Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) composed PIQUE DAME (THE QUEEN OF SPADES), Op. 68, for a commission by the Imperial Theatre.  The libretto, adapted from an 1834 novella by Alexander Pushkin, was written by his brother Modest, and tells the story of an army officer who, aspiring to gain social stature through the gambling table, becomes torn between his love for Liza and a rumor that an old countess holds a secret formula of three cards that will secure his posterity.  It premiered on December 19, 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Eduard N�pravn�k conducting.  First softly, then dramatically, the overture introduces the themes of love and fatal obsession which are weaved into the three-act opera. Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2.2.2: 4.2.2+BsTbn.1: Timp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set).