There is no overstating the fact that the Bolshoi performances at the National Opera on April 19 and 20 marked a significant event in the capital’s cultural life. Public excitement was considerable and those in possession of the precious tickets looked radiant. The celebrated Russian company brought its legendary production, Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov.
Indeed, the opera is a musical relic worth being entered into Guinness Book of Records. The current stage version has been kept intact for the past 54 years. During the dress rehearsal practically every seat in the pit was taken by the National Opera staff, along with several journalists that wanted a closer look at the Bolshoi’s backstage life. The conductor, Aleksei Stepanov (he had come several days earlier, held two rehearsals with the Kyiv Opera’s symphony orchestra, and introduced a children’s choir of Kyiv school students), helped the cast adapt to the new stage. All those present were truly impressed by the Moscow guests’ professionalism. They had arrived at 2 a.m. and started a run-through at 11 a.m., lasting four hours. Vitaly Tarashchenko (False Dmitry), Aleksandr Naumenko (Pimen), Vladimir Kudryashov (Shuisky), and Tatiana Erastova (Mniszek) gave vent to their voices, even though the performance would start in four hours.
“You can tell the soloists have a vast vocal reserve,” pointed out Ivan Hamkalo, National Opera conductor. “If they can sing like that at a run- through, you can imagine how they are going to perform tonight. I admire the cast’s discipline and professionalism. They have tremendous concert tour experience and they know how to keep in shape. I would single out Vladimir Matorin (Godunov). He has a beautiful voice and a very good stage presence. In a word, he makes an excellent Tsar Boris.
Over the past several years the Bolshoi has lost some of its leadership in the Russian opera, with the Mariynsky Theater getting to be the actual trendsetter, but any mention of twilight would be utterly erroneous. They hold many premieres. Remarkably, they have a performance serving as a school for generations of musicians, singers, even audiences.
I asked some of the singers during the break how often they had to work under such a tight schedule. They said no one complains and demands three days off while on a concert tour. It is just that every vocalist knows his or her potential. They assured me that, tight schedule or not, the performance would be as good as ever. Getting ahead of the story, both nights in Kyiv proved triumphant, with the Ukrainian president, diplomats, and numerous representatives of the beau monde in the audience.
Volodymyr Kozhukhar, chief conductor of the National Opera, says that Boris Godunov can be described as a rare item on museum display, a picture come alive. The luxurious stage props and costumes created by the excellent designer FСdor FСdorovsky bring back that distant epoch with a striking verisimilitude. “It is marvelous that the theater honors its traditions and has kept the opera the way it was created by stage director Leonid Baratov,” he stressed. Every new generation of performers makes its own contribution without changing the concept. Some critics claim new ideas are necessary, that the performance has to be modernized. I am strongly against this. You are welcome to write and stage new operas, but leave masterpieces such as Boris Godunov, its Bolshoi version, alone. I am glad for my colleagues and their success. I am also glad that the Russian singers and Ukrainian musicians showed such effective cooperation.”
It appears that there is a waiting list of Bolshoi soloists wishing to appear in Boris Godunov. Andrei Grigoryev says he can sing as Shchelkanov only on concert tours, otherwise the waiting list is far too long.
“It was great! Thanks a lot!” said the National Opera’s prima donna Svitlana Dobronravova. “Imagine, I know the opera by heart, yet when the choir struck up ‘Bread! Give us bread!’ it sent a shiver down my spine. The soloists are excellent.”
“Vladimir Matorin spared neither vocal nor dramatic talent as Tsar Boris; Vladimir Tarashchenko was very convincing as False Dmitry. By the way, he comes from the Lviv vocal school and has been onstage for 25 years, quite a long time for a dramatic tenor. Yet he is in splendid shape. I’m glad that bass Aleksandr Naumenko (Pimen), my former fellow student (we studied at the Rostov Conservatory) has become a real Bolshoi star. His vocal style is academic, so you can hear every word, his voice is strong, with a beautiful timbre. Tatiana Erastova (Mniszek) has a powerful contralto. Sorry, I didn’t care much for Sergei Gaidey as God’s Fool. Our Oleksandr Hurets is much better in that role. Actually, our choir is also better, more on the refined side and with an ear for nuance. But this is all minor. On the whole, the Bolshoi performance was great. The company is still one of the very best. One can learn from them, although I’m sure that our opera matches them in every way. I think we’ll something to show them and be proud of when we tour Moscow.”
Indeed, there was lobby talk about a return tour. Several Kyiv soloists were invited to sing in Bolshoi performances. In other words, the Moscow guests attracted both public and professional interest verging on excitement. This perhaps explains why the National Opera director Petro Chupryna, when speaking from the podium, thanking the Bolshoi for the great holiday of music, forgot to acknowledge the Alliance Shatro Company.
Coming up in the next couple of issues: interviews with Bolshoi manager Oleg Chernikov and soloist Aleksandr Naumenko about Bolshoi plans and how one can join the celebrated company.







