Exciting debut elevates Met Opera The Queen of Spades

Arsen Soghomonyan (Herman)

Violetta Urmana (The Countess) and Arsen Soghomonyan (Herman)

Raymond Aceto (Surin), Alekey Markov (Tomsky), Arsen Soghomonyan and Chad Shelton (Chekalinsky)

Violetta Urmana (The Countess) and Arsen Soghomonyan (Herman)

By Cameron Kelsall, 05 June 2025

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“she seemed only to gain in aural intensity during her cataclysmic confrontation with Herman”

Reviewed at Lincoln Center: Metropolitan Opera House, New York City on 4 June 2025

Tchaikovsky, The Queen of Spades (Pique Dame)

Metropolitan Opera

Keri-Lynn Wilson, Conductor

Elijah Moshinsky, Director

Mark Thompson, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Paul Pyant, Lighting Designer

The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

The Metropolitan Opera Chorus

Arsen Soghomonyan, Herman

Galina Cheplakova, Lisa

Violeta Urmana, The Countess

Maria Barakova, Polina

Alexey Markov, Tomsky

Igor Golovatenko, Yeletsky

Raymond Aceto, Surin

Chad Shelton, Chekalinsky

John Meehan, Choreography

Asmik Grigorian strengthens the Met’s revival of Eugene Onegin

Susan Stempleski, 20th April

The Lithuanian soprano’s riveting performance as the central character in Tchaikovsky’s operatic masterpiece lights up Deborah Warner’s mostly bland production.

****1

Innocence: Saariaho’s final opera receives New York premiere

Kurt Gottschalk, 6th April

At the Metropolitan Opera, Innocence proves a gripping and perhaps divisive piece which feels real because it is a reflection of our reality, with no realistic hope of finding peace.

*****

Tristan und Isolde at the Met: staging gets in the way of the music

No’a L. bat Miri, 9th March

Michael Spyres shines in his debut as Tristan alongside powerhouse soprano Lise Davidsen as Isolde in Yuval Sharon's new, beguiling production at the Metropolitan Opera.

***11

Ailyn Pérez is the perfect Butterfly in the Met’s revival

Robert Levine, 13th January

Good Butterflys are not that difficult to come by but great ones are very very rare. Ailyn Pérez fits the bill in this revival of Anthony Minghella’s classic staging.

*****

Vocal thrills in Met’s traditional staging of Bellini’s I puritani

Susan Stempleski, 31st December

Marco Armiliato conducts a finely balanced rendition of Bellini's final masterpiece with a stellar cast headed by Lisette Oropesa and Lawrence Brownlee.

*****

Porgy and Bess returns stronger than ever at the Met

Robert Levine, 7th December

Back to Catfish Row for another revival of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and James Robinson’s show continue to wow our writer.

*****

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Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall is a classical music critic and cultural reporter. He has written for Bachtrack since 2019, and his byline has appeared in many national and international classical music publications. Based in Philadelphia, he regularly travels around the United States for musical events. In addition to his career in journalism, Cameron also teaches in the Theatre Arts program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a certified sommelier and avid home cook. His favorite composer is Mahler. Twitter: @CameronPKelsall.

Exciting debut elevates Met Queen of Spades