Name: Boris Godunov
Start: 2022-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2022-12-29T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Teatro alla Scala

Organization

Dirigent

Riccardo Chailly

Regisseur

Kasper Holten

Set designer

Es Devlin

Kostuum ontwerper

Ida Marie Ellekilde

Licht ontwerper

Jonas Bǿgh

Video ontwerper

Luke Halls

Zanger

Baritone

Ildar Abdrazakov

Boris Godunov

Mezzo-soprano

Lilly Jørstad

Fyodor

Soprano

Anna Denisova

Kseniya

Agnieszka Rehlis

Mamka Kseniyi

Tenor

Norbert Ernst

Knyaz Vasiliy Shuysky

Alexey Markov

Andrey Shchelkalov

Bass

Ain Anger

Pimen

Aleksander Kravets

Misail

Maria Barakova

Hozyaika korchmy

Yaroslav Abaimov

Yuródivïy

Roman Astakhov

Mityukha

Bass-baritone

Oleg Budaratskiy

Perviy Pristav

Dmitrij Golovnin

Samozvanets pod imenem Grigoriya

Stanislav Trofimov

Varlaam

Nikitich

Vasyl Solodkyy

Blijniy Boyarin

Adam Palka

Teatro alla Scala

Others

Coro del Teatro alla Scala

Orchestra

Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala

Russisch

Boris Godunov -  (Boris Godoenov)

Milaan

Italië

At the beginning of the 17th century, the Russian Empire is shaken by a scramble for power following the death of Tsar Fyodor I: it is the Time of Troubles… Milan’s La Scala opens its 2022-23 opera season with the five-act drama Boris Godunov, staged by Kasper Holten, conducted by inimitable Maestro Riccardo Chailly in his ninth season opener at the prestigious venue, and starring Ildar Abdrazakov in the title role!

Mussorgsky’s masterpiece is not a random choice: it bears echoes of Verdi’s Macbeth, which opened the previous season, and holds a special place in La Scala’s history. The first Italian staging of Boris Godunov took place here in 1909, and in 1979, Claudio Abbado—assisted by none other than a young Chailly himself—opened the Scala season with a memorable production of this classic drama, under the direction of the legendary Juri Ljubimov.  

Holten’s staging and Es Devlin’s set design highlight the thematic core of the plot, by connecting Pushkin’s drama—from which the libretto was taken—with a Shakespearian inspiration: Boris Godunov, played by world-renowned bass Abdrazakov, is suffering from remorse over the assassination of the legitimate heir to the throne, the Tsarevich Dmitri; meanwhile, a young vagrant-monk (played by Dmitry Golovnin), pretending to be the prince, persuades the King of Poland to invade the Russian territories. While the country descends into chaos, the Tsar descends into madness…

In this plot brimming with violence and intrigue, where personal and collective history intersect, a five-star cast captivates from start to finish, including Ain Anger—impeccable in the role of the chronicler Pimen—the remarkable Anna Denisova as the delicate Ksenyia, and Norbert Ernst as the prince Vasiliy Shuysky.

Video's