- Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky. Opera in seven scenes. 1869.
- Revised version in four acts and a prologue. 1872, rev. 1873.
- Libretto by Mussorgsky, after Pushkin's tragedy, with historical information drawn
from the work of Nikolay Mikhaylovich Karamzin.
- First performance at the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, on 8th February 1874.
CHARACTERS
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| Boris Godunov | bass or baritone |
| Fyodor, his son | mezzo-soprano |
| Xenia, his daughter | soprano |
| Her old wet-nurse | mezzo-soprano |
| Prince Vasily Ivanovich Shouysky | tenor |
| Andrey Shchelkalov, clerk to the Duma | baritone |
| Pimen, monk and chronicler | bass |
| Pretender, the false Dmitry, Grigory | tenor |
| Marina Mniszek, a Polish princess | mezzo-soprano |
| Rangoni, a Jesuit | bass |
| Varlaam, a vagabond | bass |
| Missail, a vagabond | tenor |
| Hostess of the inn | mezzo-soprano |
| Nikitich, a constable | bass |
| Yurodivïy, the simpleton (Holy Fool) | tenor |
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Boris Godunov has had the rightful heir to the empire, Dmitry, murdered and now is proclaimed
Tsar. Time passes and Russia is in turmoil, in spite of the Tsar's efforts to rule well. In a monastery
cell the monk Pimen, who has been writing a history of the times, tells his young novice Grigory of
the events leading to the triumph of Boris. Grigory, now inspired to seek justice and identifying
himself with the murdered prince, is sought by the authorities, but seeks to cast suspicion on the
disreputable wandering monk Varlaam. Boris Godunov, in the Kremlin palace, suffers torments of
remorse, as revolt threatens from Poland. There Dmitry declares his love for Marina Mniszek, and
they are urged by the Jesuit Rangoni to march on Moscow, leading an army of Polish nobles. In the
Kremlin Boris is haunted by his fears, more so when he learns of miracles worked at the grave of
Dmitry, the boy whose murder had brought him the throne. As monks chant their prayers and the
council of boyars gather round him, Boris dies. In a final scene the pretender Dmitry leads his army
to victory, while the Simpleton laments the fate of Russia.
The two versions of Boris Godunov differ in many respects. In addition to this, the work was
rescored by Rimsky-Korsakov for performance in 1896. The first version ends with the death of
Boris, while the Polish scenes and the final success of the false Dmitry belong to the later version,
although in this the two scenes of the fourth act are often reversed, to allow the opera still to close
with the death of Boris. The opera provides a major rôle in that of Boris Godunov, famously taken
by singers such as Chaliapin, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Boris Christoff. In whatever version it is a
monumental element in Russian operatic repertoire.
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