Czech Republic Prokofiev, The Gambler: Soloists, Chorus, Actors and Orchestra of Národni Divadlo Moravskoslezské Opera and Ballet / Filip Urban (conductor). Antonín Dvořák Theatre, Ostrava, 10.6.2026. (GT)
Written in a period of creating his modernist piano sonatas and his ballets for Diaghilev and the Futurist Second Piano Concerto, Sergei Prokofiev selected Dostoyevsky’s 1866 novel based on the writer’s own gambling experiences in Germany where he lost heavily. The opera is written in the declamatory style of singing, which has a similar style to that of Mussorgsky’s The Marriage and Dargomyzhsky’s The Stone Guest rather than in the lyrical style of Tchaikovsky or Rimsky Korsakov. Prokofiev himself with his libretto turns the prose into natural speech rhythms, transforming it into a more exciting and dramatic work, and apart from the two central characters of Alexei and Polina, it showcases cameo singing from the whole singing ensemble. Most notably, Prokofiev gives the orchestra a crucial role, leading the performance rather than accompanying the singing. This made the whole show a more vitally exciting experience.
The city of Ostrava has long enjoyed a connection to Prokofiev, for in 1935, he was the soloist in a performance of his Piano Concerto No.3 in a concert which also included his orchestral suite to his opera The Love of Three Oranges. Most of his operas have been staged here, including his Betrothal in a Monastery (twice), Semon Kotko, The Life of a Real Man, War and Peace and The Fiery Angel.
In Act I, before the Grand Hotel in the fictional town of Roulettenburg, a statue of Dostoyevsky dominates the centre, with the park represented by attractive decorations representing trees, park benches and two children playing. Each entry by members of the cast ironically took turns knocking the statue as they entered or passed by it. Act II is set in the foyer of the Grand Hotel, where the reception is manned by a boy, while behind three lifts occasionally rose and descended, bringing new characters on the stage, while occasionally well-dressed women stroll in the foyer. Act III was set in a drawing room at the Casino, with the background portraying two great gambling tables surrounded by gamblers and their ladies. The numbers on the roulette tables adorn the backdrop with two croupiers sitting above. Act IV was set in Alexei’s room before transferring to the Casino.
Act I is dominated by the loss of money given to Alexei by Polina and he admits he has lost it all. The General tells of his interest in covering his own losses by hopes that his aunt, the Babushka will die and leave him her money. The seductress Blanche hopes that she can live a life of luxury with the General. At the beginning of Act II, suddenly the Babushka arrives making her entry theatrically from a great black box as she is wheeled out in her wheelchair by her lackeys and followed by her servants carrying her luggage. This was marvellously enacted, a real coup de théâtre. In Act III, after telling the General he will not get her money, she launched an assault on the gambling tables, however instead of making winnings, Alexei breaks the bank in the final act, and he now offers Polina money, but she throws it back in his face as she finally recognises that he only values wealth and not her love. Unperturbed by this rejection, he tosses his money into the air in a gesture of unremitted joy.
The costumes by Sylva Zimula Hanáková and Ludek Kellner were colourful emphasising the mood of the various characters. The styles were of the late-!9th century, with black and white dominant, with only those for the demimonde Blanche in red and the Babushka in riotous green colours denoting their personalities. The choreography by Michaela Dzurovcínova was a fundamental part of the production’s success, for throughout male and female characters mostly in black walk in and out of the hotel and the casino lending atmosphere to the evening by extensively using the auditorium. Daniel Dvořák’s sets were colourful and minimal, yet the three hotel lifts in Act II were innovative and spectacular as we watched multiple guests entering and leaving the Grand Hotel. The two great roulette tables with the croupiers sitting above were attractive enhancing the drama of the gambling. The spaces of the auditorium were also regularly used by the gamblers and their ladies as they entered from the stalls onto the stage.
The principal protagonist, the luckless gambler Alexei was Alexander Kravets, whose tenor was a little high, yet was consistent throughout, completely in character with his tragically constructed part loosely based on the author Dostoyevsky. He was almost constantly on the stage, in a role demanding great stamina from the Ukrainian tenor. His lover, Polina, whose money Alexei had lost at the tables, was finely portrayed by Zuzana Revai, who possesses a dramatic soprano, and her challenging character is more in line with her being the spurned lover and the greedy woman out to meet her debts. Polina’s character is loosely based on the novelist’s own lover at the gambling tables of Württemberg and Baden-Baden.
The central role of the General was outstanding in the portrayal by Jozef Benci an outstanding bass with a deeply resonant tone. His performance was at the centre of the whole show, dominating each scene. The portrayal of the demimonde Blanche by Jana Hrochová, who is coveted by the General, was another highlight of the evening. She was completely in character as the wily seductive temptress, trying her luck at the tables. She revealed a wonderfully rich mezzo-soprano and looked the part in her alluring red costumes. Perhaps the most momentous portrayal was that of the Babushka, superbly taken by Stanislava Jirkû. Her entrance emerging from a great box was magnificent, and her singing, matched by her acting, was a highlight of the evening. She saw through everyone’s avarice, most notably dismissing the General’s lust for her money. Later, drawn to the temptations of the Casino, she lost all her wealth, returning to Moscow penniless. She was the star of the show through Jirku’s splendid contralto singing and acting. The secondary characters, such as Mr Astley (Pavel Divin), were taken well, as was that of the Marquis (Josef Moravec), together with the excellent Prince Nilsky (Petr Dvořák) and the Baron (Sergej Zubkevic).
The music throughout was sensational, and there were heard hints of themes that would appear in many of Prokofiev’s music in future years, especially from his symphonies, film music, and ballets. The rhythms and sparkling ideas gave movement to the action on stage especially in the often-vulgar outbursts from the brass, with ironic and humorous intonations from the woodwind and superlative string playing all showing some of the composer’s most extraordinary music. The evening was masterly directed by Filip Urban evincing the finest orchestral talents of the ensemble in what is a very challenging score; his preparation and direction of Prokofiev’s score was magnificent.
This new production by Jiri Nekvasil is another triumph for the Ostrava company keeping faith with Dostoyevsky’s masterly novel of man’s lust for financial gain and Prokofiev’s operatic masterpiece revealing him as one of the 20th-century’s great operatic composers.
Gregor Tassie
Featured Image: Prokofiev’s The Gambler in Ostrava
Production:
Director – Jiří Nekvasil
Sets – Daniel Dvořák
Visual Arts assistant – Max Dvořák
Costumes designer – Sylva Zimula Hanáková, Ludêk Kellner
Movement director – Michaela Dzurovcínova
Dramaturg – Juraj Bajús
Chorus director – Jurij Galatenko
Cast:
The General –Josef Benci
Polina – Zuzana Revai
Alexei – Alexander Kravets
Babushka – Stanislava Jirkû
The Marquis – Josef Moravec
Mr Astley – Pavel Divin
Blanche – Jana Hrochová
Prince Nilsky – Petr Dvořák
Baron Würmerhelm / Reditel – Sergej Zubkevic
Potapich / Old gambler – Roman Vlkovic
First croupier – Jirí Halama
Second croupier – Tomás Bátria
Fat Englishman – Erik Ondrus
Tall Englishman – Jaroslav Maresk
So-so Lady – Nikola Pavlicová Novotná
Pale Lady – Marcela Gurbalová
The Revered Lady – Sára Slováková
The Doubtful Lady – Ivana Ambrúsová
The Gaudy Lady – Klára Cechová
The Passionate Gambler – Petr Dvořák
The Sickly Gambler – Václav Morys
The Hump-backed Gambler – Tomasz Suchanek
Mute roles:
Baroness Würmerhelm – Karolina Krajdlová
Receptionist – Jirí Dvořák
Fyodor – Jaroslav Pekník
Second Fyodor – Tomás Prudil
Marfa – Julie Mordinská
Two hotel guests – Jonás Adámek and Ondrej Borák
Nada and Misa – Heda Dufková and Anicka Sediva