Time: the end of 18th century
Location: The first square in St. Petersburg Park in Russia in summer
Nannies, wet nurses or tutors play games here with their children. Teenagers learn to do military exercises and come in procession. The children left behind the teenagers, and the nanny quickly followed them.
The guards, Jay Kalinski and Slim, appeared together while talking about gambling last night. The two men were surprised that their friend gherman had only been drinking silently recently. At that time, gherman came with Count Tomski. When his friends asked him with concern, "Why are you always frowning recently?" gherman confessed that he had fallen in love, so he sang the aria "I don't know her name yet". When friends heard this, they said, it's too simple. Why don't you just investigate? But gherman shouted in despair that "she is a girl of noble birth", and then left sadly.
In the park, men, women, children and young people come to walk and chat, and then leave one after another. Gherman and his friends are back. At this moment, from another corner, the Duke of Eletski, who came out for a walk, gradually approached them. Everyone knows that the young duke has just got engaged recently, so they rushed to celebrate him. When everyone curiously asked "who is the bride", the duke pointed to Lisa who had just arrived with the countess and introduced "this is the one".
At this moment, gherman's face suddenly turned blue, and Tomski suddenly realized that she was the so-called "lover with unknown name". Lisa was also afraid of gherman's burning eyes. After a routine exchange of greetings, Eletski walked first with the countess and Lisa. Watching the countess's back, when the petty officers talked that the old woman looked evil, Tomski told everyone that the lady was a tinkling figure in Paris when she was young. He sang a ballad of three playing cards, A Queen's Playing Card Party at Versailles. He said: The count used to be a beauty. She was called Venus in Moscow in Paris, and everyone around her was very enthusiastic and attentive. But she is more interested in gambling than in love, so she is ungrateful to anyone. Once, when she lost badly in the queen's poker game, the Earl of St. Derman, who had always been fascinated by her, whispered, "If you sleep with me for one night, I will teach you the secret of winning three cards." She accepted his request, and the next day at the poker game, she really won all the money she lost back.
Later, she taught the secret of this playing card to her husband, and then to a handsome young man. But that night a ghost appeared and predicted, "The third man will die when he approaches you in order to know the secrets of these three playing cards."
When Tomski finished this story, Kalinski and others said happily that it might not be true, but it was quite interesting, and then laughed at gherman and said, "What do you think? It may bring you good luck! " At this time, the sky suddenly thundered and thundered, and the downpour immediately came. People in the park rushed to run away and took shelter from the rain. Gherman, who was left alone, shouted loudly: "If she doesn't belong to me, she will only die!" And leave quickly.
In the second scene, Lisa's room has a balcony in the back.
While playing the piano, Lisa is singing with her friend Polina, and then Polina sings the romantic song "Lovely Friends" by herself. At this time, someone suggested singing a brighter song, so they sang a folk song instead, and friends clapped their hands and sang together and danced. The tutor thought it was too noisy and came to stop it, so his friends said goodbye and left.
Paulina, the last one to leave, said to Lisa before leaving; "Today is your engagement day, you shouldn't be sad, just smile, and then go back. Lisa also asked the maid to retreat and stay in the room alone, holding back her tears and singing the aria "Why Tears Direct Current". She said that she liked the young man with burning eyes better than the noble and perfect fiance.
At this moment, unexpectedly, gherman appeared on the balcony. Orchestral music condenses everything, as if breathing had stopped. Since then, some fragments of phrases have appeared, indicating Lisa's hesitation, and then gherman's passionate love songs streamed out, like a gentle light wave surrounding Lisa's body. The intense confession of love gradually turned into a passionate prayer, which is the short aria sung by gherman. He sang, "Please forgive me, goddess of heaven, for I have disturbed your peace. Please forgive me, please don't refuse this painful confession, don't refuse this distressed farewell … "Then he took out a pistol from his pocket and said," If you refuse me, I will commit suicide. " Lisa asked him to go back, but it was not convincing. At this time, like a threatening signal of death, there was unlucky footsteps and the countess came. Gherman said to himself, "The evil wind suddenly blows from the graveyard, and I need you in death." Then he said to Lisa, "You open the door to my happiness, and I will live and die with you."
at this moment, there was a knock at the door. Lisa quickly told gherman to hide. If the countess asked why there was a noise in the room, she was ready to explain that she was pacing up and down the room. Fortunately, the countess did not come in and went back to her room. Lisa urged gherman to go home again, but he insisted on not going, preferring to die here. Finally, she confided her love to him. The first sitting room of a high-ranking official's residence
This is the night of the masked ball. The music poured out an ancient pastoral melody called "The Shepherd's Heart", and the guests in gorgeous clothes sang and danced. The deacon came out and announced that fireworks would be set off in the garden, and the guests went to the balcony. Kalinski and slim are talking for some reason. Recently, gherman regained his spirits and walked out of the hall.
When the hall was empty, Eletski and Lisa appeared together. Because his fiancee was unhappy, he asked the reason with concern and sang "I Love You". After two people walked through the hall, gherman appeared with a letter. This letter was sent to him by Lisa, asking him to wait for her in the hall after the play tonight. While reading the letter, gherman thought that if he could know the secret of three playing cards at this moment, he would take her away with him.
at this time, the guests returned to the living room. Kalinski and Slim mingled in the crowd, walked beside gherman, whispered "three playing cards" and then disappeared. Although this was only irony, he thought it was an illusion. Then, the pastoral opera Daphne and Chloe was staged in the hall. When the after-party drama was finished, Lisa quietly walked over to gherman, gave him the secret door of the garden and the key to the countess's bedroom, and told him, "Under the portrait of the countess's bedroom, there is a door leading to my room. Please come tonight, because the pen will belong to you from now on!"
Because of this sudden good opportunity, gherman clung to the key in his hand and said to himself, "So, the secrets of her and the three playing cards belong to me!" At this time, the signal song of the czar's visit came, and the guests shouted excitedly: "Long live His Majesty Aicart Lina!" .
the second scene is the countess's bedroom
late at night. The viola made a rustling sound. Gherman sneaked in. When he wanted to walk into Lisa's bedroom as she told him, he said to himself, "I must ask the secret of playing cards first!" Because he saw the portrait of the countess at the entrance. While thinking, the countess was sent back to the house by the maids, and he quickly hid behind the curtain. When the countess went into the dressing room to change, Lisa came in and said to Martha, the maid, "He will come to my bedroom tonight. Please don't come in." She wants to be surprised that Marsha will become her partner, and then she will walk into her bedroom after she recedes.
The countess who came out of the dressing room recalled that "the ball was not like this at all", and when she found the maids still standing there, she ordered them to retreat and then lay down to get ready for bed. Gherman went to the bedroom and forced the countess to tell the secret of three playing cards, but she was too scared to say anything. Seeing this scene, gherman, as a lamb, pulled out a pistol and threatened her to say it quickly. Unexpectedly, the countess died of heart paralysis caused by shock.
hearing a strange noise, Lisa appeared with a candle. After witnessing this terrible result, he angrily said in despair, "your purpose is not me, but the secret of three playing cards." Get out of here, you executioner! " Then I lay on the countess's body and cried. When the curtain
of gherman's bedroom in the first barracks opens, gherman sits at the desk and reads Lisa's letter. At this moment, Lisa, convinced that gherman didn't intentionally kill her grandmother, invited him to have a tryst at the bank of the canal tonight. When he finished reading the letter, there was an ominous chorus in the distance, and gherman was gripped by terrible hallucinations, and his mind recalled the scene of the countess's funeral.
at this moment, through the gloomy wind, the countess's terrible motivation phrase appeared. After a gust of wind blew in the window, the candles in the room went out. When gherman, who was attacked by terrorists, was ready to make a dash for the door, the door opened itself. The ghost of the countess appeared and said to gherman, who was trembling all over, "The ghost didn't come to you on his own purpose. I came to tell you the secret of three playing cards in order to save Lisa. These three cards are three, seven and one. You should remember them firmly. " Say that finish and then disappear. Gherman, on the other hand, kept repeating "three, seven, one" crazily.
On the riverbank of the second canal, there is Petroborovsk fortress in the distance
It's a cold winter night, and Lisa is dressed in black by moonlight. Although the clock has struck midnight, gherman hasn't come yet. Lisa sang the aria "Ah, I am exhausted" sadly. She said, "He is the only one who misses day and night. Happiness is over. Where are you?"
when she thinks her lover is a devil-like man, she refutes herself and says that it is definitely not the case. Because such thinking will only increase your inner colic.
At this moment, gherman came. Lisa happily buried her face in his arms, then hugged him tightly and said, "Forget all the past, I only love you!" Gherman replied, "Let's escape together!" But Lisa asked him, "where do you want to escape?" As long as I am with you, I will walk with you even at the ends of the earth. " But she didn't expect her lover to scream like crazy: "Where to go? Casino, of course! "
Lisa told him to calm down and not talk nonsense, but gherman said excitedly, "I already know the secret of playing cards from the old woman, that is, three, seven and one!" Then he dumped Lisa who was pestering him and went to the casino like crazy. Lisa shouted in despair, "that man is dead, I want to go with him!" " Then he jumped into the river and killed himself.
The third casino
Gamblers are playing cards while drinking. When Kalinski and Slim were gambling, the Duke of Eletski came. He said that a man who has no chance to fall in love must be better at gambling than others, and then he will join the game, and please don't ask questions because his engagement has been dissolved.
As someone suggested to improvise a song, Count Tomski happily sang a minor: "If a lovely girl can fly like a bird, then I would like to become a branch. In this way, there must be thousands of girls stopping to rest on me ... "Everyone cheered in unison.
In the midst of the uproar, gherman appeared and sat at the poker table. Everyone turned to watch gherman's unusual behavior. Gherman gambled twice, and sure enough, he won at three and seven in succession. After winning a lot of money, he sang what is life? He said: "Life is gambling! Good and evil are the same, that's just a story for girls to listen to ... "He sang an illusory outlook on life that was teased by fate.
At this moment, Eletski came to him, hoping to have a bet with him. When dealing the cards in full view, gherman put all his eggs in one basket and shouted "A little". The duke turned over the card and replied, "Your card is not a point, it is the queen of spades!" " Stunned gherman has been staring at this card, and the queen of spades in the card becomes the face of the countess, squinting and smiling at him. Then gherman shouted wildly, "What do you want? Is it my life? Then I will give it to you! " Then he raised his dagger and stabbed himself in the chest.
gherman, who was dying, begged the forgiveness of Duke Eletski, and then whispered, "Lisa, I really love you." Then he died in a pool of blood. Everyone prayed in chorus for this tired soul to find rest and peace. The curtain fell.