The staging and recording of Mussorgsky’s original seven-scene
version of Boris Godunov and his subsequent revised version
is now so commonplace that it is something of a surprise to find
a new release of Rimsky-Korsakov’s reworking of the opera. Indeed,
Rimsky’s ‘corrections’, re-orchestration and scene-shifting have
come in for such criticism in recent years that his handiwork
- ironically designed to give the work more popular appeal and
acceptance - has become almost completely neglected.
The
release by Brilliant Classics of a recording of Rimsky’s 1908
reworking is, therefore, of huge interest to anyone with a love
of Mussorgsky’s masterpiece. Made in 1952 and expertly re-mastered
digitally, the recording comes from the golden era of opera
on disc at EMI and was produced by Walter Legge. It bears all
the hallmarks of his masterly touch – seamless transitions between
scenes, clear spacing between the singers and the massive choral
and orchestral forces that accompany them, clarity of detail,
and an overall sharpness which belies the fact that this is
a 57-year-old mono recording.
The
main attraction of the recording is Boris Christoff, who not
only sings the title role, but takes on two other parts – the
monk Pimen, and his comic alter ego, the vagabond monk
Varlaam. His singing as Godunov is masterly. His rich, resonant
tone serves him well as the regal tsar in the prologue, with
just the right hint of insecurity and vulnerability. Christoff’s
versatility and deep understanding of the role come to the fore
in the second Act. He moves naturally from expressions of warmth
and tenderness with his children, to bare anger and aggression
in his confrontation with Shuisky - a suitably creepy André
Bielecki. Boris’s hallucination of the dead tsarevich Dimitri
is truly gripping.
The
only quibble with Christoff’s performance is that the final
death scene is hugely overplayed, with hyberbolic groans and
death gasps. But the switching round of the final two scenes
in this version does present a problem. The chaos of rebellion
and disorder in the Kromy forest and the simpleton’s symbolic
lament for Russia’s woes comes first, leaving Boris’s final
prayer and death in need of some kind of dramatic lift to round
off the opera. There are further difficulties with two scene
cuts in Act Three: the meeting between the false Dimitri and
Rangoni before the arrival of Marina and her guests; and Dimitri’s
solo after they re-enter the castle. These omissions further
strip the opera of the political questions and human dilemmas
that lie at its core, reducing it from a seminal work of national
significance to a romantic grand opera.
Fortunately,
the doubling and tripling of singers’ roles does not cause too
much distraction for the listener. On the whole, they deliver
such clearly delineated performances that they rarely sound
like the same singer. Christoff makes an excellent Varlaam –
boisterous, comic, bullying and finally quite chilling in the
Kromy forest. As Pimen he is a little too grand for a humble,
scholarly monk, although by the final Act he delivers a tender,
restrained interpretation which is far removed from the mounting
paranoia of the dying tsar. Indeed, the contrast between the
two characters on track 10 is so clearly marked that one doesn’t
at first realise that they are sung by the same singer.
One
performer not to have multiple roles is the young Nicolai Gedda
as Gregory/Dimitri. He begins rather disappointingly in the
opening scene of Act One. His light, airy tone, sounds too vague,
and Gregory’s outrage against Boris’s supposed crimes carries
little conviction. His singing is much more rewarding during
the Polish castle scene as the pretender and lover Dimitri.
The voice is fresh, ardent and lyrical. But he is badly matched
with Eugenia Zareska as princess Marina - who also takes on
the role of Boris’s son, Feodor. Her singing is stodgy and matronly,
and contrasts poorly with Gedda’s youthful flair.
The Choeurs Russes
de France are superb. Their diction is perfect, and they inject
real force and energy into the opera, from their supplication
to Boris in the prologue, to their incarnation as rabble-rousing
thugs in the Kromy forest. The orchestral playing too is sharp
and dynamic. Conductor Issay Dobrowen moves his sizeable forces
with tempi that are rather faster than usual, but these seem wholly
appropriate to drive the action forward. And the superlative sound
engineering picks out some surprising orchestral effects which
are often lost even in modern studio recordings.
It is a pity that
Brilliant Classics chose not to provide more substantial sleeve-notes
to explain the background to this recording and the version of
the opera. And there is no libretto either although one is available
on the web (see above). But this is not really a recording for
newcomers to the opera, or for those seeking a definitive edition.
Instead, it will please seasoned listeners who know their Mussorgsky
well and wish to deepen their experience of this endlessly intriguing
masterpiece.
John-Pierre
Joyce
Boris, Pimen,
and Varlaam - Boris Christoff (bass); Marina and Fyodor - Eugenia
Zareska (mezzo); Grigory - Nicolai Gedda (tenor); Rangoni and Schelkelov
- Kim Borg (bass); Simpleton - Wassili Pasternack (tenor); Shuisky
- Andrej Bielecki (tenor); Xenia - Ludmilla Lebedeva (soprano);
Nurse, Hostess – Lydia Romanova; A Boyar – Gustav Ustinov; Simpleton
– Wassili Pasternak; Officer/Guard – Stanislav Pieczora; Lavitsky
– Raymond Bonte; Chernikovsky – Eugène Bousquet 
