Ms. Sherman will perform in the chorus of Des Moines Metro Opera’s new production of Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades.

Tchaikovsky anticipated the 20th century in this brooding, ambitious ghost story set against the backdrop of imperial Russia. In this surreal drama by Pushkin, the soldier Gherman parlays his love for the young aristocrat Lisa into a life-and-death wager, using their mutual attraction to mask his entrée to her grandmother’s bedchamber. There, he confronts the aged Countess, known as the Queen of Spades, who long ago learned the secret to certain success when gambling at cards. She dies of fright, but her ghost soon conveys the formula to Gherman: “Three, seven, ace!” In his madness, Gherman rejects Lisa, with lethal results, then makes an enormous bet at the gambling table. He wins, first with a three and then a seven, but his final card is the Queen of Spades. The Countess’s ghost appears again and claims her macabre winnings—Gherman’s life.

Performances dates: July 3, 11, 14, 16, 24

Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Libretto by Modest Tchaikovsky
Stage direction by Matthew Ozawa
Conducted by David Neely