The Queen of Spades

Tchaikovsky transformed Pushkin’s enthrallingly ambiguous and chilling ghost story about destructive obsession into a superb opera. Stefan Herheim directs a new production of this masterpiece, conducted by Antonio Pappano and starring Eva-Maria Westbroek, Felicity Palmer and Aleksandrs Antonenko. Rupert Christiansen Royal Opera House, WC2 (020 7304 4000), Jan 13Feb 1