The Bolshoi Theatre staging of Boris Godunov is an example of the “grand style” of the 20th century that has been safeguarded until this day. Having referred to “folk musical drama” by Mussorgsky (such definition of genre was given to it by the composer), the creators of the production – conductor Nikolai Golovanov, director Leonid Lavrovsky, designer Fedor Fedorovsky, produced a work of an epic scale. Historically authentic set design and costumes, large dimensions of crowd scenes, detailed psychological examination of images – all of that makes this performance a unique monument of the epoch.
The idea of undertaking Pushkin’s Boris Godunov was suggested to Mussorgsky by his friend, historian Vladimir Nikolsky. The composer was absolutely carried away by this task. In his work, he concentrated on two themes: the tragedy of the people and the “tragedy of conscience” of Tsar Boris. “I mean the people as a great personality, that is inspired by a unifying idea: this is my task. I have tried to resolve it in the opera”, with this comment from the author the opera clavier was published in 1874.
The composer wrote the libretto himself, moreover, not only did he use the text of Pushkin’s tragedy, but other materials as well: “History of the Russian State” by Karamzin and historical documents. The work went fast, escalating rapidly: Mussorgsky approached the composition of the music in October 1868. A month and a half later, the first act was ready, but in May 1869 the clavier was completed. Certain scenes were performed for a circle of friends.
“Joy, delight and admiration were universal”, as was later reminisced by Vladimir Stasov, an inspirer and ideologist of “The Mighty Handful”. By December, the instrumentation was finished.
In the summer of 1870, Boris Godunov was presented to the directorate of the Imperial Theatres for their consideration. The opera was denied on the pretext of the absence of a significant female part. The composer inserted several corrections, added the Polish act and the Kromy scene. The second edition was completed in the spring of 1872. However, it too was not accepted for staging. Without waiting for a favourable decision from the directorate, a group of leading artists under the leadership of the composer started secretly learning the parts. In 1873, the first public performance of three scenes from the long-suffering opera took place. They were given at the benefice of director Kondratiev. But on the 27th of January 1874, a full premiere finally took place at the Mariinsky Theatre and its success exceeded all expectations.
The interference of censorship into the fate of the opera made it complicated to stage. After all, since 1872 there were practically two “independent” versions of Boris: two author’s versions which could not be assembled together that easily. In 1896, his own edition of the opera was suggested by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, but he did not resolve “the question” and, as it appeared, not even for himself. In 1908, at the request of Diaghilev, who intended to introduce the opera to a French audience, he created one more version. In 1927, musicologist Pavel Lamm prepared a combined author’s edition of the opera. In 1940, Dmitri Shostakovich realised his own edition.
Traditionally, Boris Godunov was given at the Bolshoi Theatre in the edition by Rimsky-Korsakov. “St. Basil’s Scene” in the instrumentation by Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov was added to it. For the first time, it was the Bolshoi Theatre that showed the performance in 1927.
Boris Godunov was destined to become the most popular Russian opera in the West, an expression of the spirit of Russian people. The world’s acclaim was brought to it by Feodor Chaliapin, the unsurpassed performer of the leading part.
For the first time, Boris Godunov was staged at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1888. However, it rapidly left the stage. For the second time, the opera joined its repertoire in 1901, which was linked to Chaliapin’s arrival in the troupe. (The part of Pretender in that production was sung by an outstanding tenor of the Bolshoi, Leonid Sobinov).
In almost its current form, Boris Godunov was staged in 1946, where only the Kromy scene was missing. The latter was included in the production of 1948 when it became the performance as we know it today.
In 2007, the Bolshoi showed a production based on the second author’s edition (conductor Alexander Vedernikov, director Alexander Sokurov). In 2011, having reopened the Historic Stage after its renovation, the theatre referred once again to its glorious history and returned the famous 1948 production.
The production of Boris Godunov that is on the stage at the Bolshoi Theatre now is truly legendary and has become a symbol of the Bolshoi’s originality and its historical traditions.
