Italy Mussorgsky, Boris Godunov (1869): Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Opera, Treble Voice Chorus of La Scala Academia / Riccardo Chailly (conductor). La Scala, Milan, 7.12.2022. (GT)
Production:
Director – Kasper Holten
Set designer – Es Devlin
Costume designer – Ida Marie Ellekilde
Lighting designer – Jonas Bǿgh
Video Artist – Luke Halls
Cast:
Boris Godunov – Ildar Abdrazakov
Pimen – Ain Anger
Grigory – Dmitry Golovnin
Fyodor – Lilly Jørstad
Xenia – Anna Denisova
Nurse – Agnieszka Rehlis
Prince Shuisky – Norbert Ernst
Schelkalov – Alexey Markov
Varlaam – Stanislav Trofimov
Misail – Alexander Kravets
Innkeeper -Maria Barakova
Simpleton – Yaroslav Abayomi
Navitech – Oleg Budaratskiy
Mityukha – Roman Astakhov
Boyar in Attendance – Vassily Solodky
Pushkin’s play based mostly on Tsar Boris Godunov is among the many pearls of Russian literature, and Mussorgsky’s genius elevates it to one of many masterworks of Russian and world opera. Since its 1873 premiere it has been cloaked in controversy with a story as relative at the moment because it was within the occasions of the Romanovs. In musical phrases, there are debates due to essentially the most popularly staged (but flawed) Rimsky-Korsakov orchestration of 1872, which was re-orchestrated by Shostakovich, and likewise organized in a completion by David Lloyd-Jones. More just lately, the unique orchestration by Mussorgsky of 1869 has develop into extra widespread. The final event I noticed this opera was on the Mariinsky Opera 4 years in the past within the joint manufacturing with Covent Garden by Andrey Tarkovsky (1982). That is a wonderful manufacturing however is defective with the compromised values of the staging, and the weak point of the units.
A much more profitable effort was on the Kiev State Opera in 1994 which embraced all the wonderful facets of Rimsky-Korsakov’s rating and was blessed with efficient course and singers worthy of any stage. Pushkin’s play is a wealthy web page in Russian and world literature and is provocative in coping with everlasting questions of political energy and its abuse. While Pushkin used the texts of Nikolay Karamzin’s History of the Russian State in coping with the ‘Times of Troubles’ within the sixteenth century, the play is suitable to many occasions in Russian historical past – and like Shakespeare, examines the corruption of despots and the enslavement of their peoples. I used to be in a position to acquire deeper understanding once I attended a manufacturing of Pushkin’s eponymous play on the St Petersburg Drama Theatre which revealed it as an astonishingly dramatic work equal to any of the Bard’s tragedies.
Kasper Holten’s manufacturing is predicated on the unique rating of 1869, with its pure orchestral language and the recitatives absent from the Rimsky-Korsakov model of 1872. The latter – with its three further scenes – has one other important character, and options Marina’s boudoir, the Fountain scene and the Kromy scene. The opening scene on this new La Scala manufacturing has a backdrop of a map of sixteenth-century Russia, and there’s a draping scroll telling the story of Russia in Karamzin’s hand projected onto the stage.
In the Prologue, on the Jovovich Monastery, the gang scene has Schelkalov calling the individuals to rise towards the Tsar, and it’s impressively dealt with, as is the next magnificent glory of Boris’s coronation. This is effected by a door opening within the scroll which reveals the Kremlin Palace from which Russian monks and the Tsar’s entourage emerge as, finally, does Boris. This is most spectacular, each musically and visually, with superb choral singing from left and proper wings. It is obvious that Ildar Abdrazakov (Boris) is an excellent singing-actor with a heat lyrical voice. As he sings, the ghost of the murdered Dmitry seems behind him in a blood-stained shirt, and this horrible spectre continues to hang-out Boris by staring into the faces of Fyodor and Xenia. There is a tremendously efficient second when Boris returns to enter the Kremlin – he out of the blue turns to fulfill the deathly stare of Dmitry. The scene closes magnificently with the tolling of bells.
In the primary act’s cell scene, the priest Pimen narrates Boris’s killing of the kid Dmitry and this conjures up Grigory the Imposter to say the Tsar’s throne. Without any interruption, we transfer to the border of Lithuania, and quite than a modest inn, we’re on the fence patrolled by forbiddingly black uniformed border guards. The Imposter seems and meets the Innkeeper and Varlaam and his mates, and within the unfolding scene, there may be nice singing by Maria Barakova’s Innkeeper, and Grigory lastly makes his exit quite absurdly by abseiling up the scroll to enter Lithuania.
Act II opens in Boris’s condominium within the Kremlin with a mattress, a sofa and desk. Xenia, Fyodor, and the Nurse are attired in nineteenth-century gown. Boris sings of his plight blended with a lust for energy and rages on the ungrateful individuals. All of the deceptiveness and double-dealing of Shuisky is portrayed by the performing and singing of Norbert Ernst. However, Boris is conscious of his betrayal and tries to kill Shuisky. Boris appears on in horror when a picture of Dmitry’s dying seems on the scroll, and his spectre seems earlier than him once more.
For Act III at St Basil’s Cathedral, the individuals deliver corpses on stage and place them earlier than Boris, as he watches in horror, now in torment, Boris discovers the murdered our bodies of Fyodor and Xenia, and the ghost of Dmitry now has the crown. In a terrifying scene the lifeless come up and sing a lament, whereas the Simpleton sings a horrible prediction of Russia’s horrible destiny, ‘Our future, give us bread!’ The individuals encompass Boris, who collapses in horror.
Act IV opens within the Faceted Palace, with Boris on his mattress with the boyars in attendance to evaluate his plight; within the background we see Shuisky assembly the Imposter and kissing his hand, and the prisoner Varlaam arrives with the guards. Pimen tells the seated boyars of Boris’s crimes, they usually slowly go away, giving up on the Tsar. Boris’s last monologue is magnificent for its excellent performing and singing: Abdrazakov’s broad vary and melodic voice collectively together with his eyes and actions revealing all of the feelings of his character. As Boris collapses to the ground, Fyodor and Xenia now seem in bloody attire, as Grigory the Imposter seems above the scroll. The last scene closes with the Imposter staring on the frightened Fyodor and Xenia in a horrible portrayal of their future torments.
It was an amazing manufacturing with excellent performances from all of the principal characters, nonetheless, most of all its star was Ildar Abdrazakov, who has a fantastically mellow deep bass missing the blackness usually related to Slavic voices, however right here his singing – mixed with refined performing – was wholly in character with Boris’s tough and complicated character. In a wonderful ensemble, there have been finely crafted interpretations from the excellent darkish bass of Ain Anger’s Pimen and the Innkeeper of Maria Barakova, in addition to sturdy performances from Dmitry Golovnin’s Grigory, Norbert Ernst’s Shuisky and Anna Denisova’s Xenia.
The manufacturing is great, in notably, the combo of colors contrasting between the reds and blacks of ardour and dying with the brilliant colors of gold and inexperienced portraying wealth and nature. This was proven vividly by Luke Halls’s video in projecting Karamzin’s scripts on the large scroll and the backdrops of Russia within the sixteenth century. Ida Marie Ellekilde’s costumes have been vibrant and suited to every altering scene and motion. Es Devlin’s surroundings was restricted to the minimal permitting the drama and music to be on the centre of the tragedy.
Throughout Riccardo Chailly and his orchestra have been excellent in bringing out all the great thing about Mussorgsky’s rating and the very best of La Scala. The refrain have been terrific of their performing and singing suggesting they’re absolutely one of many best operatic choruses on this planet. In all, this can be a magnificent manufacturing during which there isn’t any weak point and portrays all of the darkish tragedy of the composer’s masterpiece which is greater than related to our personal occasions because it was in sixteenth-century Russia.
Gregor Tassie