Boris Godunov (opera)

Template:Mussorgsky operas Boris Godunov (Russian: Борис Годунов, original orthography Борисъ Годуновъ, Borís Godunóv) is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881). The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subject is the historical Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the early phase of the country's political upheaval that occurred between 1598 and 1613. The Russian-language libretto was written by the composer, and is based on the "dramatic chronicle" Boris Godunov by Aleksandr Pushkin, and, in the Revised Version of 1872, on Nikolay Karamzin's History of the Russian State.

Boris Godunov, among major operas, shares with Giuseppe Verdi's Don Carlos (1867) the distinction of having the most complex creative history and the greatest wealth of alternative material. The composer created two versions—the Original Version of 1869, which was rejected for production by the Imperial Theatres, and the Revised Version of 1872, which received its first performance in 1874 in Saint Petersburg. These versions constitute two distinct ideological conceptions, not two variations of a single plan.

Boris Godunov has seldom been performed in either of the two forms left by the composer, frequently being subjected to cuts, recomposition, re-orchestration, conflation of the original and revised versions, or translation into another language.

Several composers, chief among them Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Dmitri Shostakovich, have created new editions of the opera to "correct" perceived technical weaknesses in the composer's original scores. Although these versions held the stage for decades, Mussorgsky's individual harmonic style and orchestration are now valued for their originality, and revisions by other hands have fallen out of fashion.

Boris Godunov comes closer to the status of a repertory piece than any other Russian opera, even Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, and is the most recorded Russian opera.

History

Composition history

Note: Dates provided in this article for events taking place in Russia before 1918 are Old Style.

• 
  Nikolay Karamzin
  (1766–1826)
• 
  Alexander Pushkin
  (1799–1837)
• 
  Vladimir Stasov
  (1824–1906)
• 
  Vladimir Nikolsky
  (1836–1883)

By the close of 1868, Mussorgsky had already started and abandoned two important opera projects—the antique, exotic, romantic tragedy Salammbô, written under the influence of Alexander Serov's Judith, and the contemporary, Russian, anti-romantic farce Marriage, influenced by Alexander Dargomyzhsky's The Stone Guest. Mussorgsky's next project would be a very original and successful synthesis of the opposing styles of these two experiments—the romantic-lyrical style of Salammbô, and the realistic style of Marriage .

Mussorgsky in 1870

In the autumn of 1868, Vladimir Nikolsky, a professor of Russian history and language, and an authority on Pushkin, suggested to Mussorgsky the idea of composing an opera on the subject of Pushkin's drama Boris Godunov. Boris the play, modelled on Shakespeare's histories, was written in 1825 and published in 1831, but was not approved for performance by the state censors until 1866, almost 30 years after the author's death. Production was permitted on condition that certain scenes were cut. Although enthusiasm for the work was high, at least in literary circles, Mussorgsky faced a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to his plans in that an Imperial ukaz of 1837 forbade the portrayal in opera of Russian Tsars (amended in 1872 to include only Romanov Tsars).

Original Version

When Lyudmila Shestakova, the sister of Mikhail Glinka, learned of Mussorgsky's plans, she presented him with a volume of Pushkin's dramatic works, interleaved with blank pages and rebound, and using this Mussorgsky began work in October 1868 preparing his own libretto. Pushkin's drama consists of 25 scenes, written predominantly in blank verse. Mussorgsky adapted the most theatrically effective scenes, mainly those featuring the title character, along with a few other key scenes, often preserving Pushkin's verses. He augmented these with his own lyrics, assisted by a study of the monumental History of the Russian State by Karamzin, to whom Pushkin's drama is dedicated.

Mussorgsky worked rapidly, composing first the vocal score in about nine months (finished 18 July 1869), and completed the full score five months later (15 December 1869), at the same time working as a civil servant. He submitted the libretto in 1870 to the state censor for examination, and the score to the music committee of the Imperial Theaters. However, the opera was rejected (10 February 1871) by a vote of 6 to 1, ostensibly for its lack of an important female role. Lyudmila Shestakova recalled the reply made by conductor Eduard Nápravník and stage manager Gennadiy Kondratyev of the Mariinsky Theatre in response to her question of whether Boris had been accepted for production:

"'No,' was their answer. 'It's out of the question with an opera that has no female role in it. There is no doubt that Mussorgsky has great talent; if only he would add another scene Boris would be accepted.'"

— Lyudmila Shestakova, in My Evenings, her recollections of Mussorgsky and The Mighty Handful, 1889

Other accounts, such as Rimsky-Korsakov's, allege that there were additional reasons for rejection, such as the work's novelty:

"...Mussorgsky submitted his completed Boris Godunov to the Board of Directors of the Imperial Theatres ... The freshness and originality of the music nonplussed the honorable members of the committee, who reproved the composer, among other things, for the absence of a reasonably important female role."

— Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Chronicle of My Musical Life, 1909

"All his closest friends, including myself, although moved to enthusiasm by the superb dramatic power and genuinely national character of the work, had constantly been pointing out to him that it lacked many essentials; and that despite the beauties with which it teemed, it might be found unsatisfactory in certain respects. For a long time he stood up (as every genuine artist is wont to do) for his creation, the fruit of his inspiration and meditations. He yielded only after Boris had been rejected, the management finding that it contained too many choruses and ensembles, whereas individual characters had too little to do. This rejection proved very beneficial to Boris."

— Vladimir Stasov

Meanwhile, Pushkin's drama (18 of the published 24 scenes, condensed into 16) finally received its first performance in 1870 at the Mariinsky Theatre, four years in advance of the premiere of the opera in the same venue, using the same scene designs (by Matvey Shishkov) that would be recycled in the opera.

Revised Version

Eduard Nápravník conducted the premiere of Boris Godunov (1874). The Czech Nápravník would spend more than 40 years in the service of Russian music as chief conductor of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre. In Rimsky-Korsakov's memoirs, Chronicle of My Musical Life, the composer praises his keen ear, his ability to detect errors, and his overall technique, but faults him for his rapid tempi, his interpretational inflexibility and insensitivity, and, most of all, for his habit of making sweeping cuts.

In 1871, Mussorgsky set about recasting and expanding the opera with enthusiasm, ultimately going beyond the requirements of the directorate of the Imperial Theatres, which called simply for the addition of a female role and a scene to contain it. Nevertheless, he added three scenes (the two Sandomir scenes and the Kromï Scene), cut one (the Scene at the Cathedral of Vasiliy the Blessed), and recomposed another (the Terem Scene). The modifications resulted in the addition of an important female role (Marina Mnishek), the expansion of existing female roles (additional songs for the Hostess, Fyodor, and the Nurse), and the expansion of the role of the Pretender. The Revised Version was finished in 1872 (vocal score, 14 December 1871; full score 23 June 1872), and submitted to the Imperial Theaters in the autumn.

Most Mussorgsky biographers claim that the directorate of the Imperial Theatres also rejected the revised version of Boris Godunov, even providing a date: 29 October 1872. Recent researchers point out that there is insufficient evidence to support this claim, emphasizing that in his revision Mussorgsky had rectified the only objection the Directorate is known to have made to justify their original rejection.

Mussorgsky's friends took matters into their own hands, arranging the performance of three scenes (the Inn and both Sandomir scenes) at the Mariinsky Theatre on 5 February 1873, as a benefit for stage manager Gennadiy Kondratyev. César Cui's review noted the audience's enthusiam:

"The success was enormous and complete; never, within my memory, had such ovations been given to a composer at the Mariinsky."

— César Cui, Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti, 1873

The success of this performance led V. Bessel and Co. to announce the publication of the piano vocal score of Mussorgsky's opera, issued in January 1874.

Premiere

The triumphant 1873 performance of three scenes paved the way for the first performance of the opera, which took place on 27 January 1874, as a benefit for prima donna Yuliya Platonova. The Mariinsky Theatre was sold out, and the performance was a great success with the public. Mussorgsky had to take some 20 curtain calls; students sang choruses from the opera in the street. This time, however, the critical reaction was exceedingly hostile [see Critical Reception in this article for details].

Initial performances of Boris Godunov featured significant cuts. The entire Cell Scene was cut from the first performance, not, as is often supposed, due to censorship, but because Nápravník wished to avoid a lengthy performance, and frequently cut episodes he felt were ineffective. Later performances tended to be even more heavily cut, including the additional removal of the Kromï scene. After protracted difficulties in obtaining the production of his opera, Mussorgsky was compliant with Nápravník's demands, and even defended these mutilations to his own supporters.

"Presently cuts were made in the opera, the splendid scene 'Near Kromï' was omitted. Some two years later, the Lord knows why, productions of the opera ceased altogether, although it had enjoyed uninterrupted success, and the performances under Petrov and, after his death, by F. I. Stravinsky, Platonova, and Komissarzhevsky had been excellent. There were rumors afloat that the opera had displeased the Imperial family; there was gossip that its subject was unpleasant to the censors; the result was that the opera was stricken from the repertory."

— Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Chronicle of My Musical Life

Boris Godunov was performed 21 times during the composer's lifetime, and 5 times after his death (in 1881) before being withdrawn from the repertory on 8 November 1882.

Boris Godunov and the Imperial Family

The antipathy of the Imperial family to Mussorgsky's opera is supported by the following accounts by Platonova and Stasov:

"During the [premiere], after the scene by the fountain, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, a devoted friend of mine, but by the calumny of the Conservatory members, the sworn enemy of Musorgsky, approached me during the intermission with the following words: 'And you like this music so much that you chose this opera for a benefit performance?' 'I like it, Your Highness,' I answered. 'Then I am going to tell you that this is a shame to all Russia, and not an opera!' he screamed, almost foaming at the mouth, and then turning his back, he stomped away from me.

— Yuliya Platonova, letter to Vladimir Stasov

"In the entire audience, I think only Konstantin Nikolaevich was unhappy (he does not like our school, in general) ... it was not so much the fault of the music as that of the libretto, where the 'folk scenes,' the riot, the scene where the police officer beats the people with his stick so that they cry out begging Boris to accept the throne, and so forth, were jarring to some people and infuriated them. There was no end to applause and curtain calls."

— Vladimir Stasov, letter to his daughter, 1874

"When the list of operas for the winter was presented to His Majesty the Emperor, he, with his own hand, was pleased to strike out Boris with a wavy line in blue pencil."

— Vladimir Stasov, letter to Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, 1888

Performance history

Note: Dates provided in this article for events taking place in Russia before 1918 are Old Style.

Performances of Excerpts

• The Cathedral Square Scene (Coronation Scene) was performed on 5 February 1872, by the Russian Music Society in Saint Petersburg, conducted by Eduard Nápravník.
• The Polonaise from Act III was performed on 3 April 1872, at the Free School of Music in Saint Petersburg, conducted by Mily Balakirev.
• Three scenes from the opera – the Inn Scene, Scene in Marina's Boudoir, and Scene in the Garden of Mniszech's Castle – were performed on 5 February 1873, at the Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, conducted by Eduard Nápravník. The cast was as follows:

Hostess – Darya Leonova (mezzo-soprano)

Pretender – Fyodor Komissarzhevsky (tenor)

Varlaam – Osip Petrov (bass)

Misail – Vasily Vasilyev, "Vasilyev II" (tenor)

Police Officer – Mikhail Sariotti (bass)

Marina – Yuliya Platonova (soprano)

Rangoni – Josef Paleček (baritone)

Old Polish Noble – Feliks Krzesiński (dancer)

Premiere production personnel

• The Revised Version of 1872, which was presented at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Peterburg on 27 January 1874, had Gennadiy Kondratyev as stage director, Ivan Pomazansky as chorus master, with scenic design by Matvey Shishkov, Mikhail Bocharov, and Ivan Andreyev, and costumes by Vasiliy Prokhorov.
• The Revised Version of 1872, when presented at the Bolshoy Theater in Moscow on 16 December 1888, had scenic design by Karl Valts (Waltz).
• The Rimsky-Korsakov Edition of 1908 was given its premiere at the Paris Opéra on 19 May 1908 in a production by Sergey Dyagilev as producer, scenic design by Aleksandr Golovin, Konstantin Yuon, Alexandre Benois, and Yevgeny Lansere, stage direction by Aleksandr Sanin, with Ulrikh Avranek as chorus master, and costumes by Ivan Bilibin.
• The Original Version of 1869, which premiered at the State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Leningrad on 16 February 1928, had scenic design by Vladimir Dmitriev

Subsequent Performances

The Cell Scene (Revised Version) was finally performed at a concert of the Free School of Music on 16 January 1879, in the presence of Mussorgsky. The performance was conducted by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, and included bass Vladimir Vasilyev ("Vasilyev I") as Pimen, and tenor Vasiliy Vasilyev ("Vasilyev II") as the Pretender.

The St. Basil's Scene was not performed until 18 January 1927, when the revision by Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, commissioned by the Bolshoy Theatre to accompany the Rimsky-Korsakov edition, was presented. The performance was directed by Ariy Pazovsky, and included tenor Ivan Kozlovsky as the Yuródivïy, and bass Leonid Savransky as Boris.

Other important premieres

Date	City	Opera House	Conductor	Boris	Version
28 November 1896	Saint Petersburg	Great Hall of the Conservatory	Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov	Mikhail Lunacharsky	Rimsky-Korsakov 1896
7 December 1898	Moscow	Solodovnikov Theatre	Iosif Truffi	Fyodor Shalyapin	Rimsky-Korsakov 1896
19 March 1913	New York	Metropolitan Opera	Arturo Toscanini	Adamo Didur	Rimsky-Korsakov 1908
24 June 1913	London	Theatre Royal, Drury Lane	Pierre Monteux	Fyodor Shalyapin	Rimsky-Korsakov 1908
30 September 1935	London	Sadler's Wells Theatre	Lawrance Collingwood	Ronald Stear	Original Version 1869 ab
4 November 1959	Leningrad	Kirov Theatre	Sergey Yeltsin	Boris Shtokolov	Shostakovich 1940

^a First performance outside Russia; ^b In English

Other notable productions

• 29 November 1929, Philadelphia, Academy of Music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski, concert version with the Philadelphia Orchestra

Publication history

Year	Score	Editor	Publisher	Notes
1874	Piano vocal score	Modest Mussorgsky	V. Bessel and Co., Saint Petersburg	Revised Version
1896	Full score	Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov	V. Bessel and Co., Saint Petersburg	A drastically edited, re-orchestrated, and cut form of the 1874 vocal score
1908	Full score	Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov	V. Bessel and Co., Saint Petersburg	A drastically edited and re-orchestrated form of the 1874 vocal score
1928	Piano vocal score	Pavel Lamm	Muzsektor, Moscow; Oxford University Press, London	A restoration of the composer's scores; a conflation of the Original and Revised Versions, but with notes identifying the sources
	Full score	Pavel Lamm and Boris Asafyev	Muzsektor, Moscow; Oxford University Press, London	A restoration of the composer's scores; a conflation of the Original and Revised Versions; limited edition of 200 copies
1963	Full score	Dmitri Shostakovich	Muzgiz, Moscow	A new orchestration of Lamm's vocal score; a conflation of the Original and Revised Versions
1975	Full score	David Lloyd-Jones	Oxford University Press, London	A restoration of the composer's scores; a conflation of the Original and Revised Versions, but with notes identifying the sources

Performance practice

The Mariinsky Theatre opened in 1860. Boris Godunov received its premiere there in 1874.

A conflation of the 1869 and 1872 versions is often made when staging or recording Boris Godunov. This typically involves choosing the 1872 version and augmenting it with the St. Basil's Scene from the 1869 version. This practice is popular because it conserves a maximum amount of music, it gives the title character another appearance on stage, and because in the St. Basil's Scene Boris is challenged by the Yurodivïy, the embodiment of his conscience. However, because the composer transferred the episode of the Yurodivïy and the urchins from the St. Basil's Scene to the Kromï Scene when revising the opera, restoring the St. Basil's Scene to its former location creates a problem of duplicate episodes, which can be partially solved by cuts. Most performances cut the robbery of the Yurodivïy in the Kromï Scene, but duplicate his lament that ends each scene. Critics of this practice argue that such a conflation can have negative consequences, believing that it undermines the composer's carefully devised and subtle system of leitmotiv deployment and it results in the overexposure of the Dmitriy motive.

The Rimsky-Korsakov Version is often augmented with the Ippolitov-Ivanov reorchestration of the St. Basil's Scene (commissioned by the Bolshoy Theatre in 1925, composed in 1926, and first performed in 1927).

Conductors may elect to restore the cuts the composer himself made in writing the 1872 version [see Versions in this article for more details]. The 1997 Mariinsky Theatre recording under Valery Gergiev is the first and only to present the 1869 Original Version side by side with the 1872 Revised Version, and, it would seem, attempts to set a new standard for musicological authenticity. However, although it possesses many virtues, the production fails to scrupulously separate the two versions, admitting elements of the 1872 version into the 1869 recording, and failing to observe cuts the composer made in the 1872 version.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Revised Version 1872 Cast Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg 27 January 1874 (Conductor: Eduard Nápravník)	Revised version 1872 cast Bolshoy Theater, Moscow 16 December 1888 (Conductor: Ippolit Al'tani)	Rimsky-Korsakov Edition 1908 Cast Paris Opéra 19 May 1908 (Conductor: Feliks Blumenfeld)	Original Version 1869 Cast State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Leningrad 16 February 1928 (Conductor: Vladimir Dranishnikov)
Boris Godunov	bass or baritone	Ivan Melnikov	Bogomir Korsov	Feodor Chaliapin	Mark Reyzen
Fyodor, his son	mezzo-soprano	Aleksandra Krutikova	Nadezhda Salina
Kseniya (or Xenia), Boris' daughter	soprano	Wilhelmina Raab	Aleksandra Karatayeva
Kseniya's nurse	contralto	Olga Shryoder (Schröder)	Pavlova
Prince Vasiliy Ivanovich Shuysky	tenor	Vasiliy Vasilyev, "Vasilyev II"	Anton Bartsal	Ivan Alchevsky	Aleksandr Kabanov
Andrey Shchelkalov, Clerk of the Duma	baritone	Sobolev	Pyotr Figurov
Pimen, chronicler-hermit	bass	Vladimir Vasilyev, "Vasilyev I"	Ivan Butenko	Vladimir Kastorsk	Ivan Pleshakov
The Pretender under the name Grigoriy (in training with Pimen)	tenor	Fyodor Komissarzhevsky	Lavrentiy Donskoy	Dmitriy Smirnov	Nikolay Pechkovsky
Marina Mniszech, daughter of the Sandomir Voyevoda*	mezzo-soprano	Yuliya Platonova	Mariya Klimentova	Nataliya Yermolenko-Yuzhina
Rangoni, covert Jesuit*	bass	Josef Paleček	Pavel Borisov
Varlaam, vagabond	bass	Osip Petrov	Vladimir Streletsky	Vasiliy Sharonov	Pavel Zhuravlenko
Misail, vagabond	tenor	Pavel Dyuzhikov
Innkeeper	mezzo-soprano	Antonina Abarinova	Vera Gnucheva		Sabinina
The Yuródivïy	tenor	Pavel Bulakhov
Nikitich, a police officer	bass	Mikhail Sariotti
Mityukha, a peasant	bass	Lyadov
Boyar-in-Attendance	tenor	Sobolev	Aleksandr Dodonov
The boyar Khrushchov*	tenor	Matveyev
Lawicki (or Lavitsky), Jesuit*	bass	Vladimir Vasilyev, "Vasilyev I"
Czernikowski (or Chernikovsky), Jesuit*	bass	Sobolev
Chorus, silent roles: Boyars, the Boyars' children, streltsï, bodyguards, policemen, Polish nobles, Sandomir maidens, wandering minstrels, people of Moscow

Note: Roles designated with an asterisk do not appear in the 1869 Original Version. "Yuródivïy" is often translated as "Simpleton" or "Idiot". However, "Holy Fool" is a more accurate English equivalent. In other roles lists created by Mussorgsky, Pimen is designated a monk (инок), Grigoriy a novice (послушник), Rangoni a Cardinal (кардинал), Varlaam and Misail vagrant-monks (бродяги-чернецы), the Innkeeper a hostess (хозяйка), and Khrushchov a Voyevoda (воевода). Pimen, Grigoriy, Varlaam, and Misail were likely given non-clerical designations to satisfy the censor.

Critical reception

• 
  César Cui
  (1835–1918)
• 
  Mily Balakirev
  (1837 – 1910)
• 
  Pyotr Tchaikovsky
  (1840–1893)
• 
  Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
  (1844–1908)

Russian opera of the early 1870s was dominated by Western European works—mainly Italian. The domestic product was regarded with skepticism and sometimes hostility. The playwright Tikhonov wrote in an 1898 that:

"In those days, splendid performances of Russian operas were given, but the attendance was generally poor. ...to attend the Russian opera was not fashionable. At the first performance of The Maid of Pskov [in 1873] there was a good deal of protest. An energetic campaign was being waged against the 'music of the future'–that is, that of The Mighty Handful."

As the most daring and innovative member of The Mighty Handful, Mussorgsky frequently became the target of conservative critics and rival composers, and was often derided for his supposedly clumsy and crude musical idiom. After the premiere of Boris Godunov, influential critic Hermann Laroche wrote:

"The general decorativeness and crudity of Mr. Mussorgsky's style, his passion for the brass and percussion instruments, may be considered to have been borrowed from Serov. But never did the crudest works of the model reach the naive coarseness we note in his imitator."

Reviews of the premiere performance of Boris Godunov were for the most part hostile. Some critics dismissed the work as "noisy", "chaotic", and "a cacophony". Even his friends Mily Balakirev and César Cui, leading members of the Kuchka, minimized his accomplishment. Unable to overlook Mussorgsky's "trespasses against the conventional musical grammar of the time" (Calvocoressi), they failed to recognize the giant step forward in musical and dramatic expression that Boris Godunov represented. Cui betrayed Mussorgsky in a notoriously scathing review of the premiere performance:

"Mr. Mussorgsky is endowed with great and original talent, but Boris is an immature work, superb in parts, feeble in others. Its main defects are in the disjointed recitatives and the disarray of the musical ideas.... These defects are not due to a lack of creative power.... The real trouble is his immaturity, his incapacity for severe self-criticism, his self-satisfaction, and his hasty methods of composition..."

Although he found much to admire, particularly the Inn Scene and the Song of the Parrot, he reproved the composer for a poorly constructed libretto, finding the opera to exhibit a lack of cohesion between scenes. He claimed that Mussorgsky was so deficient in the ability to write instrumental music that he dispensed with composing a prelude, and that he had "borrowed the cheap method of characterization by leitmotives from Wagner."

Other composers were even more censorious. Pyotr Tchaikovsky wrote in a letter to his brother Modest that "I have studied Boris Godunov and The Demon thoroughly. Mussorgsky's music I send to the devil; it is the most vulgar and vile parody on music..."

Of the critics who evaluated the new opera, only the 19-year-old critic Vladimir Baskin defended Mussorgsky's skill as a composer. Writing under the pen name "Foma Pizzicato", Baskin wrote,

"Dramatization in music could go no farther. Mussorgsky has proved himself to be a philosopher-musician, capable of expressing with rare truth the mind and soul of his characters. He also has a thorough understanding of musical resources. He is a master of the orchestra; his working-out is fluent, his vocal and chorus parts are beautifully written."

Although Boris Godunov is usually praised for its originality, for the dramatic power of its choruses, for its sharply delineated characters, and for the powerful psychological portrayal of Tsar Boris, it has received an inordinate amount of criticism for technical shortcomings: weak or faulty harmony, part-writing, and orchestration. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov said, "I both adore and abhor Boris Godunov. I adore it for its originality, power, boldness, distinctiveness, and beauty; I abhor it for its lack of polish, the roughness of its harmonies, and, in some places, the sheer awkwardness of the music."

The perception that Boris needed correction due to Mussorgsky's poverty of technique prompted Rimsky-Korsakov to revise it after his death. His edition supplanted the composer's Revised Version of 1872 in Russia, and launched the work in the world's opera houses, remaining the preferred edition for some 75 years (see Versions by Other Hands in this article for more details). For decades, critics and scholars pressing for the performance of Mussorgsky's own versions fought an often losing battle against the conservatism of conductors and singers, who, raised on the plush Rimsky-Korsakov version, found it impossible to adapt to the composer's comparatively unrefined and bleak original scores.

Recently, however, a new appreciation for the rugged individuality of Mussorgsky's style has resulted in increasing performances and recording of his original versions. Musicologist Gerald Abraham wrote that "in the perspective of a hundred years we can see that Musorgsky's score did not really need 'correction' and reorchestration, that in fact the untouched Boris is finer than the revised Boris."

For many, Boris Godunov is the greatest of all Russian operas because of its originality, drama, and characterization, regardless of any cosmetic imperfections it may possess.

Analysis

Models and influences

• Mikhail Glinka: A Life for the Tsar (1836), Ruslan and Lyudmila (1842)
• Aleksandr Serov: Judith (1863), Rogneda (1865), The Power of the Fiend (1871)
• Giuseppe Verdi: Don Carlos (1867)
• César Cui: William Ratcliff (1868)
• Aleksandr Dargomïzhsky: The Stone Guest (1869)
• Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov: The Maid of Pskov (1872)

Versions

Title page of the Piano Vocal Score, published by V. Bessel and Co., 1874

Authentic versions

• Original Version, 1869
• Revised Version, 1872 (piano vocal score published in 1874)

The Original Version of 1869 is rarely heard. It is distinguished by its fidelity to Pushkin's drama and its almost entirely male cast of soloists. It also adheres more closely to the recitative opera style (opéra dialogué) of The Stone Guest and Marriage, emphasizing fidelity to text and naturalistic declamation over musical values (Kuchkist realism). This version features the original version of the Terem Scene, very different from that found in the 1872 version. It contains the dramatic Scene at the Cathedral of Vasiliy the Blessed (St. Basil's Scene), and it contains several passages the composer later cut to fit his revised conception. The terse Terem Scene of the 1869 version and the unrelieved tension of the two subsequent and final scenes make this version more dramatically effective to some critics (e.g. Boris Asafyev).

The Revised Version of 1872 represents a retreat from the ideals of Kuchkist realism, toward a more exalted, tragic tone, and a conventionally operatic style–a trend that would be continued in the composer's next opera, Khovanshchina. This version is longer, is richer in musical and theatrical variety, and presents the title character in a more sympathetic and tragic light in the central Terem Scene. It contains the conventionally operatic Polish act (Act 3), which concludes in a love scene not found in Pushkin's drama, as well as the novel final scene of anarchy (the Kromï Scene), also a departure from Pushkin. This version has made a strong comeback in recent years, and has become 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 1874 vocal score does not constitute a 'third version', but rather a refinement of the 1872 Revised Version.

The distribution of scenes in the authentic versions is as follows:

Scene	Short name	Original Version 1869	Revised Version 1872
The Courtyard of the Novodevichiy Monastery	Novodevichy Scene	Part 1, Scene 1	Prologue, Scene 1
A Square in the Moscow Kremlin	Coronation Scene	Part 1, Scene 2	Prologue, Scene 2
A Cell in the Chudov Monastery	Cell Scene	Part 2, Scene 1	Act 1, Scene 1
An Inn on the Lithuanian Border	Inn Scene	Part 2, Scene 2	Act 1, Scene 2
The Tsar's Terem in the Moscow Kremlin	Kremlin Scene	Part 3	Act 2
Marina's Boudoir in Sandomir	–	–	Act 3, Scene 1
The Garden of Mniszech's Castle in Sandomir	Fountain Scene	–	Act 3, Scene 2
At the Cathedral of Vasiliy the Blessed	St. Basil's Scene	Part 4, Scene 1	–
The Faceted Palace in the Moscow Kremlin	Death Scene	Part 4, Scene 2	Act 4, Scene 1
A Forest Glade near Kromï	Revolution Scene	–	Act 4, Scene 2

Compared to the 1869 version, the 1872 version has lost one scene (At the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed) and gained three (the two Sandomir scenes and the Kromï Scene). The composer initially replaced the St. Basil's 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 — Pretender — Boris — Pretender — 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.

Other 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).

Editions by other hands

• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, 1896
• Rimsky-Korsakov, 1908
• Emilis Melngailis, 1924
• Dmitri Shostakovich, 1940
• Karol Rathaus, 1952

The Rimsky-Korsakov Version of 1908 has been the most traditional version over the last century, but has recently been almost entirely eclipsed by Mussorgsky's Revised Version (1872). It resembles the Vocal Score of 1874, but the order of the last two scenes is reversed [see Versions by Other Hands in this article for more details].

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

Historical basis of the plot

• 
  Boris Godunov
  (1551–1605)
• 
  Vasiliy Shuysky
  (1552–1612)
• 
  The Pretender
  (c.1582–1606)
• 
  Marina Mniszech
  (1588–1614)

An understanding of the drama of Boris Godunov may be facilitated by a basic knowledge of the historical events surrounding the Time of Troubles, the interregnum of relative anarchy following the end of the Ryurik Dynasty (1598) and preceding the Romanov Dynasty (1613). Key events are as follows:

• 1584 — Ivan IV "The Terrible", the first Grand Prince of Muscovy to officially adopt the title Tsar (Caesar), dies. Ivan’s successor is his feeble son Fyodor, now Fyodor I, who cares only for spiritual matters and leaves the affairs of state to his capable brother-in-law, boyar Boris Godunov, now de facto regent.
• 1591 — Ivan’s other son Dmitriy dies under mysterious circumstances in Uglich. An investigation, ordered by Godunov and carried out by Prince Vasiliy Shuysky, determines that the Tsarevich, while playing with a knife, had an epileptic seizure, fell, and died from a self-inflicted wound to the throat. Dmitriy's mother, Maria Nagaya, exiled with him to Uglich by Godunov, claims he was assassinated. Rumors linking Boris to the crime are circulated by his enemies.
• 1598 — Tsar Fyodor I dies. He is the last in a line of representatives of the Ryurik Dynasty who have ruled Russia for 7 centuries. Patriarch Job of Moscow nominates Boris to succeed Fyodor I as Tsar, despite the rumors that Boris ordered the murder of Dmitriy. Boris agrees to ascend the throne only if elected by the Zemsky Sobor. This the assembly does unanimously, and Boris is crowned the same year.
• 1601 — The Russian famine of 1601–1603 undermines Boris Godunov's popularity and the stability of his administration.
• 1604 — A pretender to the throne appears in Poland, claiming to be Tsarevich Dmitriy, but believed to be in reality one Grigoriy Otrepyev. He gains the support of the Szlachta, magnates, and, upon conversion to Roman Catholicism, the Apostolic Nuncio Claudio Rangoni. Obtaining a force of soldiers, he marches on Moscow. The False Dmitriy's retinue includes the Jesuits Lawicki and Czernikowski, and the monks Varlaam and Misail of the Chudov Monastery. Crossing into Russia, Dmitriy’s invasion force is joined by disaffected Cossacks. However, after a few victories, the campaign falters. Polish mercenaries mutiny and desert.
• 1605 — Boris dies of unknown causes. He is succeeded by his son Fyodor, now Fyodor II. The death of Boris gives new life to the campaign of the False Dmitriy, who enters Moscow. Boyars who have gone over to the Pretender murder Fyodor II and his mother. The False Dmitriy is crowned. Prince Shuysky begins plotting against him.
• 1606 — The Russian boyars oppose Dmitriy's Polish and Catholic alliances. He is murdered shortly after wedding Marina Mniszech, and is succeeded by Vasiliy Shuysky, now Vasiliy IV.
• 1610 — Vasiliy IV is deposed, and dies two years later in a Polish prison. Another pretender claiming to be Dmitriy Ivanovich, False Dmitriy II, is murdered.
• 1611 — Yet a third pretender, False Dmitriy III, appears. He is captured and executed in 1612.
• 1613 — The Time of Troubles comes to a close with the accession of Mikhail Romanov, son of Fyodor Romanov, who had been persecuted under Boris Godunov's reign.

Note: The culpability of Boris in the matter of Dmitriy's death can neither be proved nor disproved. Karamzin accepted his guilt as fact, and Pushkin and Mussorgsky after him assumed it to be true, at least for the purpose of creating a tragedy in the mould of Shakespeare. Modern historians, however, tend to acquit Boris of the crime.

Synopsis

Note: Shishkov and Bocharev designed the sets (samples below), some of which were used in the first complete performance in 1874.

( ) = Arias and numbers

[ ] = Passages cut from or added to the 1872 Revised Version [see Versions in this article for details]

Setting

Time: The years 1598 to 1605

Place: Moscow; the Lithuanian frontier; a castle in Sandomir; Kromï

Part 1 / Prologue

Shishkov's design for the Novodevichiy Monastery Scene (1870)

Scene 1: The Courtyard of the Novodevichiy Monastery near Moscow (1598)

There is a brief introduction foreshadowing the 'Dmitriy Motif'. The curtain opens on a crowd in the courtyard of the monastery, where the weary regent Boris Godunov has temporarily retired. Nikitich the police officer orders the assembled people to kneel. He goads them to clamor for Boris to accept the throne. They sing a chorus of supplication ("To whom dost thou abandon us, our father?"). The people are bewildered about their purpose and soon fall to bickering with each other, resuming their entreaties only when the policeman threatens them with his club. Their chorus reaches a feverish climax. Andrey Shchelkalov, the Secretary of the Duma, appears from inside the convent, informs the people that Boris still refuses the throne of Russia ("Orthodox folk! The boyar is implacable!"), and requests that they pray that he will relent. An approaching procession of pilgrims sings a hymn ("Glory to Thee, Creator on high"), exhorting the people to crush the spirit of anarchy in the land, take up holy icons, and go to meet the Tsar. They disappear into the monastery. [Original 1869 Version only: The people discuss the statements of the pilgrims. Many remain bewildered about the identity of this Tsar. The police officer interrupts their discussion, ordering them to appear the next day at the Moscow Kremlin. The people move on, stoically exclaiming "if we are to wail, we might as well wail at the Kremlin".]

Bocharov's design for the Cathedral Square Scene (1874)

Scene 2: [Cathedral] Square in the Moscow Kremlin (1598).

The orchestral introduction is based on bell motifs. From the porch of the Cathedral of the Dormition, Prince Shuysky exhorts the people to glorify Tsar Boris. As the people sing a great chorus of praise ("Like the beautiful sun in the sky, glory"), a solemn procession of boyars exits the cathedral. The people kneel. Boris appears on the porch of the cathedral. The shouts of "Glory!" reach a crescendo and subside. Boris delivers a brief monologue ("My soul grieves") betraying a feeling of ominous foreboding. He prays for God's blessing, and hopes to be a good and just ruler. He invites the people to a great feast, and then proceeds to the Cathedral of the Archangel to kneel at the tombs of Russia's past rulers. The people wish Boris a long life ("Glory! Glory! Glory!"). A crowd breaks toward the cathedral. The police officers struggle to maintain order. The people resume their shouts of "Glory!"

Part 2 / Act 1

Scene 1: Night. A Cell in the Chudov Monastery [within the Moscow Kremlin] (1603)

Pimen, a venerable monk, writes a chronicle ("Yet one last tale") of Russian history. The young novice Grigoriy awakes from a horrible (and prophetic) dream, which he relates to Pimen, in which he climbed a high tower, was mocked by the people of Moscow, and fell. Pimen advises him to fast and pray. Grigoriy voices his regret that he retired so soon from worldly affairs to become a monk. He envies Pimen's early life of adventure. Pimen speaks approvingly of Ivan the Terrible and his son Fyodor, who both exhibited great spiritual devotion, and draws a contrast with Boris, a regicide. [Original 1869 Version only: At Grigoriy's request, Pimen tells the vivid details of the scene of the murder of Dmitry Ivanovich, which he witnessed in Uglich.] Upon discovering the similarity in age between himself and the murdered Tsarevich, Grigoriy conceives the idea of posing as the Pretender. As Pimen departs for Matins, Grigoriy declares that Boris shall escape neither the judgment of the people, nor that of God.

Scene 2: An Inn on the Lithuanian Border (1603)

Shishkov's design for the Inn Scene (1870)

There is a brief orchestral introduction based on three prominent themes from this scene. [Revised 1872 Version only: The Hostess enters and sings the 'Song of the Drake' ("I have caught a gray drake"). It is interrupted towards the end by approaching voices.] The vagrants Varlaam and Misail, who are dressed as monks and are begging for alms, and their companion Grigoriy, who is in secular garb, arrive and enter. After exchanging greetings, Varlaam requests some wine. When the Hostess returns with a bottle, he drinks and launches into a ferocious song ("So it was in the city of Kazan") of Ivan the Terrible's siege of Kazan. The two monks quickly become tipsy, and soon begin to doze. Grigoriy quietly asks the Hostess for directions to the Lithuanian border. Policemen appear in search of a fugitive heretic monk (Grigoriy) who has run off from the Chudov Monastery declaring that he will become Tsar in Moscow. Noticing Varlaam's suspicious behavior, the lead policeman thinks he has found his man. He cannot read the edict he is carrying, however, so Grigoriy volunteers to read it. He does so, but, eyeing Varlaam carefully, he substitutes Varlaam's description for his own. The policemen quickly seize Varlaam, who protests his innocence and asks to read the edict. He haltingly reads the description of the suspect, which of course matches Grigoriy. Grigoriy brandishes a dagger, and leaps out of the window. The men set off in pursuit.

Part 3 / Act 2

The Interior of the Tsar's Terem in the Moscow Kremlin (1604)

Kseniya (or Xenia), clutching a portrait of "Prince Ivan", her betrothed who has died, sings a brief mournful aria ("Where are you, my bridegroom?"). Fyodor studies a great map of the Tsardom of Russia. [Revised 1872 Version only: He is distracted when the chiming clock starts working.] Kseniya's nurse assures her that she will soon forget about "Prince Ivan". [1872: The nurse and Fyodor attempt to cheer his sister up with some songs ("A gnat was chopping wood" and "A song of this and that").] Boris abruptly enters, briefly consoles Kseniya, and then sends her and her nurse to their own quarters. Fyodor shows Boris the map of Russia. After encouraging his son to resume his studies, Boris delivers a long and fine monologue ("I have attained supreme power"). At the end of this arioso he reveals that he has been disturbed by a vision of a bloody child begging for mercy. [1872: A commotion breaks out in his children's quarters. Boris sends Fyodor to investigate.] The boyar-in-attendance brings word of the arrival of Prince Shuysky, and reports a denunciation against him for his intrigues. [1872: Fyodor returns to relate a whimsical tale ("Our little parrot was sitting") involving a pet parrot. Boris takes comfort in his son's imagination and advises Fyodor, when he becomes Tsar, to beware of evil and cunning advisors such as Shuysky.] Shuysky now enters. Boris insults Shuysky, accusing him of conspiring with Pushkin, an ancestor of the poet. Boris threatens him with a gruesome execution. But Shuysky bears grave tidings. A Pretender has appeared in Lithuania. Boris angrily demands to know his identity. Shuysky fears the Pretender might attract a following bearing the name of Dmitriy. Shaken by this revelation, Boris dismisses Fyodor. Clearly on the edge of madness, he asks Shuysky whether he has ever heard of dead children rising from their graves to interrogate Tsars. Boris seeks Shuysky's assurance that the dead child he had seen in Uglich was really Dmitriy. Shuysky confirms this in a brief and beautiful aria ("In Uglich, in the cathedral"). But he gives hints that a miracle has occurred. Boris begins choking in a paroxysm of guilt and remorse, and gives a sign for Shuysky to depart. [1872: The chiming clock again begins working.] Boris hallucinates (Hallucination or 'Clock' Scene). The spectre of the dead Dmitriy reaches out to him. Addressing the apparition, he denies his responsibility for the crime: "Begone, begone child! Not I... the will of the people!" He collapses, praying that God will have mercy on his guilty soul.

Act 3 (Polish act)

Shishkov's design for the Scene in Marina's Boudoir (1870)

Scene 1: The Boudoir of Marina Mniszech in Sandomir [Poland] (1604)

Maidens sing a delicate, sentimental song ("On the blue Vistula") to entertain Marina as her chambermaid dresses her hair. Marina declares her preference for heroic songs of chivalry. She dismisses everyone. Alone, she sings of her boredom ("How tediously and sluggishly"), of Dmitriy, and of her thirst for adventure, power, and glory. The Jesuit Rangoni enters, bemoans the wretched state of the church, attempts to obtain Marina's promise that when she becomes Tsaritsa she will convert the heretics of Moscow (Russian Orthodox Church) to the true faith (Roman Catholicism), and encourages her to bewitch the Pretender. When Marina wonders why she should do this, Rangoni angrily insists that she stop short of nothing, including sacrificing her honor, to obey the dictates of the church. Marina expresses contempt of his hypocritical insinuations and demands he leave. As Rangoni ominously tells her she is in the thrall of infernal forces, Marina collapses in dread. Rangoni demands her obedience.

Scene 2: Mniszech's Castle in Sandomir. A Garden. A Fountain. A Moonlit Night (1604)

Shishkov's design for the Scene in the Garden of Mniszech's Castle (1870)

Woodwind and harp accompany a pensive version of the 'Dmitriy Motif'. The Pretender dreams of an assignation with Marina in the garden of her father's castle. However, to his annoyance, Rangoni finds him. He brings news that Marina longs for him and wishes to speak with him. The Pretender resolves to throw himself at Marina's feet, begging her to be his wife and Tsaritsa. He entreats Rangoni to lead him to Marina. Rangoni, however, first begs the Pretender to consider him a father, allowing him to follow his every step and thought. Despite his mistrust of Rangoni, the Pretender agrees not to part from him if he will only let him see Marina. Rangoni convinces the Pretender to hide as the Polish nobles emerge from the castle dancing a polonaise (Polonaise). Marina flirts, dancing with an older man. The Poles sing of taking the Muscovite throne, defeating the army of Boris, and capturing him. They return to the castle. The Pretender comes out of hiding, cursing Rangoni. He resolves to abandon wooing Marina and begin his march on Moscow. But then Marina appears and calls to him. He is lovesick. She, however, only wants to know when he will be Tsar, and declares she can only be seduced by a throne and a crown. The Pretender kneels at her feet. She rejects his advances, and, attempting to spur him to action, dismisses him, calling him a lackey. Having reached his limit, he tells her he will depart the next day to lead his army to Moscow and to his father's throne. Furthermore, as Tsar he will take pleasure in watching her come crawling back looking for her own lost throne, and will command everyone to laugh at her. She quickly reverses course, tells him she adores him, and they sing a duet ("O Tsarevich, I implore you"). Rangoni observes the amorous couple from afar, and, in a brief trio, cynically rejoices in his victory.

Part 4 / Act 4

Scene 1 [1869 Version only]: The Square before St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow (1605)

A crowd mills about before the Cathedral of the Intercession (Vasiliy the Blessed) in Red Square. Many are beggars, and policemen occasionally appear. A group of men enters, discussing the anathema the deacon had declared on Grishka (Grigoriy) Otrepyev in the mass. They identify Grishka as the Tsarevich. With growing excitement they sing of the advance of his forces to Kromï, of his intent to retake his father's throne, and of the defeat he will deal to the Godunovs. A yuródivïy enters, pursued by urchins. He sings a nonsensical song ("The moon is flying, the kitten is crying"). The urchins greet him and rap on his metal hat. The yuródivïy has a kopek, which the urchins promptly steal. He whines pathetically. Boris and his retinue exit the Cathedral. The boyars distribute alms. In a powerful chorus ("Benefactor father (Give us bread)"), the hungry people beg for bread. As the chorus subsides, the yuródivïy's cries are heard. Boris asks why he cries. The yuródivïy reports the theft of his kopek and asks Boris to order the boys' slaughter, just as he did in the case of the Tsarevich. Shuysky wants the yuródivïy seized, but Boris instead asks for the holy man's prayers. As Boris exits, the yurodivïy declares he cannot pray for Tsar Herod. The yuródivïy then sings his lament ("Flow, flow, bitter tears!") about the fate of Russia.

Shishkov's design for the Faceted Palace Scene (1870)

Scene 2 [1869 Version] / Scene 1 [1872 version]: The Faceted Palace in the Moscow Kremlin (1605)

A session of the Duma is in progress. [Original 1869 Version only: The assembled boyars listen as Shchelkalov, reading the Tsar's ukaz, informs them of the Pretender's advance, and requests they decide his fate.] After some arguments, the boyars agree ("Well, let's put it to a vote, boyars"), in a powerful chorus, that the Pretender and his sympathizers should be executed. Shuysky, whom they distrust, arrives with an interesting story. Upon leaving the Tsar's presence, he observed Boris attempting to drive away the ghost of the dead Tsarevich, exclaiming: "Begone, begone child!" The boyars accuse Shuysky of spreading lies. However, a dishevelled Boris now enters, echoing Shuysky: "Begone child!" The boyars are horrified. After Boris comes to his senses, Shuysky informs him that a humble old man craves an audience. Pimen enters and tells the story ("One day, at the evening hour") of a blind man who heard the voice of the Tsarevich in a dream. Dmitry instructed him to go to Uglich and pray at his grave, for he has become a miracle worker in heaven. The man did as instructed and regained his sight. This story is the final blow for Boris. He calls for his son, declares he is dying ("Farewell, my son, I am dying"), and gives him final counsel. In a very dramatic scene ("The bell! The funeral bell!"), he dies.

Scene 2 [1872 Version only]: A Forest Glade near Kromy (1605)

Tempestuous music accompanies the entry of a crowd of vagabonds who have captured the boyar Khrushchov. The crowd taunts him, then bows in mock homage ("Not a falcon flying in the heavens"). The yuródivïy enters, pursued by urchins. He sings a nonsensical song ("The moon is flying, the kitten is crying"). The urchins greet him and rap on his metal hat. The yuródivïy has a kopek, which the urchins promptly steal. He whines pathetically. Varlaam and Misail are heard in the distance singing of the crimes of Boris and his henchmen ("The sun and moon have gone dark"). They enter. The crowd gets worked up to a frenzy ("Broken free, gone on a rampage") denouncing Boris. Two Jesuits are heard in the distance chanting in Latin ("Domine, Domine, salvum fac"), praying that God will save Dmitriy. They enter. At the instigation of Varlaam and Misail, the vagabonds prepare to hang the Jesuits, who appeal to the Holy Virgin for aid. Processional music heralds the arrival of Dmitriy and his forces. Varlaam and Misail glorify him ("Glory to thee, Tsarevich!") along with the crowd. The Pretender calls those persecuted by Godunov to his side. He frees Khrushchov, and calls on all to march on Moscow. All exeunt except the Yuródivïy, who sings a plaintive song ("Flow, flow, bitter tears!") of the arrival of the enemy and of woe to Russia.

From Mussorgsky's letter of 13 July 1872 to Vladimir Stasov: A citation from the closing bars of the opera (1872 version). The upper part depicts desolation, the lower, weeping. The inscription is a line from the yurodivïy's lament:
«Скоро врагъ придётъ и настанетъ тьма»
"Soon the enemy will arrive and darkness will come"

Principal arias and numbers

• Chorus: "To whom dost thou abandon us, our father!" (People)
• Aria: "Orthodox folk! The boyar is implacable!" (Shchelkalov)
• Chorus: "Like the glory of the beautiful sun in the sky" (People)
• Monologue: "My soul grieves" (Boris)
• Chorus: "Glory! Glory! Glory!" (People)
• Aria: "Yet one last tale" (Pimen)
• Song: "So it was in the city of Kazan" (Varlaam)
• Monologue: "I have attained supreme power" (Boris)

• Scene: "Hallucination" or "Clock Scene" (Boris)
• Aria: "How tediously and sluggishly" (Marina)
• Dance: "Polonaise" (Marina, Polish nobles)
• Duet: "O Tsarevich, I implore you" (Marina, Dmitry)
• Chorus: "Well, let's put it to a vote, boyars" (Boyars)
• Aria: "One day, at the evening hour" (Pimen)
• Aria: "Farewell, my son, I am dying" (Boris)
• Scene: "The bell! The funeral bell!" (Boris, Fyodor, Chorus)
• Song: "Flow, flow, bitter tears!" (Yurodivïy)

Versions by other hands

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov 1896 & 1908

Feodor Chaliapin was a powerful exponent of the Rimsky-Korsakov version, which launched Boris Godunov in the world's opera houses. Portrait by Aleksandr Golovin.

After Mussorgsky's death in 1881, his friend Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov undertook to put his scores in order, completing and editing Khovanshchina for publication (1883) reconstructing Night on Bald Mountain (1886), and "correcting" some songs. Next, he turned to Boris.

"Although I know I shall be cursed for so doing, I will revise Boris. There are countless absurdities in its harmonies, and at times in its melodies."

— Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

He experimented first with the Polonaise, temporarily scoring it for a Wagner-sized orchestra in 1889. In 1892 he revised the Coronation Scene, and, working from the 1874 Vocal Score, completed the remainder of the opera, although with significant cuts, by 1896. In the spring of 1906, he revised and orchestrated several passages omitted in the 1896 revision:

1. "Pimen's story of Tsars Ivan and Fyodor"
2. "Over the map of the Muscovite land"
3. "The story of the parrot"
4. "The chiming clock"
5. "The scene of the False Dmitriy with Rangoni at the fountain"
6. "The False Dmitriy's soliloquy after the Polonaise"

Rimsky-Korsakov compiled another edition in 1908, this time restoring the cuts, adding some music to the Coronation Scene (because Diaghilev wanted more stage spectacle for the Paris premiere), and replacing the ending of Act III. These revisions went beyond mere reorchestration. He made substantial modifications to harmony, melody, dynamics, etc., even changing the order of scenes.

"Besides re-scoring Boris and correcting harmonies in it (which was quite justifiable), he [Rimsky-Korsakov] introduced in it many arbitrary alterations, which disfigured the music. He also spoilt the opera by changing the order of scenes."

— Mily Balakirev

"Maybe Rimsky-Korsakov's harmonies are softer and more natural, his part-writing better, his scoring more skillful; but the result is not Mussorgsky, nor what Mussorgsky aimed at. The genuine music, with all its shortcomings, was more appropriate. I regret the genuine Boris, and feel that should it ever be revived on the stage of the Mariinskiy Theatre, it is desirable that it should be in the original."

— César Cui

Rimsky-Korsakov immediately came under fire from some critics for altering Boris, particularly in France, where his revision was introduced. The defense usually made by his supporters was that without his ministrations, Mussorgsky's opera would have faded from the repertory due to difficulty in appreciating his raw and uncompromising idiom. Therefore, Rimsky-Korsakov was justified in making improvements to keep the work alive and increase the public's awareness of Mussorgsky's melodic and dramatic genius.

"I remained inexpressibly pleased with my revision and orchestration of Boris Godunov, heard by me for the first time with a large orchestra. Moussorgsky's violent admirers frowned a bit, regretting something... But having arranged the new revision of Boris Godunov, I had not destroyed its original form, had not painted out the old frescoes forever. If ever the conclusion is arrived at that the original is better, worthier than my revision, then mine will be discarded and Boris Godunov will be performed according to the original score."

— Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Chronicle of My Musical Life, 1909

The Rimsky-Korsakov version remained the one usually performed in Russia, even after Mussorgsky's earthier original (1872) regained its place in Western opera houses. The Bolshoy Theatre has only recently embraced the composer's own version.

Dmitri Shostakovich 1940

Dmitri Shostakovich worked on Boris Godunov in 1939–1940 on a commission from the Bolshoi Theater for a new production of the opera. A conflation of the 1868 and 1872 versions had been published by Pavel Lamm and aroused keen interest in the piece. However, it did not erase doubts as to whether Mussorgsky's own orchestration was playable. The invasion of Russia by Nazi Germany prevented this production from taking place, and it was not until 1959 that Shostakovich's version of the score was premiered.

To Shostakovich, Mussorgsky was successful with solo instrumental timbres in soft passages but did not fare as well with louder moments for the whole orchestra. Shostakovich explained:

"Mussorgsky has marvelously orchestrated moments, but I see no sin in my work. I didn't touch the successful parts, but there are many unsuccessful parts because he lacked mastery of the craft, which comes only through time spent on your backside, no other way."

— Dmitry Shostakovich

Shostakovich confined himself largely to reorchestrating the opera, and was more respectful of the composer's unique melodic and harmonic style. However, Shostakovich greatly increased the contributions of the woodwind and especially brass instruments to the score, a significant departure from the practice of Mussorgsky, who exercised great restraint in his instrumentation, preferring to utilize the individual qualities of these instruments for specific purposes. Shostakovich also aimed for a greater symphonic development, wanting the orchestra to do more than simply accompany the singers.

"This is how I worked. I placed Mussorgsky's piano arrangement in front of me and then two scores — Mussorgsky's and Rimsky-Korsakov's. I didn't look at the scores, and I rarely looked at the piano arrangement either. I orchestrated by memory, act by act. Then I compared my orchestration with those of Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. If I saw that either had done it better, then I stayed with that. I didn't reinvent bicycles. I worked honestly, with ferocity, I might say."

— Dmitry Shostakovich

Shostakovich remembered Alexander Glazunov telling him how Mussorgsky himself played scenes from Boris at the piano. Mussorgsky's renditions, according to Glazunov, were brilliant and powerful — qualities Shostakovich felt did not come through in the orchestration of much of Boris. Shostakovich, who had known the opera since his student days at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, assumed that Mussorgsky's orchestral intentions were correct but that Mussorgsky simply could not realize them:

"As far as I can tell, he imagined something like a singing line around the vocal parts, the way subvoices surround the main melodic line in Russian folk song. But Mussorgsky lacked the technique for that. What a shame! Obviously, he had a purely orchestral imagination, and purely orchestral imagery, as well. The music strives for "new shores," as they say — musical dramaturgy, musical dynamics, language, imagery. But his orchestral technique drags us back to the old shores."

— Dmitry Shostakovich

One of those "old shore" moments was the large monastery bell in the scene in the monk's cell. Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov both use the gong. To Shostakovich, this was too elemental and simplistic to be effective dramatically, since this bell showed the atmosphere of the monk's estragement. "When the bell tolls," Shostakovich told Solomon Volkov, "it's a reminder that there are powers mightier than man, that you can't escape the judgment of history." Therefore, Shostakovich reorchestrated the bell's tolling by the simultaneous playing of seven instruments — bass clarinet, double bassoon, French horns, gong, harps, piano, and double basses (at an octave). To Shostakovich, this combination of instruments sounded more like a real bell.

Shostakovich admitted Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestration was more colorful than his own and used brighter timbres. However, he also felt that Rimsky-Korsakov chopped up the melodic lines too much and, by blending melody and subvoices, may have subverted much of Mussorgsky's intent. Shostakovich also felt that Rimsky-Korsakov did not use the orchestra flexibly enough to follow the characters' mood changes, instead making the orchestra calmer, more balanced.

Igor Buketoff 1997

The American conductor Igor Buketoff created a version in which he removed most of Rimsky-Korsakov's additions and reorchestrations, and fleshed out some other parts of Mussorgsky's original orchestration. This version had its first performance in 1997 at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, under Valery Gergiyev.

Recordings

Year	Cast (Boris, Pretender, Marina)	Conductor, Opera House and/or Orchestra	Version	Label
1948	Mark Reizen, Georgy Nelepp, Mariya Maksakova	Nicolai Golovanov, Bolshoi Theatre Chorus and Orchestra	RK 1908	Audio CD: Aquarius Cat: AQVR 1772
1949	Alexander Pirogov, George Nelepp, Mariya Maksakova	Nicolai Golovanov, Bolshoi Theatre Chorus and Orchestra	RK 1908	Audio CD: Opera d'Oro Cat: OPD 1363
1952	Boris Christoff, Nicolai Gedda, Eugenia Zareska	Issay Dobrowen, Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française	RK 1908	Audio CD: Brilliant Classics «Opera Collection» Cat: 93926
1954	Miroslav Čangalović, Miro Branjnik, Melanie Bugarinovich	Kreshimir Baranovich, Belgrade National Opera Orchestra	RK 1908	33rpm LP: London Cat: XLLA 31
1954	Alexander Pirogov, George Nelepp, Larisa Avdeyeva	Vassili Nebolsin, Bolshoi Theatre Chorus and Orchestra	RK 1908	DVD Video: Video Artists International Cat: VAI 4253
1962	Boris Christoff, Dimiter Uzunov, Evelyn Lear	André Cluytens, Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire	RK 1908	Audio CD: EMI Cat: 5 67877-2
1962	Ivan Petrov, Vladimir Ivanovsky, Irina Arkhipova	Alexander Melik-Pashayev, Bolshoi Theatre Chorus and Orchestra	RK 1908	Audio CD: Melodiya Cat: MEL CD 10 00764
1963	George London, Vladimir Ivanovsky, Irina Arkhipova	Alenxander Melik-Pashayev, Bolshoi Theatre Chorus and Orchestra	RK 1908	Audio CD: Sony Cat: SM3K 52571
1967	Miroslav Changalovic, Bodurov, Kalef	Dushan Miladinovic, Belgrade Opera Chorus and Orchestra (Orchestration by D. Shostakovich. Live world premiere recording)	D.Shostakovich 1963 Muzgiz	Audio CD: Arkadia Cat: MP 492.3
1970	Nicolai Ghiaurov, Ludovic Spiess, Galina Vishnevskaya	Herbert von Karajan, Wiener Philharmoniker	RK 1908	Audio CD: Decca Cat: 000747902
1973	Nikolai Ghiuselev, Dimiter Damiano, Alexandrina Milcheva	Assen Naidenov, Sofia National Opera Chorus and Orchestra	RK 1908	Audio CD: Fidelio Cat: D 1824-26
1976	Martti Talvela, Nicolai Gedda, Bozena Kinasz	Jerzy Semkow, Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, Polish Radio Chorus of Krakow	M 1872	Audio CD: EMI Cat: 5 09178
1978	Nesterenko, Vladislav Piavko, Irina Arkhipova	Boris Khaykin, Bolshoi Theatre Chorus and Orchestra	RK 1908	DVD: Via Classic Cat: 5 99278-9
1983	Aleksandr Vedernikov, Piavko, Irina Arkhipova	Vladimir Fedoseyev, USSR State Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra and Chorus	M 1872	Audio CD: Philips Cat: 412 281-2
1985	Yevgeny Nesterenko, Vladimir Atlantov, Elena Obraztsova	Mark Ermler, Bolshoi Theatre Chorus and Orchestra	RK 1908	Audio CD: Regis Records Cat: RRC 3006
1986	Aage Haugland, Stig Fogh Andersen, ??	Dmitri Kitaienko, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir	M 1872	Audio CD: Kontrapunkt Cat: 32036-32037
1986	Nicolai Ghiaurov, Michail Svetlev, Stefka Mineva	Emil Tchakarov, Sofia Festival Orchestra, Sofia National Opera Chorus	M 1872	Audio CD: Sony Cat: S3K 45763
1987	Nesterenko, Piavko, Tamara Sinyavskaya	Alexander Lazarev, Bolshoi Theatre Chorus and Orchestra	RK 1908	DVD: 6991811 Cat: 6991811
1987	Ruggero Raimondi, Vyacheslav Polozov, Galina Vishnevskaya	Mstislav Rostropovich, National Symphony Orchestra, The Choral Arts Society of Washington and Oratorio Society of Washington, D.C.	M 1872	Audio: ERATO Cat: 2292-45418-2
1990	Robert Lloyd, Alexei Steblianko, Olga Borodina	Valery Gergiev, Kirov Opera Chorus and Orchestra	M 1872	DVD: Philips Cat: 075 089-9
1993	Anatoly Kotscherga, Sergej Larin, Marjana Lipovšek	Claudio Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker, Slovak Philharmonic Chorus, Rundfunkchor Berlin	M 1872	Audio CD: Sony «Classical» Cat: S3K 58977
1997	Nikolai Putilin, Viktor Lutsyuk, ??	Valery Gergiev, Kirov Opera Chorus and Orchestra	M 1869	Audio: Philips Cat: 462 230-2
1997	Vladimir Vaneev, Vladimir Galusin, Olga Borodina	Valery Gergiev, Kirov Opera Chorus and Orchestra	M 1872	Audio: Philips Cat: 462 230-2

Related works

• Antonín Dvořák: Opera, Dimitrij (1882)
• Sergei Prokofiev: Incidental music, Boris Godunov (1936)

References

• Abraham, G., Essays on Russian and East European Music, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985
• Brown, D. Abraham, G., "Mikhail Glinka" and "Modest Musorgsky" in The New Grove: Russian Masters 1, New York: W. W. Norton & Co. (1986)
• Calvocoressi, M.D., Abraham, G., Mussorgsky, 'Master Musicians' Series, London: J.M.Dent & Sons, Ltd., 1974
• Calvocoressi, M.D., Modest Mussorgsky: His Life and Works, London: Rockliff, 1956
• Emerson, C., Mussorgsky's Libretti on Historical Themes: From the Two Borises to Khovanshchina, in Reading Opera, eds. Groos, A. & Parker, R., Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1988
• Emerson, C., and Oldani, R. W., Modest Musorgsky and Boris Godunov: Myths, Realities, Reconsiderations, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994
• Lloyd-Jones, D., Boris Godunov: The Facts and the Problems, Oxford University Press, 1975 (reprinted in the notes to Philips CD 412 281-2)
• Lloyd-Jones, D., Interview: A Discussion with David Lloyd-Jones on The Sir Arnold Bax Website, 2002 (Accessed March 1, 2009)
• Maes, Francis, tr. Arnold J. Pomerans and Erica Pomerans, A History of Russian Music: From Kamarinskaya to Babi Yar (Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press, 2002). ISBN 0-520-21815-9.
• Musorgskiy, M., M. P. Musorgskiy: Letters, 2nd edition, Gordeyeva, Ye. (editor), Moscow: Muzïka (Music, publisher), 1984 [Мусоргский, М., М. П. Мусоргский: Письма, Гордеева, Е., Москва: Музыка, 1984]
• Musorgskiy, M., Literary Legacy (Literaturnoye naslediye), Orlova, A., Pekelis, M. (editors), Moscow: Muzïka (Music, publisher), 1971 [Мусоргский, М., Литературное наследие, Орлова, А., Пекелис, М., Москва: Музыка, 1971
• Oldani, R. W. (article), Sadie, S. (editor), The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 2001, 2002
• Oldani, R. W., John, N., Fay, L. E., de Jonge, A., Osborne, N., Opera Guide 11: Boris Godunov, London: John Calder, Ltd., 1982
• Opera Discography at http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk (Accessed January 2, 2010)
• Orlova, A., Musorgsky Remembered, translated by Zaytzeff, V., and Morrison, F., Bloomington and Indianopolis: Indiana University Press, 1991
• Rimsky-Korsakov, N., Chronicle of My Musical Life, translated by Joffe, J. A., New York: Knopf, 1923
• Shirinyan, R. (author), Kondakhchan, K. (editor), M. P. Musorgskiy, Moscow: Muzïka (Music, publisher), 1989 [Ширинян, Р., Кондахчан, К., М. П. Мусоргский, Москва: Музыка, 1989]
• Taruskin, R., Musorgsky: Eight Essays and an Epilogue, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1993
• Taruskin, R., Russian Originals De- and Re-edited, CD Review, New York Times, 1999 (Accessed February 21, 2009)
• Tchaikovsky, P., Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Letters to his Family, an Autobigraphy, translated by G. von Meck, New York: Stein and Day, 1982
• Volkov, S., Testimony: The Memoirs of Dmitry Shostakovich, translated by Bouis, Antonina W., New York: Harper & Row, 1979

External links

Libretto

• Russian libretto in HTML
• Russian libretto in HTML
• Russian libretto in zip file for Word

Other

• Free scores by Boris Godunov at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Upcoming performances of Boris Godunov from Operabase.com