Modest Mussorgsky’s operatic output is dominated by the epic Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina, but of his notable unfinished works Sorochintsï Fair is the most prominent example. Based on a story by Gogol, this is a comic opera in which amorous encounters intermingle with a devil’s curse. This chamber orchestra version by Fabrice Bollon uses only original music by Mussorgsky unlike other completions. Potentially a compelling and original drama, Salammbô was Mussorgsky’s first attempt at an opera, praised by Rimsky-Korsakov for the ‘beauty of its themes and ideas’.