As four hours pass by, Gherman’s situation becomes increasingly dire. He crawls on the roof of a young woman’s bedroom - managing, impressively, to sing all the while. He points a gun at an old woman. And he bets everything he has on a card game. As such, while I was sometimes frustrated by Tchaikovsky’s deviations from the original Pushkin tale, the opera was captivating. After writing a paper all afternoon, I managed, not only to stay awake for the entirety of the show, but to become fully immersed in the stories of the characters - which is a high compliment from an opera rookie, who was reading subtitles at 11:00pm, in order to understand the lyrics.
More than that, as an undergraduate who rarely leaves Hyde Park these days, I’ve learned to really celebrate the moments I spend downtown. My Russian professors obtained the tickets for my classmates and I; and they kindly provided the opportunity for us to get dressed up and see the show for free. We spent the night amidst the glamour of opera societies and ball gowns and greed-themed mixed drinks. My former Russian language professor showed me how to check out opera glasses for the first time. And my friend and I marveled at how much they helped us see the performers’ expressions, from the upper balcony. More than that, we felt like we’d entered Vronsky’s race in Anna Karenina, and this made us happy.
During intermission, my friend and I ordered popcorn and wandered the opera. We were surrounded by jewels, heels, and immaculate suits - and the people watching only added to the glamorous atmosphere.
