Pique Dame

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)

DESCRIPTION

Pique Dame is a study in obsession, memory, and emotional unraveling—its lush orchestration and psychological nuance offering ample dramatic opportunity for its principal characters. As Lisa, Mietta Sighele rises to the task with soaring vocal lines and a crystalline purity of tone.

In the pivotal role of the Countess, Magda Olivero—long renowned for the remarkable preservation of her voice well into her sixties—has little chance here to showcase her vocal abilities. Yet what she offers instead is a masterclass in character acting. She leans into the role’s eerie ambiguity with both relish and empathy, crafting a portrait that is at once sinister and strangely sympathetic. It’s a performance that lingers not for its vocalism, but for its dramatic insight.

CAST

Lisa – MIETTA SIGHELE
La Contessa – MAGDA OLIVERO
Hermann – NICOLA TAGGER
Jeleetzky – GIULIO FIORAVANTI
Tomsky – MARIO PETRI
Chekalinsky – VALIANO NATALI
Paolina – MARIA M. PITTACCO

DETAILS

Location: Firenze
Date: January 29, 1974
Conductor: Efrem Kurtz
Catalogue Number: OD 12222-3
Label: Opera Depot
Number of Discs: 3
In Mono

Act I, Scene I

Tracks 1–10

Act I, Scene II

Tracks 11–17

Act II, Scene I

Tracks 1–6

Act II, Scene II

Tracks 7–12

Act III, Scene I

Tracks 1–2

Act III, Scene II

Tracks 3–5

Act III, Scene III

Tracks 6–11