Сharacters in the play

Boris Statsenko performs the role of Shchelkalov

Boris — bass or baritone
Fyodor — mezzo-soprano
Kseniya — soprano
The Nurse — mezzo-soprano or contralto
Shuysky — tenor
Shchelkalov — baritone
Pimen - bass
Pretender — tenor
Marina — mezzo-soprano
Rangoni - bass
Varlaam - bass
Misail — tenor
The Hostess — mezzo-soprano
Yurodivïy — tenor
Nikitich — bass
Mityukha — bass
Boyar-in-attendance — tenor
Khrushchov — tenor
Lavitsky - bass
Chernikovsky — bass

Creation

Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881). The work was composed between 1868 and 1874 in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky’s only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subject is the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar from 1598 to 1605. The libretto was written by the composer, and is based on the drama of the same name by Aleksandr Pushkin, and on Nikolay Karamzin’s History of the Russian State. The composer created two distinct versions. The Original Version of 1869 was not approved for production. Mussorgsky completed a Revised Version in 1872, and this version eventually received its first performance in 1874. The music is written in a uniquely Russian style, drawing on his knowledge of Russian folk music and rejecting the influence of German and Italian opera.

Сontents

• Authentic Versions
• Original Version, 1869
• Revised Version, 1872
• Piano Vocal Score, 1874

The Original Version of 1869 is rarely heard. Its main attractions are that it provides an interesting alternative in the Terem Scene to that of the 1872 version, it contains the dramatic Scene at the Cathedral of Vasiliy the Blessed (St. Basil’s Scene), and it is not disfigured by any of the cuts the composer made in later versions of the work. The terse Terem Scene of the 1869 version and the momentum and unrelieved tension of the two subsequent and final scenes make this version more dramatically effective to some critics.

The Revised Version of 1872 is longer, is richer in musical and theatrical variety, and presents the title character in a somewhat more sympathetic and tragic light in the central Terem Scene. However, some critics maintain that the addition of songs to the Terem Scene and the insertion of the Sandomir scenes immediately following it actually weaken rather than enhance the drama. This version has made a strong comeback in recent years, and is becoming the dominant version. The Piano Vocal Score of 1874 was the first published form of the opera, and is essentially the 1872 version with some minor musical variants and small cuts. The distribution of scenes in the authentic versions is as follows:

Compared to the 1869 version, the 1872 version has lost one scene (Vasily the Blessed) and gained three (the two Sandomir scenes and the Kromï Scene). The composer initially replaced the Vasily the Blessed Scene with the Kromï Scene. However, on the suggestion of Nikolsky, he transposed the order of the last two scenes, concluding the opera with the Kromï Scene rather than the Faceted Palace Scene. This gives the overall structure of the opera the following symmetrical form: People — Boris — Grigoriy — Boris — Grigoriy — Boris — People Later, Rimsky-Korsakov transposed the last two scenes back again in his revision. Critics often mention that in doing so he shifted the focus of the opera from a tragedy of the Russian people to the tragedy of an individual. Mussorgsky also rewrote the Terem Scene for the 1872 version, modifying the text, adding new songs and plot devices (the parrot and the clock), modifying the psychological treatment of the title character, and virtually recomposing the music of the entire scene

important modifications in the 1872 version are:

Prologue,
Scene 1
(Novodevichiy Scene) — The conclusion is cut (in the Synopsis below, the bracketed portion).
Act 1,
Scene 1
(Cell Scene) — Pimen’s narrative of the scene of Dmitriy’s murder is cut. In addition, the composer added some offstage choruses of monks.
Act 1,
Scene 2
(Inn Scene) — The ’Song of the Drake’ is added (just after the introduction).
Act 4,
Scene 1
(Faceted Palace Scene) — ’Shchelkalov’s Address’ is cut (just after the introduction).

Music

• Skillful musical characterization
• Thematic development
• Key themes borrowed from Salammbô
• Use of leitmotive
• Use of modes
• Speech melody

Instrumentation

Mussorgsky Orchestration
• Strings: Violins, Violas, Cellos, Double Basses
• Woodwinds: 2 Flutes, 1 Flute/Piccolo, 1 Oboe, 1 Oboe/English Horn, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons
• Brass: 4 Horns, 2 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, 1 Tuba
• Percussion: Timpani, Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Tambourine, Cymbals, Tam-tam
• Other: Piano, Harp
• On/Offstage: 1 Trumpet, Bells

Rimsky-Korsakov Orchestration:
• Strings: Violins, Violas, Cellos, Double Basses
• Woodwinds: 2 Flutes, 1 Flute/Piccolo, 1 Oboe, 1 Oboe/English Horn, 2 Clarinets, 1 Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons
• Brass: 4 Horns, 3 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, 1 Tuba
• Percussion: Timpani, Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Tambourine, Cymbals
• Other: Piano, Harp
• On/Offstage: 1 Trumpet, Bells, Tam-tam

Shostakovich Orchestration:
• Strings: Violins, Violas, Cellos, Double Basses
• Woodwinds: 2 Flutes, 1 Flute/Piccolo, 2 Oboes, 1 English Horn, 2 Clarinets, 1 Clarinet/E-flat clarinet, 1 Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons, 1 Bassoon/Contrabassoon
• Brass: 4 Horns, 3 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, 1 Tuba
• Percussion: Timpani, Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Cymbals, Tam-tam, Triangle, Bells, Glockenspiel, Xylophone
• Other: Piano, Harp, Celesta
• On/Offstage: 4 Trumpets, 2 Cornets, 2 Horns, 2 Baritone Horns, 2 Euphoniums, 2 Tubas, Balalaika and Domra ad libitum

Критика