Boris Godounov

Release date
Location
Opéra Bastille
Duration
2:45
Language
Russian
Subtitles
English,
French
Opera
Modeste Moussorgski
Musical direction
Vladimir Jurowski
Stage direction
Ivo Van Hove

Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine / Paris Opera children's Chorus

Boris Godounov
Photo credit
Agathe Poupeney

Main informations

In 1824, when Pushkin turned to Boris Godunov for his first historical drama, he knew only too well what a colossus he was tackling. It was armed with his reading of Shakespeare that he matched his skills to the dazzling reign of the Tzar of Russia (1598-1605). Indeed, there are elements of Macbeth in this political fable, in which the ghost of the child that Boris has had killed in order to seize the throne appears as an impostor. Adapting this epic poem, Mussorgsky composed a meditation on the solitude of power, a populist drama in which the real protagonist is the Russian people with its burden of eternal suffering. Pushkin had already wondered, “What is a soul? A melody, perhaps…” Ivo Van Hove is no stranger to grand political frescos having already staged Tragédies Romaines and Kings of War based on plays by Shakespeare. This is his first production for the Paris Opera.

Poster Boris Godounov
Artistic team

Opera in three acts (1869 version)

Music and libretto / Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky
After Alexander Pushkin, Nikolay Karamzin

Conductor / Vladimir Jurowski
Stage director / Ivo Van Hove
Sets and Lighting design / Jan Versweyveld
Costumes / An D’Huys
Video / Tal Yarden
Dramaturgy / Jan Vandenhouwe
Chorus master / José Luis Basso

Presented by Alain Duault

Cast

Boris Godounov  Ildar Abdrazakov
Fiodor Evdokia Malevskaya
Xenia  Ruzan Mantashyan
La nourrice /  Alexandra Durseneva
Le prince Chouiski Maxim Paster
Andrei Chtchelkalov /  Boris Pinkhasovich
Pimen /  Ain Anger
Grigori Otrepiev Dmitry Golovin
Vaarlam /  Evgeny Nikitin
Missaïl /  Peter Bronder
L'aubergiste /  Elena Manistina
L'innocent  Vasily Efimov
Mitioukha  Mikhail Timoshenko
Un officier de police Maxim Mikhailov
Un boyard, voix dans la foule Luca Sannai

Trailer

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