Mussorgsky's opera 'Boris Godunov' was based on a play by whom?
"Platonova (Marina), Josef Paleček (Rangoni), and Feliks Krzesiński (Old Polish Noble). 1874, Saint Petersburg – World premiere The Revised Version of 1872 received its world premiere on 27 January 1874 at the Mariinsky Theatre. The Cell Scene was omitted. The Novodevichiy and Coronation scenes were combined into one continuous scene: 'The Call of Boris to the Tsardom'. Matvey Shishkov's design for the last scene of Pushkin's drama, 'The House of Boris' (see illustration, right), was substituted for this hybrid of the Novodevichiy and Coronation scenes. The scenes were grouped in five acts as follows: Production personnel included Gennadiy Kondratyev (stage"
"instead making the orchestra calmer, more balanced. The American conductor Igor Buketoff created a version in which he removed most of Rimsky-Korsakov's additions and reorchestrations, and fleshed out some other parts of Mussorgsky's original orchestration. This version had its first performance in 1997 at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, under Valery Gergiev. Notes Sources Libretto Other Boris Godunov (opera) Boris Godunov (, ""Borís Godunóv"") is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881). The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler"
"the repertory due to difficulty in appreciating his raw and uncompromising idiom. Therefore, Rimsky-Korsakov was justified in making improvements to keep the work alive and increase the public's awareness of Mussorgsky's melodic and dramatic genius. The Rimsky-Korsakov version remained the one usually performed in Russia, even after Mussorgsky's earthier original (1872) gained a place in Western opera houses. The Bolshoy Theatre has only recently embraced the composer's own version. Dmitriy Shostakovich worked on ""Boris Godunov"" in 1939–1940 on a commission from the Bolshoy Theatre for a new production of the opera. A conflation of the 1869 and 1872 versions had"
"the most of Russian composers. Glinka was followed by Alexander Dargomyzhsky (1813–1869) with his Rusalka (1856) and revolutionary The Stone Guest (""Kamenny gost"", completed by Rimsky-Korsakov and premiered in 1872). Other composers were: Russian opera reached its apogee with the works by Modest Mussorgsky and his antipode Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Modest Mussorgsky's (1839–1881) Boris Godunov remains the greatest masterpiece of Russian opera, despite what many consider to be serious technical faults and a bewildering array of versions (Original Version of 1869, Revised Version of 1872, Rimsky-Korsakov Edition of 1908, Shostakovich Edition of 1940, etc.). His other operas were left unfinished: Pyotr"
"Dmitri Shostakovich (in his late symphonies) and Sergei Prokofiev (in his operas). In 1868/1869 he composed the opera ""Boris Godunov"", about the life of the Russian tsar, but it was rejected by the Mariinsky Opera. Mussorgsky thus edited the work, making a final version in 1874. The early version is considered darker and more concise than the later version, but also more crude. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov re-orchestrated the opera in 1896 and revised it in 1908. The opera has also been revised by other composers, notably Shostakovich, who made two versions, one for film and one for stage. The opera ""Khovanshchina"""
"and Lyudmila"" is the earliest important Pushkin-inspired opera, and a landmark in the tradition of Russian music. Tchaikovsky's operas ""Eugene Onegin"" (1879) and ""The Queen of Spades"" (La Dame de Pique, 1890) became perhaps better known outside of Russia than Pushkin's own works of the same name. Mussorgsky's monumental ""Boris Godunov"" (two versions, 1868–9 and 1871–2) ranks as one of the very finest and most original of Russian operas. Other Russian operas based on Pushkin include Dargomyzhsky's ""Rusalka"" and ""The Stone Guest""; Rimsky-Korsakov's ""Mozart and Salieri"", ""Tale of Tsar Saltan"", and ""The Golden Cockerel""; Cui's ""Prisoner of the Caucasus"", ""Feast"
"Several composers, chief among them Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov and Dmitri Shostakovich, have created new editions of the opera to ""correct"" perceived technical weaknesses in the composer's original scores. Although these versions held the stage for decades, Mussorgsky's individual harmonic style and orchestration are now valued for their originality, and revisions by other hands have fallen out of fashion. ""Boris Godunov"" comes closer to the status of a repertory piece than any other Russian opera, even Tchaikovsky's ""Eugene Onegin"", and is the most recorded Russian opera. ""Note: Dates provided in this article for events taking place in Russia before 1918 are Old"
"Khovanshchina Khovanshchina (, ""Hovánščina"", sometimes rendered The Khovansky Affair; since the ending -ščina is pejorative) is an opera (subtitled a 'national music drama') in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. The work was written between 1872 and 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The composer wrote the libretto based on historical sources. The opera was unfinished and unperformed when the composer died in 1881. Like Mussorgsky's earlier ""Boris Godunov"", ""Khovanshchina"" deals with an episode in Russian history, first brought to the composer's attention by his friend the critic Vladimir Stasov. It concerns the rebellion of Prince Ivan Khovansky, the Old Believers, and"
"compositions, and particularly liked the ""Scene by the Fountain"" in his opera ""Boris Godunov"". Mussorgsky abandoned the scene in his original 1869 version, but at the requests of Stasov and Hartmann, he reworked it for Act 3 in his revision of 1872. The years 1873–74 are associated with the staging of ""Boris Godunov"", the zenith of Mussorgsky's career as a composer—at least from the standpoint of public acclaim. Mussorgsky's distant relative, friend, and roommate during this period, Arseniy Golenishchev-Kutuzov, describing the January 1874 premiere of the opera, remarked: ""During the winter, there were, I think, nine performances, and each time"
"historical figures, including ""Boris Godunov"" by Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881), which was composed between 1868 and 1873, and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar (1598 to 1605). Equally famous is Alexander Borodin's ""Prince Igor"", the libretto for which the composer developed from the Ancient Russian epic ""The Lay of Igor's Host"", which recounts the campaign of Rus prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Cuman (""Polovtsian"") tribes in 1185. Historical reenactment is an educational or entertainment activity in which people follow a plan to recreate aspects of a historical event or period."
"their initial acquaintance with Mussorgsky's tone-poem to [[Leopold Stokowski]]'s version, specially produced for [[Walt Disney]]'s 1940 film ""[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]"". Stokowski stated that he based it on the [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov|Rimsky-Korsakov]] arrangement in form and content (though notably without the ""fanfare"" that marks the entrance of [[Chernobog]]), but on Mussorgsky's original in orchestration. However, like Rimsky-Korsakov himself, Stokowski had no copy of the original tone poem from 1867, so he did what he felt Mussorgsky would have done, being somewhat familiar with Mussorgsky's style. Stokowski had conducted the U.S. premiere of the original version of ""[[Boris Godunov (opera)|Boris Godunov]]"" in 1929,"
"by Zdenka Zikova, a well-known operatic singer and a pedagogue. His operatic repertoire included more than 90 roles which he interpreted with his rich voice and his dramatic strength. His most successful creation is considered to be that of ""Boris Godunov"", from the Modest Mussorgsky's opera of the same name. Right next to it is the role of Dosifey, from the opera ""Khovanschina"" of the same composer. By many music historians and critics he is regarded as the greatest ever Boris Godunov, right after Feodor Chaliapin. His other roles include those of Don Quichotte (Massenet's ""Don Quichotte""), Galitsky and Konchak"
"Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (; – ) was a Russian composer, one of the group known as ""The Five"". He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period. He strove to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity, often in deliberate defiance of the established conventions of Western music. Many of his works were inspired by Russian history, Russian folklore, and other national themes. Such works include the opera ""Boris Godunov"", the orchestral tone poem ""Night on Bald Mountain"" and the piano suite ""Pictures at an Exhibition"". For many years Mussorgsky's works were mainly known in versions revised"
"fought an often losing battle against the conservatism of conductors and singers, who, raised on the plush Rimsky-Korsakov edition, found it impossible to adapt to Mussorgsky's comparatively unrefined and bleak original scores. Recently, however, a new appreciation for the rugged individuality of Mussorgsky's style has resulted in increasing performances and recording of his original versions. Musicologist Gerald Abraham wrote: For many, ""Boris Godunov"" is the greatest of all Russian operas because of its originality, drama, and characterization, regardless of any cosmetic imperfections it may possess. Models and influences A conflation of the 1869 and 1872 versions is often made when"
"Vladimir Fontikov Vladimir Karnikovich Fontikov (May 17, 1941 – October 12, 1987) was a Soviet opera singer best known for his interpretation of Modest Mussorgsky's ""Boris Gudunov"". Born in Novorossiysk, Russian SFSR, to a Russian father and an Armenian mother, Fontikov moved to Yerevan, Armenian SSR in 1943 and lived there until 1962, when he began his studies at the Moscow Conservatory. He studied under the direction of prominent Soviet singer and teacher Lev Arakelov and made his debut in Moscow in 1971 under the role of Boris Gudunov, in Moddest Mussorgsky's famous opera, a role he would perform once"
"cut, including the additional removal of the Kromï scene, likely for political reasons (starting 20 October 1876, the 13th performance). After protracted difficulties in obtaining the production of his opera, Mussorgsky was compliant with Nápravník's demands, and even defended these mutilations to his own supporters. ""Boris Godunov"" was performed 21 times during the composer's lifetime, and 5 times after his death (in 1881) before being withdrawn from the repertory on 8 November 1882. When Mussorgsky's subsequent opera ""Khovanshchina"" was rejected for production in 1883, the Imperial Opera Committee reputedly said: ""One radical opera by Mussorgsky is enough."" ""Boris Godunov"" did"
"During this time the repertoire was greatly enriched. The most famous operas staged in this theatre include ""Boris Godunov"" by Modest Mussorgsky, ""Otello"" and ""Don Carlo"" by Giuseppe Verdi, Jacques Offenbach's ""The Tales of Hoffmann"", ""Sadko"" and ""The Golden Cockerel"" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and ""Lohengrin"" by Richard Wagner. Socialist realist operas by Belarusian composers such as Yuri Semenyako, Yevgeny Glebov (""Your Spring"", 1963) and Heinrich Wagner were included. In 1996 the State Theater was divided into two independent theatres: the National Academic Grand Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus and the National Academic Opera Theatre of Belarus, but in"
"Theatre. Nesterenko has sung over 80 leading bass parts and performed 21 operas in their original languages. He performed the main parts in operas by Glinka, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Borodin, and was the first to perform many works by Shostakovich, Sviridov and Taktakishvili. Nesterenko's enormous repertoire ranges from deep bass to baritone parts in operas by classical Russian and West-European composers. His finest role is considered to be Tsar Boris in Mussorgsky's opera ""Boris Godunov"", which won him the ""Golden Viotti"" medal in Italy in 1981. Nesterenko has performed on the world's best and most prestigious stages, such as the"
"thoughts... would be an understatement, for never a moment passes without my thinking of her! My whole being rests on my feelings and my thoughts about her. She is to my spirit what air is to physical existence! Human being, friend, daughter, sister, family—everything is concentrated in her alone... Fyodor Petrovich Komissarzhevsky Fyodor Petrovich Komissarzhevsky () (1832 – 14 March 1905) was a Russian opera singer and teacher of voice and stagecraft. A leading tenor at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, he created many roles in Russian operas, including the Pretender in Mussorgsky's ""Boris Godunov"" and the title role"
"During the next year, which he spent sharing rooms with Rimsky-Korsakov, he made changes that went beyond those requested by the theatre. In this version the opera was accepted, probably in May 1872, and three excerpts were staged at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1873. It is often asserted that in 1872 the opera was rejected a second time, but no specific evidence for this exists. By the time of the first production of ""Boris Godunov"" in February 1874, Mussorgsky had taken part in the ill-fated ""Mlada"" project (in the course of which he had made a choral version of his"
"believing in the infallibility of his genius. Yet he has flashes of talent which are, moreover, not devoid of originality."" Western perceptions of Mussorgsky changed with the European premiere of ""Boris Godunov"" in 1908. Before the premiere, he was regarded as an eccentric in the west. Critic Edward Dannreuther, wrote, in the 1905 edition of ""The Oxford History of Music"", ""Mussorgsky, in his vocal efforts, appears wilfully eccentric. His style impresses the Western ear as barbarously ugly."" However, after the premiere, views on Mussorgsky's music changed drastically. Gerald Abraham, a musicologist, and an authority on Mussorgsky: ""As a musical translator"
"Russian State"". Among major operas, ""Boris Godunov"" shares with Giuseppe Verdi's ""Don Carlos"" (1867) the distinction of having an extremely complex creative history, as well as a great wealth of alternative material. The composer created two versions—the Original Version of 1869, which was rejected for production by the Imperial Theatres, and the Revised Version of 1872, which received its first performance in 1874 in Saint Petersburg. ""Boris Godunov"" has seldom been performed in either of the two forms left by the composer, frequently being subjected to cuts, recomposition, re-orchestration, transposition of scenes, or conflation of the original and revised versions."
"Grigory Kugushev Prince Grigory Vasilyevich Kugushev (, 17 March 1824 – 3 October 1871) was a Russian writer, poet and playwright whose comedies, including ""Goluboi Kapot"" (Blue Hood), ""Pari"" (The Bet), ""Priyomysh"" (The Foster) had considerable, if not lasting, success in the Russian Imperial Theatres in 1850s. More substantial and critically acclaimed were Kugushev's works of fiction, notably ""Kornet Otletayev"" (Корнет Отлетаев, a three-part novella, first published by ""Russky Vestnik"" in 1856) and the four-part novel ""Postoronneye Vliyaniye"" (Постороннее влияние, The Outside Influence, 1858—1859). He also wrote the libretto for the epic drama opera ""Mazeppa"" (1859) by Baron Boris Fitinhof-Schell."
"Grigory Kugushev Prince Grigory Vasilyevich Kugushev (, 17 March 1824 – 3 October 1871) was a Russian writer, poet and playwright whose comedies, including ""Goluboi Kapot"" (Blue Hood), ""Pari"" (The Bet), ""Priyomysh"" (The Foster) had considerable, if not lasting, success in the Russian Imperial Theatres in 1850s. More substantial and critically acclaimed were Kugushev's works of fiction, notably ""Kornet Otletayev"" (Корнет Отлетаев, a three-part novella, first published by ""Russky Vestnik"" in 1856) and the four-part novel ""Postoronneye Vliyaniye"" (Постороннее влияние, The Outside Influence, 1858—1859). He also wrote the libretto for the epic drama opera ""Mazeppa"" (1859) by Baron Boris Fitinhof-Schell."
"historical operas, ""The Maid of Pskov"" (1873) and ""Boris Godunov"" (1874). This period also marks the creation of two new characters, the deserters Skula and Yeroshka, who have much in common with the rogue monks Varlaam and Misail in ""Boris Godunov"". In his memoirs, Rimsky-Korsakov mentions an 1876 concert at which Borodin's ""closing chorus"" was performed, the first public performance of any music from ""Prince Igor"" identified by him: The idea of a choral epilogue in the original scenario was no doubt inspired by the example of ""A Life for the Tsar"" by Mikhail Glinka, to whose memory ""Prince Igor"""
"opera ""Boris Godunov,"" starring basso Fyodor Chaliapin. This was Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's 1908 version (with additional cuts and re-arrangement of the scenes). The performances were a sensation, though the costs of producing grand opera were crippling. In 1909, Diaghilev presented his first Paris ""Saison Russe"" devoted exclusively to ballet (although the company did not use the name ""Ballets Russes"" until the following year). Most of this original company were resident performers at the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg, hired by Diaghilev to perform in Paris during the Imperial Ballet's summer holidays. The first season's repertory featured a variety of works chiefly"
"to exhibit a lack of cohesion between scenes. He claimed that Mussorgsky was so deficient in the ability to write instrumental music that he dispensed with composing a prelude, and that he had ""borrowed the cheap method of characterization by leitmotives from Wagner."" Other composers were even more censorious. Pyotr Tchaikovsky wrote in a letter to his brother Modest: Of the critics who evaluated the new opera, only the 19-year-old critic Vladimir Baskin defended Mussorgsky's skill as a composer. Writing under the pen name ""Foma Pizzicato"", Baskin wrote, Although ""Boris Godunov"" is usually praised for its originality, dramatic choruses, sharply"
"music and art to western audiences. Like Stravinsky, Diaghilev had initially studied law, but had gravitated via journalism into the theatrical world. In 1907, he began his theatrical career by presenting five concerts in Paris; in the following year, he introduced Mussorgsky's opera ""Boris Godunov"". In 1909, still in Paris, the Ballets Russes was launched, initially with Borodin's Polovtsian Dances from ""Prince Igor"" and Rimsky-Korsakov's ""Scheherazade"". To present these works, Diaghilev recruited the choreographer Michel Fokine, the designer Léon Bakst and the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. Diaghilev's intention, however, was to produce new works in a distinctively 20th-century style, and he"
"again throughout the course of his life. Fontikov spent his life between Armenia and Russia and spoke both Armenian and Russian fluently. His operatic talents and his deep sonorous voice made him very famous throughout the USSR, and Eastern Europe. Refusing to perform outside the Eastern Block, Fontikov was limited to only a few performances a year, but his popularity remained. He died in 1987 in a car accident outside of Yerevan. Vladimir Fontikov Vladimir Karnikovich Fontikov (May 17, 1941 – October 12, 1987) was a Soviet opera singer best known for his interpretation of Modest Mussorgsky's ""Boris Gudunov"". Born"
"government, however, moved only gravestones to a new location, and the tombs were covered with asphalt, including Mussorgsky's grave. The burial place of Mussorgsky is now a bus stop. Mussorgsky, like others of 'The Five', was perceived as extremist by the Emperor and much of his court. This may have been the reason Tsar Alexander III personally crossed off ""Boris Godunov"" from the list of proposed pieces for the Imperial Opera in 1888. Mussorgsky's works, while strikingly novel, are stylistically Romantic and draw heavily on Russian musical themes. He has been the inspiration for many Russian composers, including most notably"
"support for a Cossack uprising, they were captured by the Cossacks and handed over to the new Tsar the following month. Ivan Zarutsky and Mniszech's little son were executed in 1614. Marina Mniszech died in prison soon afterward. According to some sources she was found strangled. Marina Mniszech appears as a character in Alexander Pushkin's blank verse drama ""Boris Godunov"" and Modest Mussorgsky's opera of the same name. Although both depict Marina's impending marriage to False Dmitriy I, the depictions of the future Tsaritsa are quite different. Pushkin wrote, ""A tragedy without love attracted my imagination. But apart from love"
"fact that the church and Vasily Shuiski, who investigated the circumstances of the death of Dmitry, deny the authenticity of the prince, he on his way to Moscow. He is becoming increasingly popular among the people and is setting up to be a real threat to Tsar Boris. Who is he really – a daring adventurer, a true prince, or a ghost who has materialized to avenge a long-forgotten crime? Boris Godunov (1986 film) Boris Godunov () is a 1986 drama film directed by and starring Sergei Bondarchuk. It is an adaptation of the play ""Boris Godunov"", written by Alexander"
"works. His 1854 comedy ""Don't Live as You Like"" was adapted as the tragic opera ""The Power of the Fiend"" (premiered in 1871) by Alexander Serov. The historical drama ""The Voyevoda (Dream on the Volga)"" was transformed into two operas: one by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (as ""The Voyevoda"") and later another by Anton Arensky entitled ""Dream on the Volga"". Tchaikovsky also later wrote incidental music for a scene in the play. Alexander Ostrovsky is considered one of the most important Russian playwrights of the 19th century, credited with bringing dramatic realism to the Russian theatre stage. His best-known plays, in which"