Boris Godunov (opera)
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Boris Godunov (Бори́с Годуно́в) is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky to a Russian libretto by the composer, based on the drama of the same name by Aleksandr Pushkin and on Karamzin's History of the Russian State.
The music is written in a uniquely Russian style, drawing on the composer's knowledge of Russian folk music, and rejecting the influence of German and Italian opera. Pushkin based his play on the historical figure Boris Godunov, and was inspired by Shakespeare's Macbeth. In the story (which is not historically accurate) Boris becomes Tsar after brutally murdering the child Dmitri, the rightful heir. Though Boris is a humane ruler, the land falls into chaos and poverty. A young runaway monk, Grigory, claims to be the living Dmitri and succeeds in marrying Marina, a Polish noblewoman whose lust for power is disguised as passionate love. Having convinced the Polish king of his claim to the throne, the False Dmitri leads the Poles in an invasion of Russia. Boris, guilt-stricken and haunted by hallucinations, falls into madness and dies.
Mussorgsky's work exists in two authentic versions: the original 1869 version rejected for performance (7 scenes; not performed until 1928), and a heavily revised version from 1872 (prologue and 4 acts) which was first performed at the Maryinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, in 1874. The 1872 'second version' includes new elements that have no parallel in Pushkin; features a somewhat different portrayal of the titular Tsar; and skilfully takes account of the conventional need for some 'love interest'. (A 1997 Kirov Opera recording includes both versions, with different singers performing Boris.)
After Mussorgsky's death, the opera was comprehensively edited and re-orchestrated twice (1896 and 1908) by the composer's great friend Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; these more refined and conventionally 'effective' versions kept the work alive for many decades, and remain the ones usually performed today in Russia. In the west, however, Mussorgsky's less polished originals have recently become more popular, with their dark colors and rough edges being widely felt as more in keeping with the character of the story. The opera was also re-orchestrated by Dmitri Shostakovich in 1959.
Story
| 1869 version | 1872 version | Events |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Prologue | Scene one is set in the courtyard of the Novodievichy Monastery near Moscow. The people are forced by a police officer to ask Boris to assume the sceptre of Russia. The secretary of the Duma comes out of the convent, and informs the crowd that the Tsar still refuses. The crowd renews its appeal. Scene two takes place in a square in the Moscow Kremlin. The people are awaiting Boris' coronation. He appears to cries of joy and praise, addresses the people, and then enters the Cathedral of the Assumption amid great spectacle. |
| Part 2 | Act 1 | Scene one is set in Pimen's cell within the Chudov Monastery. The young novice Gregory awakes from a horrible dream. From the old monk Pimen he learns the story of the murdered Tsarevitch and immediately conceives the idea of seeking adventure and power as a pretender. Scene II is set in an inn near the Lithuanian border. Gregory enters with two monks who have escaped from the monastery with him. There is drinking, and the monk Varlaam sings the song about the siege of Kazan. Shortly afterwards a guard appears in search of a fugitive whose description tallies with that of Gregory - who rushes from the room with the guard in pursuit. |
| Part 3 | Act 2 | Set in the Boris' apartments in the Kremlin. Word is brought to the Tsar that a man claiming to be Dimitri is rousing the people. The Tsar betrays great agony of mind. |
| n/a | Act 3 | Set in a garden before the Polish Castle of Mniszech. In a love scene between the False Dmitri I and Marina Mniszech, she spurs him on to lead the attack against Moscow so that he may seize the throne and make her queen. |
| Part 4 (first scene) | n/a | A crowd before St Basil's cathedral calls for the death of Boris, then begs him for food. A Holy Fool asks Boris to kill a group of boys who have robbed him. The fool refuses to pray for Boris, and sings of the suffering of the people. |
| Part 4 (second scene) | Act 4 (first scene) | At the Kremlin. A session is being held, presided over by the Tsar to decide what judgment shall be meted out to the false Dimitri. An old peasant tells the Tsar how he was cured of blindness when praying at the tomb of the dead Tsarevitch, and the Tsar, deeply impressed after counselling his son to reign wisely, prays that his great crimes may be forgiven him and falls dead. |
| n/a | Act 4 (second scene) | Set in the Forest of Kromy where Dimitri's army disperses a crowd of vagrants and rescues some of his adherents. |
The opera originally became known primarily in a third version by Rimsky-Korsakov. This follows the structure of Mussorgsky's 1872 version, except that it reverses the order of the last two scenes.
Noted arias and excerpts
- Coronation Scene: "Long live Tsar Boris Feodorovich!" (People)
- Monologue: "My soul is sad" (Boris)
- Song: "I have caught a drake" (Hostess, Varlaam, Missail)
- Song: "It happened in the city of Kazan" (Varlaam)
- Monologue: "I have attained supreme power" (Boris)
- Clock (or Hallucination) Scene (Boris)
- Chorus: "By the Vistula" (Maidens)
- Aria: "Marina is bored" (Marina)
- Polonaise (Marina, Polish nobles)
- Duet: "O Tsarevich, I implore you" (Marina, Dmitry)
- Aria: "Farewell, my son, I am dying" (Boris)
- Song: "Flow, flow, bitter tears!" (Yurodivy)
External links
- Libretto
- *[Russian libretto in HTML]
- *[Russian libretto in zip file for Word]
- [Upcoming performances of Boris Godunov] from Operabase.com
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