The Bolshoi in Kyiv after 26 years
The Bolshoi will be hosted by the National Opera of Ukraine, April 19-20, after a 26 year interval. They will appear in full strength: soloists, choir, and corps de ballet conducted by Oleksandr Stepanov. They will bring their famous production, the Bolshoi’s calling card, Modest Mussorgsky’s epic opera, Boris Godunov.
Mussorgsky wrote it in 1869, but the Mariyinsky Theater’s advisory committee found fault with it, especially its negative portrayal of the tsar. In addition, critics insisted that Modest Mussorgsky had transgressed all operatic canons, making use of folk songs to reveal the Slavic character. All this made the composer rewrite the opera, and he was allowed to stage it in St. Petersburg only five years later. The premiere took place in Moscow, December 16, 1888. Even though the public liked the opera, it could be performed only several times. Russian Emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II twice struck the opera from the repertories of the imperial theaters. Years of oblivion followed.
Rimsky-Korsakov could revive the opera only in the 1890s. He made a new orchestration and, owing to his prestige and the cast’s skill, the opera quickly gained popularity. Now many companies were eager to stage it. At the Bolshoi, it was revived by the world-famous bass Chaliapin. He wrote, “I liked Boris Godunov so much, I did more than learn the title role; I learned all the parts, men’s and women’s from beginning to end. The deeper I reached into the score, the more obvious it became to me that the opera was good enough even for Shakespeare. Studying Mussorgsky’s biography left me thunderstruck. I was horrified. To have such a singular, original talent and to live in misery and die in a dirty hospital of alcoholism!” Chaliapin also studied history and admitted that he had read Pushkin and Karamzin and had long discussions with historian Vasily Kliuchevsky. Gradually, the figure of Boris came into focus. He was a powerful, unique personality with tremendous willpower and intellect, determined to enlighten his country. Chaliapin said that Mussorgsky’s opera was the first of its kind, requiring from the cast not only precise vocal rendition, but also special dramatic identification, insight into every character, and keen awareness of the meaning of every line; they had to stir the emotions in the audience not just with their vocal skills.
Boris Godunov was the greatest success at the Paris Opera in 1908, as part of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes season. From then on this opera has correctly been considered a great event in the history of world music. Indeed, true masterpieces are immune to the ravages of time.
The legendary opera was staged in a variety of interpretation at the Bolshoi. An interesting one was offered by Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1905. Dmitry Shostakovich made a new orchestration in 1940. The current version belongs to Leonid Baratov, dating from 1948. The title role was played by noted singers M. Raizen and A. Pirogov; the striking character of Marina Mniszek was performed by M. Maksakova; Prince Shuisky by N. Khanayev; the great Russian tenor Ivan Kozlovsky acted as God’s Fool and was awarded the USSR State Prize for the role. In 1949, the cast was awarded the Stalin Prize. The crowd scenes, involving hundreds of actors, were especially impressive. The stage props (the Kremlin, Mniszek’s garden with a fountain), designed by Fёdor Fedorovsky, were strikingly true to life, portraying the epoch of the late sixteenth century with utmost precision. And the boyars’ sable fur coats and costumes set off with gold braid and bejeweled were true works of art. There are even rarities, such as Boris’s costume of brocade, weighing 15 kilograms, meaning that the actor had to be physically strong to move as well as to sing, wearing it.
Many Bolshoi soloists have gone through the Boris Godunov school of vocal and dramatic mastery. In Kyiv, the leads will be played by Vladimir Matorin (Godunov), Anatoly Zaychenko (Shuisky), Aleksandr Naumenko (Pimen), Vitaly Tarashchenko (False Dmitry), Nina Terentieva (Mniszek), Sergei Gaidei (God’s Fool), et al. The Bolshoi tour was made possible largely thanks to Russian Ambassador Viktor Chernomyrdin and the AVK Co. that took care of the arrangements. The 180-strong cast will be brought to the Ukrainian capital by two charter flights. The technical personnel will arrive by train two days earlier to make stage setting adjustments (the stage props are en route from Hong Kong after the Bolshoi’s tour). The guests will be accommodated at the Ukraine Hotel.
