then?
From the old witch!

Oh my God, he's crazy!

Stubborn, she didn’t want to tell me.
After all, today I had it -
And she named me three cards.

So, does that mean you killed her?

Oh no, why? I just raised the gun
And the old witch suddenly fell!

(Laughs.)

So it's true, with the villain, I have tied my fate! Murderer, monster, forever My soul belongs! by his criminal hand Both my life and my honor are taken, I am the fateful will of heaven Cursed together with the killer...		Simultaneously
Yes, yes, it’s true, I know three cards! The killer has three cards, she named three cards! It was destined to be so I had to commit a crime. I could only buy three cards at that price! I had to commit a crime So that at this terrible price I could recognize my three cards.

But no, it can’t be! Come to your senses, Herman!

Hermann (in ecstasy)

Yes! I am the third who passionately loves,
I came to forcefully learn from you
About three, seven, ace!

No matter who you are, I am still yours!
Run, come with me, I will save you!

Yes! I learned, I learned from you
About three, seven, ace!

(He laughs and pushes Lisa away.)

Leave me alone! Who are you? I don't know you!
Away! Away!

(Runs away.)

He's dead, he's dead! And with him and me!

(Runs to the embankment and throws himself into the river.)

PICTURE SEVEN

Gambling house. Dinner. Some play cards.

Guest Choir

Let's drink and have fun!
Let's play with life!
Youth doesn't last forever
Old age is not long to wait!
Let our youth drown
In bliss, cards and wine.
They are the only joy in the world,
Life will fly by like in a dream!
Let our joy drown...

Surin (behind the cards)

Chaplitsky

I'm guessing passwords!

Chaplitsky

No passwords!

Chekalinsky (throws)

Would you like to bet?

Chekalinsky

I'm a Mirandolem...

Tomsk (to the prince)

How did you get here?
I haven't seen you around the players before.

Yes, this is my first time here.
You know what they say:
Unhappy in love
Happy in the game...

What do you want to say?

I'm not a groom anymore.
Do not ask me!
I'm in too much pain, friend.
I'm here to take revenge!
After all, happiness is in love
Brings misfortune with you into the game...

Explain what this means?

You'll see!

Let's drink and have fun...

(Players join those having dinner.)

Chekalinsky

Hey gentlemen! Let Tomsky sing something to us!

Sing, Tomsky, something cheerful, funny...

I can't sing something...

Chekalinsky

Eh, come on, what nonsense!
Drink and sing! Good health to Tomsky, friends!
Hooray!..

Health Tomsky! Hooray!

If only lovely girls
So they could fly like birds,
And they sat on the branches,
I wish I was a bitch
So that thousands of girls
Sit on my branches.

Bravo! Bravo! Oh, sing another verse!

Let them sit and sing,
They built nests and whistled,
We would hatch chicks!
I would never bend
I would admire them forever,
He was the happiest of all the bitches.

Bravo! Bravo! That's the song!
This is nice! Bravo! Well done!
"I would never bend,
I would admire them forever,
I was the happiest of all the bitches.”

Chekalinsky

Now, according to custom, friends, let’s play!

So, on rainy days
They were going
Often;

So on rainy days
They were going
Often;

Chekalinsky, Chaplitsky, Narumov, Surin

They bent - God forgive them! -
From fifty
One hundred.

They bent - God forgive them -
From fifty
One hundred.

Chekalinsky, Chaplitsky, Narumov, Surin

And they won
And they unsubscribed
Chalk.

And they won
And they unsubscribed
Chalk.

Chekalinsky, Chaplitsky, Narumov, Surin

So, on rainy days
They were studying
Business.

So, on rainy days
They were studying
Business.

(Whistling, shouting and dancing.)

Chekalinsky

Let's get to work, gentlemen, get to the cards!
Guilt! Guilt!

(They sit down to play.)

Wine, wine!

Chaplitsky

Chaplitsky

To hell with it!

I'm betting on root...

Chaplitsky

Ten minutes from transport.

(Herman enters.)

Prince (seeing him)

My premonition did not deceive me,

(Tomsky.)

I may need a second.
Won't you refuse?

Rely on me!

A! Herman, friend! So late? Where?

Chekalinsky

Sit down with me, you bring happiness.

Where are you from? Where were you? Isn't it in hell?
Look what it looks like!

Chekalinsky

It couldn't be more scary!
Are you healthy?

Let me put down a card.

(Chekalinsky silently bows in agreement.)

What a miracle, he started playing.

What a miracle, he began to pont, our Herman.

(Herman puts down the card and covers it with a bank note.)

Mate, congratulations on solving such a long post!

Chekalinsky

How much?

Forty thousand!

Forty thousand! That's the jackpot. Are you crazy!

Didn't you recognize the countess's three cards?

Hermann (irritated)

Well, do you hit or not?

Chekalinsky

It's coming! Which card?

(Chekalinsky mosque.)

Won!

He won! What a lucky guy!

Chekalinsky, Chaplitsky, Tomsky, Surin, Narumov, choir

Chekalinsky

Do you want to receive?

No! I'm going around the corner!

He's crazy! Is it possible to?
No, Chekalinsky, don't play with him.
Look, he's not himself.

Chekalinsky

Is it coming? And the map?

Here, seven! (Chekalinsky mosque.) My!

Him again! Something strange is happening to him.

Why are you hanging your noses?
Are you scared? (Laughs hysterically.)
Guilt! Guilt!

Herman, what's wrong with you?

Hermann (with glass in hand)

What is our life? - A game!
Good and evil are just dreams!
Labor and honesty are women's tales.
Who is right, who is happy here, friends?
Today you, and tomorrow me!
So give up the fight

Seize your moment of luck!
Let the loser cry
Let the loser cry
Cursing, cursing my fate.
What's true? There is only one death!
Like the shore of the sea of ​​vanity,
She is a refuge for us all.
Which of us is dearer to her, friends?
Today you, and tomorrow me!
So stop fighting!
Seize your moment of luck!
Let the loser cry
Let the loser cry
Cursing my fate.

Is it still going?

Chekalinsky

No, get it!
The devil himself is playing with you!

(Chekalinsky puts the loss on the table.)

And if so, what a problem!
Anyone?
Is this all at stake? A?

Prince (stepping forward)

Prince, what's wrong with you? Stop doing that!
After all, this is not a game - madness!

I know what I'm doing!
We have a score to settle with him!

Hermann (embarrassed)

Do you, do you want?

You're telling me, Chekalinsky.

(Chekalinsky mosque.)

Hermann (opening the map)

No! Your lady is beaten!

Which lady?

The one you have in your hands is the queen of spades!

(The ghost of the Countess appears. Everyone retreats from Herman.)

Hermann (horrified)

Old woman!.. You! Are you here!
Why are you laughing?
You drove me crazy.
Damn! What,
What do you need?
Life, my life?
Take her, take her!

(Stabs himself. The ghost disappears. Several people rush to the fallen Herman.)

Unhappy! How terrible, he committed suicide!
He's alive, he's still alive!

(Herman comes to his senses. Seeing the prince, he tries to rise.)

Prince! Prince, forgive me!
It hurts, it hurts, I'm dying!
What is this? Lisa? Are you here!
My God! Why why?
You forgive! Yes?
Don't you swear? Yes?
Beauty, Goddess! Angel!

(Dies.)

Lord! Forgive him! And rest in peace
His rebellious and tormented soul.

(The curtain falls quietly.)

Libretto of the opera “THE QUEEN OF SPACE”

Editor O. Melikyan
Tech. editor R. Neumann
Proofreader A. Rodewald

Signed for publication 1/II 1956
Ш 02145 Form. boom. 60×92 1 / 32 Paper. l. 1.5
Pech. l. 3.0. Academic ed. l. 2.62
Circulation 10,000. Zach. 1737
---
17th printing house. Moscow, Shchipok, 18.