Boris Godunov
is a work that, with its long, continuous
scenes and monumental structure, does
not lend itself easily to a highlights
disc, especially if the intention is
to give a fair cross-section of the
opera. The producers of this compilation,
drawn from a complete recording originally
issued by Erato, wisely concentrate
the choice on a few substantial chunks,
covering most of Boris’s part. To this
they add a couple of snippets that can
stand on their own, out of context.
It is very much the same concept as
Chandos’s highlights disc in their "Opera
in English" series, although the
non-Boris excerpts differ from the ones
on this Warner disc.
In effect the two discs
are artist portraits of John Tomlinson
and Ruggero Raimondi respectively, and
since both recordings are based on the
first version from 1868 in David Lloyd-Jones’
edition (i.e. Mussorgsky’s "original"
without Rimsky-Korsakov’s tidying-ups)
they invite to illuminating comparisons.
First of all the two Borises are quite
different voice types. Tomlinson’s is
a true bass: dark, heavy, massive; Raimondi’s
is much more baritonal: lighter, more
nimble and smoother.
These differences are
also, at least partly, mirrored in the
conductors’ interpretation of the score,
most of all in their choice of tempo
for the Boris scenes. Paul Daniel (Tomlinson)
is much slower; he needs 28 minutes
for the Apartments scene whereas Rostropovich
(Raimondi) takes only 25. There is a
similar difference in the Death scene:
Daniel 24½; Rostropovich 20.
Of course tempo is
not everything and both versions offer
valid impersonations of the ill-fated
tsar, and while the ideal, as so often,
is somewhere in between - neither is
much off the mark. For listeners who
crave the original language, Tomlinson
is of course ruled out, although English
works surprisingly well as a substitute
for Russian, which I first discovered
more than twenty years ago when I actually
heard Tomlinson in this opera at the
ENO.
Leaving the Chandos
at that and concentrating on the Apex,
it is apparent from the very first chords
of the coronation scene that this is
going to be a no-nonsense traversal
of this powerful score. The chiming
bells, the dark, threatening brass chords
and the really punchy choral singing
have you at once sitting up in your
chair. Rostropovich has always been
one of the most dynamic of musicians,
whether as cellist, pianist or conductor
and it is obvious that he relishes the
pungent harmonies of Mussorgsky’s original.
Tempos are, as I have already mentioned,
fastish – the polonaise (track 4) is
unusually lively – but "Slava"
is never rigid: he knows where to hold
back and as a whole, judging from these
excerpts (I haven’t heard the complete
recording) this is as good an interpretation
as any of this many-faceted score.
Raimondi’s Boris is
lyrical and warm, very human – and very
beautiful. In many ways he reminds me
of Kim Borg, the great Finnish bass
of the 1950s and 1960s, who was also
a great Boris. I learnt Boris’s music
– or parts of it – from a DG recital
with Russian bass arias sung by Borg.
Hearing Raimondi I recognize much of
the timbre, the warmth and even a lot
of inflections from that Borg LP ...
high praise. His second act monologue,
"I stand supreme in power",
to use David Lloyd-Jones’ English translation
(halfway through track 2) is exquisitely
done. Later in the same act, the so
called ‘clock scene’, where Boris’s
bad conscience makes him see ghosts,
"Ugh! Give me air! I suffocate
in here ..." (end of track 3).
The terror, the desperation is depicted
with utmost intensity. Compared to the
legendary Chaliapin recording, Raimondi
is not so overwhelmingly larger than
life, but he expresses the same agony
just as movingly but with smaller means.
The real highpoint
of this score, and a challenge to any
good singer-actor, is Boris’s death.
This long monologue is sung with great
restraint, softly and inwardly, until
the very end, where the agitation becomes
almost physically tangible – then a
whispered "Forgive me" and
then ... silence. An utterly moving
portrayal of the tsar!
The other singers,
good as many of them are, become more
or less marginalized on a highlights
disc like this, but some of them are
worth a comment or two. Kenneth Riegel
is an incisive Shuisky in the coronation
scene and suitably oily in the second
act scene with Boris (track 3). It is
good to hear a "real" boy,
not a fruity mezzo-soprano, as Feodor.
Matthew Adam Fish sings very well in
the nursery scene (track 2) where both
Catherine Dubosc and Mira Zakai as Xenia
and the old nurse, are expressive. As
Marina we hear Rostropovich’s wife,
Galina Vishnevskaya, who sounds remarkably
fresh of voice, although it is obvious
that this is an old singer. She was
61 when the recording was made and had
retired from the opera stage several
years earlier.
Vishnevskaya’s Dimitri
in the love duet (track 5) is Vyacheslav
Polozov, whose diamond-hard tenor is
more suitable for cutting glass than
expressing warmth in a love duet. It
would probably have been a better idea
to let Nicolai Gedda, who here in his
62nd year sings the Simpleton
(track 7) with the same beauty of tone
and intelligent phrasing as ever, take
on the role. It’s one he had already
recorded twice: first in 1952, the year
of his debut at the Royal Opera in Stockholm
and his very first complete recording,
and then again in 1977, the first recording
of the original score with Jerzy Semkow.
He retained his superb voice very long
indeed; in 1992, five years after this
recording was made, I heard him at the
Royal Opera in Stockholm, giving a full-length
recital to celebrate his 40th
year as an opera singer. He then sang
a number of demanding arias: Lenski’s
aria, the Pearl Fishers romance, the
Flower Song from Carmen, Nemorino’s
arias from L’Elisir d’amore. These were
all delivered with the same lustre,
the same power, the same beauty of voice
as we had been used to hear on his 20,
30 and even 40 years old recordings.
He still recorded as recently as 2002.
Close brackets. Let me just mention
that Paul Plishka is a strong Pimen
in the Death Scene (track 6) with good
feeling for the words but a little unsteady.
At budget price this
disc is well worth having for Raimondi’s
beautifully sung and deeply felt Boris
and, as an extra bonus, for Gedda’s
Simpleton. No texts are provided of
course and the synopsis relates the
story of the opera (which is good) but
with no references to what is actually
sung (which is less good). The choruses
and the orchestra are excellent and
the sound quality everything one could
wish.
Göran Forsling
The Chevy Chase Elementary School Chorus,
The Oratorio Society of Washington, The Choral
Arts Society of Washington, National Symphony
Orchestra/Mstislav Rostropovich. 
