The Queen of Spades: Yeletsky’s aria

Although he did not himself find marriage an enjoyable situation – his own ill-advised union with Antonina Milyukova lasted less than three weeks – Tchaikovsky could wax lyrical on behalf of other, fictional male characters happy in marriage or ardently desiring it. The two best known examples are Gremin’s aria in Eugene Onegin and Prince Yeletsky’s aria in the Queen of Spades – the first for bass, the other for baritone, but both to words written by Tchaikovsky himself for insertion into libretti based on stories by Pushkin. Not unalike in melodic inspiration, they differ in that, while Gremin has no reason to doubt his relationship with Tatyana, Yeletsky suspects that Lisa’s attitude to him has changed – and with reason since, although he is as yet unaware of it, his officer colleague Hermann has already won her love and will eventually drive her to suicide. ­