For the first time in Krasnoyarsk — statement of the 1st author's edition of the opera together with the Moscow theatre"New Opera". In the center — not simply destiny of the tsar Boris, but the person who isn't deprived of weaknesses and sincere torments.
"Each line of Mussorgsky is expensive to us, his each sketch because among nice masters of the Russian music Mussorgsky was the most consecutive, courageous and uncompromising preacher of realism..."
Academician Boris Asafyev
"Boris Godunov" for the Russian person is something great, tragic, solemn and shrill, as mysterious Russian soul. And the more amazingly that the musical drama of Mussorgsky about the Russian spirit was accepted by contemporaries of the composer, went down, mildly, badly.
There was a drama destiny of the first author's edition of 1869. It was rejected by Theatrical committee of management of imperial theatres of Russia. Among causes of failure there were a lack of a lyrical "female" subject and rejection of novelty of language of the opera. "What nice person Mussorgsky, is a pity that he so got lost in music!" — members of the committee spoke.
Mussorgsky undertook the second edition of the opera (1872) in which changed the final - finished it not with death of Boris, but the scene of insurgent people, the celebration of the impostor and the monologue of Yurodivy, and also added the bright line of Marina Mnishek and "the Polish act". These "inserts" displaced semantic accent from the personal tragedy of the tsar Boris to the tragedy of the people. But, despite amendments, the opera was again rejected. It managed to be stage only two years later — the premiere took place on February 8, 1874 on a scene of the Maryinsky Theatre. Despite an enthusiastic reception of public, the critic met the opera sharply negatively.
During lifetime of Mussorgsky the last (twenty first) submission of the cut-down, spoiled opera took place on February 9, 1879 "Boris" was given again in some months after death of the composer - on December 11, 1881. This performance on which Mussorgsky's friends gathered, was some kind of "farewell". "The mood was heavy, we felt the deep vital drama of the great Russian musician, - the composer M. Ippolitov-Ivanov remembers. - Borodin brushed away the running tears, and the scene of death of Boris for excitement he couldn't listen and left the box". Soon the opera was shot from repertoire.
Wishing to return "Boris" on the scene, N. Rimsky-Korsakov on the basis of the second author's edition created two editions which made the opera of more "harmonious". "Boris Godunov" in his edition became the hit, triumphally marched worldwide and won popularity. Own edition of the opera of Mussorgsky in 1940 was made by D. Shostakovich. Two more - D. Guttman and K. Ratgauz in the middle of last century for New York Metropolitan Opera. In each of these options musicians create the composition from the composer text, change musical fabric, give the decision, what scenes written by Mussorgsky to include in the opera context and what to exclude, offer the sequence of scenes.
"I lived "Boris", in "Boris" …"
The opera "Boris Godunov" was begun by Mussorgsky in October, 1868.
For writing of the libretto the composer used the text of the tragedy of the same name of Pushkin and materials of Karamzin "Stories of the State Russian", having concentrated on "the tragedy of conscience" of the tsar Boris. Work on the opera became for Mussorgsky time of huge creative rise. "I lived "Boris", in "Boris", - he wrote, - and in my brains the lived time in "Boris" is noted by expensive tags, indelible".
In the first edition of 1869 "Boris Godunov" of Mussorgsky was work integral, bright, shrill and originally innovative on musical language with which the composer sought to express dynamics of sincere life of the heroes; besides very congenial and to the mentality of the Pushkin tragedy. The first edition of the opera "Boris Godunov" was known by the circle of people close to the composer. About execution of the first fragments of the opera "Boris Godunov" the musical critic V. Stasov wrote: "The pleasure, admiration, an admiring were general!". But all this it appeared insufficiently to the opera saw a limelight.
In the course of creation of the second edition the initial full musical text of "Boris Godunov" was actually lost. And, Mussorgsky not that accurately cut out - and in anger pulled out pages. Over time, inaccessible to execution, the author's score of the first edition of the opera was forgotten at all. More than in half a century it was restored according to draft manuscripts of Mussorgsky. As an independent, self-valuable work of art the opera "Boris Godunov" in the first author's edition was for the first time staged in London, at Sadler's Wells theatre in 1935.
The real opening of original "Boris" took place only presently. In 1980 “Estonia” theatre presented the first in the USSR the performance "Boris Godunov" "in initial purest version". In Russia statement of the first author's edition of "Boris Godunov" in 1989 for the first time was carried out by E. Kolobov - at first at the Moscow musical theatre of K. Stanislavsky and Vl. Nemirovich-Danchenko, and then at New Opera theatre. The Petersburg viewer could see the first edition of the opera only in 1995 at Sankt-Peterburg Opera theatre (director Yu. Alexandrov). In author's edition of 1869 "Boris Godunov" entered into repertoire of the Maryinsky Theatre (1997, the director A. Adabashyan; 2002, the director V. Kramer), the Perm academic opera and ballet theater of P. Tchaikovsky (1998, the director G. Isaakyan), Center of opera singing of Galina Vishnevskaya (2011, director I. Popovski). Interest in the first edition of the opera intensified also in the West: it was staged in the Berlin state opera (2005), at Theatre Velysh in Warsaw (2009), etc.
World opera masterpiece
The opera "Boris Godunov" - one of four most popular Russian operas in the West. Today as the trade mark of the Russian art it goes on the best opera platforms of the world.
"Boris Godunov" gained the international recognition in 1908 in Paris when in the opera edited by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, the title part was sung by F. Shalyapin. The premiere took place in the Parisian Grand-Opera on May 19, 1908 within Diaghilev's "The Russian seasons". The tremendous success forced to repeat the opera and next year. In the program of "Seasons" it remained till 1913. Subsequently S. Dyagilev gave the statement to Parisian "Grand-Opera", and the performance continued the life on the same scene, but already performed by the French troupe.
Shortly the opera "Boris Godunov" bypassed all world scenes. On March 19, 1913 it was for the first time shown in New York, at Metropolitan Opera theatre. Dyagilev's statement was taken as a basis. On June 24, 1913 S. Dyagilev showed "Boris Godunov" in London, at royal theater Drury Lane. Boris F. Shalyapin sang. In the mid-twenties - the beginning of the 1930th the opera was included into repertoire of the Russian immigrant troupe of A. Tsereteli, in party of the tsar Boris the outstanding bass F. Shalyapin again acted.
In our country among the most memorable call a performance of the Bolshoi theater of 1901 in which the title part was sung by F. Shalyapin, and as the Impostor the well-known tenor L. Sobinov and legendary statement of Big 1948 acted. (L. Baratova – F. Fedorovsky). To this version Big came back repeatedly, and in 2011, having opened a historical scene, the theater returned this well-known statement.
The opera "Boris Godunov" is recognized as the world masterpiece. It is included in repertoire of many outstanding conductors. Among performers - the glorified vocalists, among directors - A. Tarkovsky, A. Konchalovsky, A. Sokurov, G. Vick and other famous directors. All of them try to find "" "Boris Godunov", opening new or before not noticed his sides…
