A classic set, and
one that vies for the affections with
the possibly more famous Cluytens/Christoff
recording of Boris. To have the
Dobrowen for £15, complete with fascinating
fillers (three quarters of an hours’
worth) is quite remarkable, though,
and the opportunity to compare and contrast
Christoff and Chaliapin in this work
is the most intelligent use I’ve ever
seen Naxos make of filler-time. The
only black mark is that there are a
mere five seconds between the end of
the opera and the first excerpt, so
if you’re not quick the effect of Mussorgsky’s
closing bars will be spoilt.
Surely this is the
most impressive ‘Prologue’ in all opera?.
Its 25 minutes and two scenes (courtyard
of the Novodevichhiy Monastery and the
Great Square, both Moscow) span huge
crowd activity (and what bells issue
forth from the Cathedrals of the Assumption
and the Archangels!) and hugely emotive
passages for Boris.
Right from the outset
there is a wonderful feeling of Old
Russia. Orchestral ensemble is excellent
and the musical discourse is driven
by an internal energy that promises
much. Immediately we know we are on
a huge canvas. Stanislaw Pieczora is
commanding as the Guard (great that
smaller roles are well-cast as well
as the larger ones), and Kim Borg as
Shchelkalov makes his mark preparing
for Christoff/Boris’s entrance. Dobrowen
prepares for this moment by conjuring
up a real sense of stillness.
Of course it is Christoff’s
larger than life character that dominates
this set, but let us not underplay the
contributions of other members of the
cast. Eugenia Zareska’s Marina is superb
(as is her flighty Fyodor, but as Marina
in her Act 3 she really shows her talent
- CD2 track 14). And Nicolai Gedda as
the False Dimitry (oh, and Grigory also)
is hardly less impressive, his tenor
rich yet powerful. The combination of
Marina and Dimitry at the end of Act
3 is a powerful one indeed (Marina’s
pitching is a thing of wonder). Ludmila
Lebedeva makes an expressive Xenia (try
her lament at the beginning of Act 2).
Bielecki is a nasal
Shiusky while Kim Borg is full-bodied
and smooth in his portrayal of Rangoni.
Dobrowen paces the
action superbly, inspiring his players
to great heights. Take the Polonaise
from Act 3 Scene 2, for example, which
goes with a real swing. Deeper tracts
(and there are many) are never unnecessarily
lingered upon, yet still seem to be
accorded full dramatic weight. There
is an unflagging momentum that runs
through the entire performance, but
in terms of more interior expression
one could do no better than to examine
Dobrowen’s accompaniment to Pimen’s
Act 4 Narration (CD3, track 10), exquisitely
shaded and providing not only a backdrop
but an integral part of the melodic
activity.
Mark Obert-Thorn used
American LP pressings as his source
material on the grounds that EMI’s master
tape has a surfeit of bumps and pre-echo
and his decision must be enthusiastically
welcomed on the evidence of the finished
product.
The fillers are fascinating,
with an unpublished People’s Chorus,
a previously unpublished take of the
Clock Scene and two tracks (Entry of
Boris and Funeral Bell and Death of
Boris) unpublished on 78s. Chaliapin
is the featured Boris here (he is not
present on the first except, the People’s
Chorus). Recording is excellent for
the vintage (1926-31).
A pity Goossens is
on the sluggish side for the People’s
Chorus (Prologue, Scene 2), but Chaliapin
makes the listener sit up in his entry
passage … his voice cuts like a knife
and in the Act 2 monologue he shows
his impassioned side. But it is the
Clock Scene that is special (LSO/Steinmann).
The opening is simply terrifying. The
farewell has an appropriately monumental
quality.
A massively impressive
release, and one that once more places
us in debt to Naxos.
Colin Clarke
See also review
by Robert Farr
Boris Christoff (bass) Boris Godunov/Pimen/Varlaam;
Eugenia Zareska (mezzo) Marina, Feodor; Kim
Borg (bass) Rangoni, Shchelkalov; Andrzej Bielecki
(tenor) Shuisky, Missail, Krushchov; Lydia Romanova
(mezzo) Nurse, Hostess; Ludmila Lebedeva (soprano)
Xenia; Nicolai Gedda (tenor) Grigory; Raymond
Bonte (bass) Lavitsky; Russian Chorus of Paris;
French National Radio Orchestra/Issay Dobrowen.