# Boris Godunov - The Scene challenge



## Granate (Jun 25, 2016)

We've been discussing in the Opera on CD thread our preferences for the pieces included in a _Boris Godunov_ recording, composed by Modest Mussorgsky and also re-orchestrated by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Dmitry Shostakovich. Between the multiple options of these scores, I've thought we could voice in a poll our most loved scenes in a series of alternatives. Multiple choice.

Then we fight about the dramatic or musical relevance of certain scenes in the work, because I feel I don't agree with some of my fellow TC opera colleagues.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I voted but was not sure what to do with these two:

*Act IV Kremlin Scene with Fyodor lines (in Cluytens EMI)

Polish Act without Rangoni*

I do like the Polish Act but tend to listen to it separately or in my 1872 conflated set (that also has St. Basil scene) with the deletion of the Kromi Forest scene. I always delete the Kromi Forest scene, even from DVDs and never listen or watch it.

I think St. Basil is way better than Kromi Forest because in St. Basil the Holy Fool tells it right to Boris's face, an offense that is punishable by torture/death, but there was this special status of the Holy Fool in Russia that they could get away with it. It has been a while since I was delving into all this stuff so my memory is weak on it. Maybe someone can elaborate.

When I saw Boris Godunov live at the Michigan Opera Theater in the 1980s and before surtitles, it was my first ever experience of Boris. All I remember from it is the St Basil Scene with the Holy Fool.

Also I left this one alone: *1872 Version - Polish Act, St. Basil Scene out *. I think you mean no St. Basil Scene, or did some words accidently get deleted and it was supposed to be Polish Act, St. Basil, Kromi scene out?


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## Granate (Jun 25, 2016)

Fritz Kobus said:


> I voted but was not sure what to do with these two:
> 
> 
> Act IV Kremlin Scene with Fyodor lines (in Cluytens EMI)
> Polish Act without Rangoni


I mean that the Cluytens recording doesn't include the Kromï scene, but it plays the St. Basil Scene before Kremlin and in Kremlin, after Boris dies, the funeral bell part has additional singing by the son Fyodor.

Maybe I meant with the other one that there is a major cut in the Polish Act and they erase the two Rangoni duets with Marina and then Grigory. It happened in the video recording I saw first.



Fritz Kobus said:


> Also I left this one alone: *1872 Version - Polish Act, St. Basil Scene out *. I think you mean no St. Basil Scene, or did some words accidently get deleted and it was supposed to be Polish Act, St. Basil, Kromi scene out?


As the 1872 was thought: Polish Act plus Act IV with no St. Basil Scene, keeping Kremlin and adding Kromï (you wouldn't vote for it).


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