Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky, Nuo (2022/2022), Režisierius Sergei Bogoslavskiy, Dirigentas Valery Gergiev, Waleriy Trubin-Leonoff, Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, Vladivostok, Russia

To enjoy Boris Godunov by one’s own eyes is a dream of any opera lover. The pangs of conscience and mental turmoil of the sinful tsar hallucinating with “blooded boys”, in the brilliant musical incarnation by Modest Musorgsky, can excite the audience much deeper than any Hollywood thriller. Along with Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Boris Godunov has become the most performed Russian opera in the world. This masterpiece comes in a dozen various versions. On the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, the opera is presented in its first version (1869), which reflects the composer’s initial conception most closely. It is devoid of the love line with Marina Mniszech, the Polish act with dances and the Kromy civilian revolt scene. In this version, the focus is placed on the main character: the opera begins with the decision to crown Boris Godunov and ends with his death. The stage version of the opera is based on Andrei Tarkovsky’s legendary 1983 London production, his only opera directing experience. Since 1990, upon initiative of Valery Gergiev, it has been staged at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. The opera was transferred and adapted to the Primorsky Stage by Sergei Bogoslavsky, who has supplemented the production with video projections by Pyotr Okunev. This version was first performed in the summer of 2022 at the VII International Mariinsky Far East Festival; maestro Gergiev took the conductor’s stand, and Ildar Abdrazakov, the top Russian bass among the whole generation, performed the part of Boris Godunov. Now the opera is successfully presented by the Primorsky Stage soloists.