The Queen of Spades

Until June 12, 2021
Location
Place de l’Opéra 75009 Paris
Capacity 1900 seats
Duration
3 hours 25 minutes
With intermissions
Details
Opera
Recommended for all ages
In Russian with French and English surtitles
Highlights
Director Dmitry Tcherniakov explores one of the greatest operas in the Russian repertoire: Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades. Adapted from the novel by Alexander Pushkin, the opera immerses us in the aristocratic elegance of St. Petersburg under the beautiful music by the Paris Opera Orchestra.
To make your experience an unforgettable one, you will be able to choose from a selection of unique add-ons upon booking, such as a private cocktail, or a glass of champagne and exclusive access to the Salon Liebermann. See below for more details.
Story
Countess Anna Fedotovna, nicknamed The Queen of Spades, keeps in secret a combination of three cards that will infallibly win the game. When Hermann, a young officer, hears this story, he becomes obsessed with the game and wants to know the magic combination at all costs. The young woman with whom Hermann is in love is none other than Lisa, the Countess's lady-in-waiting. By using Lisa’s key, Hermann snakes into Anna’s room in order to find out her secret combination. Anna dies of fright when she sees the young officer. The ghost of the Countess will come to haunt Hermann who seems now to hear the secret combination, on which he will bet everything... even his life.
Brandon Jovanovich and Violeta Urmana alongside with the Paris Opera Orchestra and Choir will bring Tchaikovsky's melodies to life on the glorious stage of the Palais Garnier.
Add-Ons & Special Experiences
Looking for more than a standard ticket to the show? To make your experience an unforgettable one, you will be able to choose one of the following upgrated offers at the time of booking:
Private Dinner Cocktail + Champagne + Programme + Show (6 pers. minimum)
This package includes an exclusive private lounge, an assortment of 25 appetisers per person, champagne, wines and soft drinks.
Private Cocktail + Champagne + Programme + Show (6 pers. minimum)
This package includes an exclusive private lounge, an assortment of 10 appetisers per person, champagne and soft drinks.
Champagne + Programme + Exclusive Access to Salon Liebermann + Show
This package is available even after standard sales for the opera are closed. It includes a glass of champagne, a show programme, and exclusive access to the Palais Garnier's beautiful Salon Liebermann, reserved for primary ticket holders. A result of our official partnership with the Friends of Paris Opera Association, the package can only be purchased via the Theatre in Paris box office.
Reviews
Opéra Palais Garnier
One of the most prestigious stages in all of France, the Palais Garnier was constructed from 1860 to 1875, designed by legendary architect Charles Garnier, who was selected among a handful of talented architects in a fierce design competition. The building itself is considered a artful masterpiece, and was one of the most expensive construction projects to come from the Second French Empire under the reign of Napoléon III. The elaborate use of different materials to lend a lavish multicolored facade was typical of many of the works under the rule of Napoléon III, and features sculptures of various figures of Greek mythology. The official inauguration in 1875 was attended by the Mayor of London and Amsterdam, the King Alphonso XII of Spain, and hundreds of members from European high society.
The interior was meticulously designed with intertwining corridors, alcoves and landings to allow for easy movment of large numbers of people; complete with a grand marbled staircase and the grand foyer, acting as the drawing room for all of Paris high society and covered in gilded paintings. The auditorium itself is in a traditional Italian horseshoe shape, seating 1900. The stage is the largest in Europe and can accomodate 450 artists, revealed by the opening of the legendary painted curtain. Garnier himself designed the 7-tonne chandelier sparkling above the audience. In 1896, one of the many chandelier counterweights broke free and killed a concierge, the incident that inspired the scenes in the 1910 novel-turned-musical The Phantom of the Opera. The space above the audotorium in the copula dome was once used strictly for cleaning the chandelier, but has since been transformed into a space for opera and dance rehersals.
The legendary building was initially deemed the Academie Imperiale de Musique, yet with the fall of the Second Empire and the start of the Third Republic, this was aptly changed for the Academie Nationale de Musique, which we see written across the exterior facade to this day. Garnier envisioned his design and the transformation of the surrounding area, and to this day the opulence of the Second Empire lives on in this living monument. The avenue de l'Opéra remains the only large Parisian corridor without trees, as Garnier explicitly prevented Hausmann from adorning the street with trees, arguing that his Palais Garnier was to be the main focus. Palais Garnier became the official name in 1989 with the construction of the Opéra Bastille, and the venue now houses primarily ballets.