# OH 30.05.2015 - Boris Godunov



## Celloman (Sep 30, 2006)

Opera Hour #5:

*Boris Godunov* - Modest Mussorgsky

First performance: 8 February 1874 at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg

Synopsis according to Opera Today:

"Boris Godunov, the regent of the young Tsar Fyodor, has arranged the assasination of the Tsar's half-brother and heir Dimitriĭ, in order to seize power. When the Tsar himself dies Boris pretends to decline the crown, but his agents incite the Muscovite crowd to acclaim him as the new Tsar. Though racked with guilt, Boris is crowned. In the monastery of Chudov an old monk Pimen is writing a chronicle of Russia. He tells his novice Grigoriĭ of the history surrounding Boris, and Grigoriĭ resolves to avenge the murdered Dimitriĭ. Leaving the monastery Grigoriĭ claims to be the dead Tsarevich and with two vagabond friars Varlaam and Misail escapes across the border into Lithuania. In his Kremlin rooms Boris learns of the pretender. His councillor Shuĭskiĭ aims to reassure him by recounting the murder of Dimitriĭ but this throws Boris into a state of hallucination.

In Poland, Grigoriĭ's lover Marina dreams of becoming tsarina and her Jesuit confessor Rangoni exhorts her to support the Catholic cause. Marina joins Grigoriĭ in a moonlit rendezvous and she drives him forward with his ambitions.

In the Kromy forest the people are in disordered revolt against Boris but rally behind Grigoriĭ's call to follow him to Moscow. A simpleton is left behind bewailing the fate of the Russian people. The boyars hold an emergency meeting in the council hall in Moscow and Shuĭskiĭ describes the Tsar's unstable mental state, confirmed when Boris enters. Pimen arrives to describe a miraculous cure performed at the tomb of Dimitriĭ, causing the Tsar to collapse. Boris bids farewell to his son, prays for Russia, and dies."

Coronation scene (Prologue)


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## AnotherSpin (Apr 9, 2015)

Who might be ever interested in Mordor kingdom stories, even set into decent tunes? Disgusting...


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

I'd never listened to _Boris Godunov_ and didn't know anything about it until a few years ago when I read an interview with a young bass I like and he said it was his ambition to sing the role one day.

So I decided to learn all about Boris so I'd be ready for the day when aforementioned young bass took on the role. So far I have four DVDs and six CDs and intend to expand my collection in due course. I find the whole story of the opera fascinating. All the revisions, Mussorgsky's problems and the decision of Rimsky-Korsakov and Shostakovich to 'improve' on Mussorgsky's orchestration. At first I was incensed that they could be so arrogant as to think they could improve on someone else's ideas and refused to listen to any of these versions. However I'm more relaxed about this now as they're all part of the Boris story.

My favourites at the moment.


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

sospiro said:


> I'd never listened to _Boris Godunov_ and didn't know anything about it until a few years ago when I read an interview with a young bass I like and he said it was his ambition to sing the role one day.
> 
> So I decided to learn all about Boris so I'd be ready for the day when aforementioned young bass took on the role. So far I have four DVDs and six CDs and intend to expand my collection in due course. I find the whole story of the opera fascinating. All the revisions, Mussorgsky's problems and the decision of Rimsky-Korsakov and Shostakovich to 'improve' on Mussorgsky's orchestration. At first I was incensed that they could be so arrogant as to think they could improve on someone else's ideas and refused to listen to any of these versions. However I'm more relaxed about this now as they're all part of the Boris story.
> 
> My favourites at the moment.


I'm not super knowledgeable on romantic operas, Mussorgsky included, but keep it up guys this is awesome stuff! To be honest I hadn't heard this one before, but I have no doubt it's great because I do love the composer and the plot sounds very interesting, much better than other operas I've seen that just have cookie-cutter plots as filler for the melodrama (don't shoot the messenger!). This plot is dripping wet with Russian sensibilities; it doesn't sound very different at all from Russian history.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Lukecash12 said:


> I'm not super knowledgeable on romantic operas, Mussorgsky included, but keep it up guys this is awesome stuff! To be honest I hadn't heard this one before, but I have no doubt it's great because I do love the composer and the plot sounds very interesting, much better than other operas I've seen that just have cookie-cutter plots as filler for the melodrama (don't shoot the messenger!). *This plot is dripping wet with Russian sensibilities; it doesn't sound very different at all from Russian history.*


Indeed!!

Pimen's monologue.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Found another Boris Godunov thread. 

You guys at least had tried a few times. Now I want some serious and lengthy discussion of this magnificent opera.


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