Photo Flash: QUEEN OF SPADES at the Met

A revival of Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades will open at the Met on March 11, with a cast led by Karita Mattila as Lisa, a role she sang in the production's 1995 premiere. Mattila's three co-stars are singing their roles for the first time at the Met: Vladimir Galouzine, one of the world's leading interpreters of Hermann; Swedish baritone Peter Mattei as his romantic rival Yeletsky; and dramatic mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick as the Countess. The energetic Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons leads the opera for the first time at the Met, in a revival of Elijah Moshinsky's 1995 staging. The opera, which is based on a Pushkin story, will also feature Tamara Mumford as Pauline and Alexey Markov as Tomsky.

When Karita Mattila last sang the lovelorn heroine Lisa at the Met, she won critical praise for the commitment and passion of her acting and singing. Vladimir Galouzine, last heard at the Met in a 2008 revival of Prokofiev's The Gambler, has sung the marathon role of Hermann at many of the world's leading opera houses, most recently the Mariinsky and Houston Grand Opera. Swedish baritone Mattei, celebrated for Met performances in a diverse repertory ranging from the title role in Don Giovanni to Shiskov in Janá?ek's From the House of the Dead, will sing his first Russian role in the house as Prince Yeletsky, who woos Lisa with the famous Act 2 aria "Ya vas lyublyu" ("I love you beyond measure.") Zajick, popular with critics and audiences for her powerhouse interpretations of Verdi villainesses, will make a role debut as The Countess, the faded beauty whose many secrets include a formula that will allow anyone to win at cards. Conductor Nelsons, who made his Met debut with last season's revival of Turandot, has led performances at many of the world's leading music venues, including a 2010 production of Lohengrin at Bayreuth and a recent concert with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall.

Elijah Moshinsky's production features sets and costumes by Mark Thompson, lighting design by Paul Pyant, and choreography by John Meehan.

Live Broadcasts
The Queen of Spades will be experienced by millions of people around the world this season on the radio and on the internet, through distribution platforms the Met has established with various media partners.

The March 11 opening performance will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS channel 78 and XM channel 79, as will the March 15 and 26 performances.
The March 11 performance will also be available via internet streaming at the Met's web site www.metopera.org. The March 26 matinee will be broadcast live over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.

Photo Credit: Brent Ness