If you want to purchase
a DVD of Khovanshchina then this
one has to be it; there is no competition.
As luck would have it, there is little
audio competition either with the exception
of a Philips CD recording of a 1992
Kirov production under Valery Gergiev.
This Arthaus DVD presents
the film of the Vienna State Opera’s
much admired 1989 performance under
Claudio Abbado - for many, the greatest
contemporary Mussorgsky conductor. The
production, and the recording made for
CD release in 1990, did much to rehabilitate
a work that had had mixed fortunes since
the death of the composer who never
had time to finish it. The version used
here, as in the case of Gergiev’s recording,
is the one completed by Shostakovich
with a final scene constructed by Stravinsky;
altogether an improvement – and certainly
more authentic - than the first attempt
by Rimsky-Korsakov.
The filming of the
production was released on video in
1997 with a few cast changes from the
CD version. The main difference is the
lead role of Khovansky père
which is taken by the Bulgarian bass,
Nicolai Ghiaurov. On the CD it was sung
by the Dane, Aage Haugland.
Ghiaurov was one of
the great basses of the last generation.
This DVD release of the film more or
less coincides with his death nearly
three months ago and can thus serve
as a fitting memorial. He was considered
a worthy successor to his compatriot
Boris Christoff from whom he inherited
the intimidating mantle of the role
of Boris Godunov. Yet he was also hugely
experienced and authoritative in his
less heralded part of Khovansky. In
the film, at his entrance some twenty
minutes into the opera, he immediately
puts his stamp on the proceedings with
a combination of physical and vocal
command. Then in his sixtieth year,
the voice may have been a mite passed
its best but there is no doubt that
we are witnessing a great singer at
work. He will be mourned and leaves
the soprano, Mirella Freni a widow.
Ghiaurov is surrounded
by a very strong cast who all act and
sing well in a staging that skilfully
highlights the mood and pace change
between the private and the public –
a classic operatic theme. The sizeable
choral forces, including children, bustle,
sing and dance in the public settings
with admirable energy and commitment.
The tense, private confrontations are
dramatically staged, often with clever
use of lighting. The sets are semi-abstract
and sufficiently unostentatious to ensure
that we focus on the characters and
the choreography of the choruses.
A particular virtue
of this film is the well judged video
direction. I assume credit for this
should go to the ubiquitous Brian Large,
producer of many a fine operatic video.
The camera work is faultless in its
sympathy with the staging. A fine example
is in the second act where the seeress,
Marfa, tells of the future to Prince
Golitsyn. He gives her a glass jug of
water over which she pores. The jug
begins to glow, the lights go down,
the camera homes in. Very effective.
Mussorgsky has created
a drama that charts a rather tortuous
dramatic course but Abbado steers through
it musically with an unerring sense
of direction and pace. His CD had some
difficulties of balance among the singers
but in the DVD these are not so apparent
and the sound is in some ways superior.
This is in the top rank of DVD operas
and is very keenly priced. I have checked
around for prices and find that if you
buy the CD of the same production you
will pay nearly three times more than
for the DVD. Maybe there is some logic
to this but it defeats me.
John Leeman
The Vienna State Opera Chorus, The Slovak Philharmonic
Chorus, The Wiener Sängerknaben 
ARTHAUS
DVD 100 310 [188:00] 