Organization

Singer

Tenor

Aleš Briscein

Dimitrij

Soprano

Dana Burešová

Marina

Olga Jelínková

Xenie

Baritone

Mark S. Doss

Prince Vasilij Sujsky

Bass

Christopher Job

Basmanov

Pawel Izdebski

Jove

James Demler

Neborsky

Seth Grondin

Bucinsky

Conductor

Gil Rose

Contralto

Irina Mishura

Marfa

Odyssey Opera

Czech

Boston

United States

NEC Jordan Hall

Dimitrij Dvořák,A

Public

English

Approved

Odyssey Opera presents the Boston Premiere of Antonín Dvořák’s 'Dimitrij' on September 16th at NEC's Jordan Hall.Opera in four actsLibretto by Marie Červinko...

Odyssey Opera presents the Boston Premiere of Antonín Dvořák’s 'Dimitrij' on September 16th at NEC's Jordan Hall.

Opera in four acts
Libretto by Marie Červinková-Riegrová (1854-1895)

Sung in Czech with English Subtitles

CAST
Aleš Briscein        Dimitrij Ivanovič
Dana Burešová    Marina Mníškova, Dimitrij’s wife
Olga Jelínková     Xenie Borisovna, Boris Godunov’s daughter
Irina Mishura        Marfa Ivanovna, widow of Ivan the Terrible
Mark S. Doss        Prince Vasilij Šujskij
Christopher Job   Petr Fedorovič Basmanov, leader of the Tsar’s army
Pawel Izdebski     Jov, patriarch of Moscow
James Demler      Něborský, a soldier from the Polish retinue
Seth Grondin        Bučinský, a soldier from the Polish retinue

Odyssey Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Gil Rose, Conductor

Odysseyopera.org/dimitrij

video by Kathy Wittman | Ball Square Films

Dvořák’s only grand opera picks up where Mussorgsky left off. After the death of Tsar Boris Godunov, Russia is gripped by uncertainty – who will assume the throne? Boris’s children Fyodor and Xenie, or the one who proclaims himself as Dimitrij, the son of Boris’s predecessor, Ivan the Terrible?

Dimitrij is Dvořák’s most solemn work of the Meyerbeer-esque type of grand opera. The composer conceived his opera as an epic historical tableau unfolding in a spirit of solemn pathos and monumentality. The work was therefore not compatible with the requirement for a “simple, national style”, nor was it sufficiently modern in a Wagnerian sense. Today we regard Dimitrij in all its versions as an important example of Dvořák’s mature compositional mastery and it is also unquestionably one of the most significant works produced for the Czech operatic stage of the post-Smetana era. It boasts a wealth of melodic ideas, a wonderful evocation of local and period atmosphere in the extensive choral scenes, and remarkable instrumentation.

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast