Summary
The Kirov Opera's weekend production of Modest Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" at the Kennedy Center's Opera House proved a surpassingly surreal evening of musical theater. Based on music director and conductor Valery Gergiev's reconstructed version of the 1869 opera, this "Boris" was nasty, brutish, and short - at least for an opera.
Devoid of later add-ons like the colorful "Polish" and penultimate revolutionary scenes of the composer's more audience- friendly 1874 version - brilliantly realized by the Washington National Opera's production some years ago - it's easy to see why the opera's initial St. Petersburg outing wasn't exactly a smash hit. Its dark heart lacks dramatic impact and offers few opportunities for the female voice.See the full content of this document
Extract
Kirov's 'Boris' Delves Deeply Into Brooding Soul
Nonetheless, in an age where increasingly profit-motivated opera companies are content to recycle the usual Mozart, Verdi and Puccini chestnuts to keep those turnstiles moving, the Kirov...
See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
