The Queen of Spades, Tchiakovsky, Royal Opera House, January 2019, Live showing at the Showcase Cinema

Stefan Herheim has taken the opera, interpreting it as autobiographical, and inserted  Tchaikovsky into the opera itself and not just one Tchaikovsky but sometimes whole flocks of them.  It sounds tremendous, you see the composer and around him the opera comes to life.  As the composer appears on stage and interacts with the singers the idea is that you gain insights into the autobiographical impetus behind the work.  In reality the thing is a horrible and sometimes ludicrous flop.  You can imagine the principal singers talking about the production in the pub and complaining about how they’re being always upstaged by that wretched Tchaikovsky who if he isn’t pretending to play the piano in a completely ludicrous way that looks as if he’s got his hands glued to the keyboard he is sitting there stabbing himself with a quill pen or surrounding you in multiples clutching bottom lit plastic glasses.  When three Saint Sebastian’s (more Tchiakovskys) with quill pens stuck into their bodies and oozing black blood from their wounds came in through the French windows it was hard not to laugh out loud. On the other hand there are some marvellous scenes for instance when the Countess is surrounded by a flock of black costumed acolytes waving ostrich feather fans, but then you have the scene where Gherman comes on dressed as Catherine the Great with a fan in front of  his face which he reveals to a surprised Tchaikovsky. Only Tchaikovsky was surprised - everyone in the audience saw thus trite and silly revelation coming a mile off.

I enjoyed the evening because of the music but really this Herheim needs to be fired.