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Music

Editions of Boris Godunov Mussorgsky and his path to fame

The editions of Boris Godunov Mussorgsky are rich in history and turbulent creative process. Modest Mussorgsky's opera "Boris Godunov" was created rapidly: in the fall of 1868, the composer began working on a libretto based on materials from Pushkin and Karamzin, and by the winter of 1869 finished essay appeared before the Directorate of Imperial Theaters.

From that moment on, the matter took a new turn, as a result of which the work acquired a number of editions and was presented to the public only 5 years after its creation.

About Mussorgsky's editions...

Musical history, perhaps, cannot name another opera presented in so many different editions as Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov.

The first of them, from 1869, was a reflection of the composer’s main idea of ​​contrasting the people and the tsar. Mussorgsky saw in the people “a great personality, animated by a single idea” and realized this task in the first edition of the work.

Probably for this reason, the original version of the opera was criticized by the Directorate of Imperial Theaters. The argument put forward was the absence of a significant female part, which was considered a mandatory attribute of an opera production. Modest Mussorgsky introduced into the work the character of False Dmitry's beloved Marina Mniszech, which required a whole Polish act, and also fulfilled another tradition opera genre- a spectacular finale, which presented the uprising of the masses near Kromy.

The second edition, presented to the theater committee in 1872, was also rejected. Rimsky-Korsakov attributed the reason for this to innovative musical language his comrade, who “baffled the venerable committee.”

Nevertheless, thanks to Mussorgsky's entourage, the opera was staged in the winter of 1874 at the Mariinsky Theater. But after 6 years it disappeared from the repertoire. A year later, Mussorgsky himself died (1881). The situation with the removal of Boris from the list of repertoire performances was repeated in Moscow: in 1888, the opera was first performed at the Bolshoi Theater, but lasted only 10 performances.

...and others

Studying the legacy of Modest Mussorgsky, modern music critics note that it is the first version of “Boris Godunov” that is distinguished by the greatest harmony and self-sufficiency, linking this, among other things, with the absence of the need to follow someone else’s will. However, in this form the composition was first performed in the USSR - in Leningrad in 1928, based on the 1869 edition restored by musicologist Pavel Lamm.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was the first to begin editing the opera. A version in which some of the rough edges of Mussorgsky's language were smoothed out and the orchestration partially redone was presented under the baton of Rimsky-Korsakov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1896.

By the way, Fyodor Stravinsky, the father of 14-year-old Igor, the future great composer, performed as Varlaam. Another great Russian musician, Fyodor Chaliapin, also sang in the same version. He first appeared in the role of Tsar Boris in 1898 and represented the opera as a soloist in its first foreign productions (Paris in 1908, London in 1913, New York in 1921).

In 1959 in Leningrad the opera was performed in new version, presented by Dmitri Shostakovich. The changes that the Soviet classic subjected to the composition affected exclusively the orchestral writing and were largely performed in the style of Mussorgsky himself.

It should be noted that in the twentieth century “Boris Godunov” found its place in the world opera repertoire. In 1948, the opera was again staged at the Bolshoi Theater by a brilliant cast of directors: conductor N. Golovanov, director L. Baratov, artist F. Fedorovsky, choreographer L. Lavrovsky. This version was restored in 2011 and now “Boris Godunov” is one of the oldest performances of the country’s main theater.

November 23, 2017. The 1998 production will present M. Mussorgsky's work in its original edition.

New Opera

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In this article we will look at the most famous work M. P. Mussorgsky - “Boris Godunov”. Summary The opera will be scheduled with special care. This work is programmatic for the composer.

A little about opera

The work “Boris Godunov” (a summary of the opera is presented below) was created in 1869, and the first production took place only in 1874. The work was based on historical events 1598-1605, which coincided with the appearance of False Dmitry in Moscow.

However, immediately after completion the opera was refused to be staged. Two more editions and the support of influential friends were needed for the work to be brought to life on stage. Mariinsky Theater.

The libretto of the opera "Boris Godunov" was based on work of the same name A. S. Pushkin and materials taken from the “History of the Russian State,” written by N. M. Karamzin.

Characters of the opera "Boris Godunov"

• Boris Godunov.
• His son Fedor.
• His daughter Ksenia.
• Ksenia's mother (nurse).
• Prince Shuisky, Vasily Ivanovich.
• Duma clerk Andrey Shchelkanov.
• Hermit and chronicler Pimen.
• An impostor named Gregory.
• Daughter of the Sandomierz voivode Marina Mnishek.
• Secret Jesuit Rangoni.
• Tramp Varlaam.
• Tramp Misail.
• The owner of the inn.
• Holy fool.
• Bailiff Nikitich.
• Boyar Khrushchev.
• Near boyar.
• Jesuit Lavitsky.
• Jesuit Chernikovsky.
• Mityukha.
• 1st peasant.
• 2nd peasant.
• 1st woman.
• 2nd woman.

Also participating in the performance are the boyars and their children, bailiffs, archers, gentlemen, girls, Moscow people and Kaliki passers-by.

The opera takes place in Russia and Poland and lasts from 1598 to 1605.

Prologue. Scene 1

The action of the work “Boris Godunov” begins in Moscow. The summary of the opera takes the audience to the courtyard square of the Novodevichy Convent, which is full of people. A bailiff walks among those gathered and, constantly playing with his baton, asks that all those gathered immediately kneel down and begin to pray to Boris Godunov that he agreed to become king. Then Shchelkanov comes out to the assembled people and reports that the boyar does not agree, does not want to become the Tsar of Russia.

You can hear the singing of people passing by. " God's people", leaning on the backs of their guides, approach the walls of the monastery. They distribute amulet to those they meet and ask them to pray that Boris will be elected to reign, only this will save Rus'.

Scene 2

Now the summary of the opera “Boris Godunov” takes us to the majestic coronation. The action takes place on the square of the Moscow Kremlin. The bells are ringing, the boyars are solemnly marching under the arches of the Assumption Cathedral. Prince Shuisky stands on the porch and loudly pronounces the solemn “Long live Tsar Boris Fedotovich!” All those gathered praise the new king.

Boris Godunov comes out to the porch. He is tormented by doubts and gloomy forebodings. It was not without reason that he did not want to be crowned king. However, the Tsar orders the Moscow people to be summoned to a feast.

Act one. Scene 1

The summary of the opera “Boris Godunov” continues at night. Pimen, an old man who has seen a lot in his life, appears before the viewer in one of his cells, writing a chronicle. Right there, in the corner, Gregory, a young monk, took refuge and was fast asleep. Prayer singing can be heard from afar.

Suddenly Grigory wakes up abruptly. The young man sees that Pimen is awake and decides to reveal to him the dream he had, which greatly alarmed the monk. And at the same time he asks the elder to interpret what he saw. Gregory retells the dream.

The monk’s dreams force Pimen to remember the past, about those kings who exchanged their purple and royal staff for the “monks’ humble hood.” With great curiosity, Grigory listens to the elder’s stories about the death of little Tsarevich Dmitry. Pimen also notes that the young man and the deceased prince are the same age. An insidious plan suddenly comes to Grigory's mind.

Scene 2

Modest Mussorgsky became famous largely thanks to this opera. “Boris Godunov,” one might say, became the crown of his creations. But let's return to the work itself.

Lithuanian border, tavern near the road. Misail and Varlaam, fugitive monks, enter the room. Grigory is also with them. The good-natured hostess begins to treat everyone who enters. The tramps are happy, they sing songs and drink wine. However, Gregory does not share their happiness. The young man was consumed by thoughts of his planned plan - to impersonate the deceased Dmitry. That is why the former monk is in a hurry to Lithuania. He is not entirely sure about the road, and begins to ask the owner about it. A kind woman talks about checkpoints that are placed on all roads - they are looking for someone. However, this is not a hindrance, since there are other roads that bypass the barriers.

Suddenly a knock is heard on the tavern door, and then the bailiffs enter. They keep a close eye on the former monks as they feast. Apparently, considering them suspicious, government officials approach them and begin questioning them. Then they show the royal decree, which says that it was ordered to catch the monk Grigory Otrepyev, who fled from the Chudov Monastery.

The attention of the bailiffs is drawn to a young man sitting separately from the others. But before they can approach him, Grigory jumps out through the window onto the street. Everyone present rushes to catch him.

Act two

What makes the work even more interesting is that it is based on real events opera "Boris Godunov". The summary of the opera depicts a richly decorated royal tower in the Moscow Kremlin. Here Princess Ksenia is crying, standing next to the portrait of her recently deceased groom. Not far from her is Tsarevich Fyodor, who is reading a book of the “big drawing”. Ksenia's mother is busy with needlework. Those present try to cheer up the princess. Therefore, the mother begins to sing funny tales, the prince joins her, fooling around.

Suddenly Boris enters. He approaches his daughter and begins to gently calm her down. Then he turns to Fedor, asks about his academic success and praises him for the work he has done. However, these conversations cannot distract the king from the terrible thoughts tormenting him. For the sixth year now he has been sitting on the throne, but neither he nor Rus' is happy. The country is groaning from hunger.

Boris believes that both the famine in the country and the death of Xenia's fiancé are revenge for the terrible crime he committed - the killing of Tsarevich Dmitry.

Boyar Blizhny appears. He bows to Boris and reports that Prince Vasily Shuisky is waiting for a conversation with the ruler. Godunov orders Shuisky to be let in. The prince says that an impostor has appeared in Lithuania, who imagines himself to be Tsarevich Dmitry.

The Tsar demands that Shuisky tell everything he knows about the death of the baby. The prince talks about the crime committed in every detail, trying not to miss the details. Boris, already tormented by his conscience, cannot stand it. The king sits heavily in his chair. In the shadows, constantly wavering, he imagines the ghost of the murdered Dmitry.

Act three. Scene 1

Almost never left Pushkin's plot in his work Mussorgsky. The opera “Boris Godunov” (the summary confirms this) clearly follows the plot outlined by the poet.

Sandomierz Castle, Marina Mniszech's room. Panna is surrounded by girls who tirelessly praise her beauty. However, Marina is bored, she is tired of flattering speeches. She has another dream - to be on the Moscow throne with the help of marriage.

Then Rangoni appears at the door of her room. This man, hiding behind the power that the church has given him, asks Marina to make the impostor fall in love with her, and then convince her to fight for the right to be on the Russian throne.

Scene 2

Poland is depicted in Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov. Moonlit night, the Pretender stands by the fountain in the garden and indulges in voluptuous dreams of Marina. At this moment Rangoni approaches him. The Jesuit begins to talk about the incredible beauty of Mary and gradually lures a declaration of love for the lady from the Pretender. A crowd of cheerful and noisy guests are walking nearby, who have already begun to celebrate the victory of the Polish troops over the forces of Tsar Boris.

The impostor hides from them behind the trees. Soon the whole company returns back to the castle, and Marina returns back to the garden alone. A duet sounds in which young people declare their love and make ambitious plans for the future.

Act four. Scene 1

Now Mussorgsky is bringing viewers back to Moscow. The opera “Boris Godunov” is rich in scenes where one of the main characters is the Russian people. Thus, a cathedral is depicted in the square of which Moscow people gathered. They discuss rumors and news about the approaching army of False Dmitry and news about the anathema imposed on Grishka Otrepiev.

Suddenly a holy fool appears in chains and is pursued by barefoot boys. They tease the holy fool and quickly bring him to tears. Mass ends. The royal procession from the cathedral begins, the accompanying boyars handing out alms to those gathered. Then Tsar Boris appears, followed by Prince Shuisky and the rest.

The people kneel down and ask the Father Tsar for bread. The holy fool immediately turns to Boris, complaining about the boys, and asks the Tsar to kill them, just as he killed little Dmitry. People retreat in horror. The guards rush to the holy fool, but Boris stops them and leaves, asking the blessed one to pray for his sinful soul. However, from the lips of the holy fool one hears a sentence to the king: the Mother of God does not order to pray “for King Herod.”

Scene 2

The action takes place in (the Moscow Kremlin). An emergency meeting of the Boyar Duma takes place. Shuisky enters the chambers and reports that he just happened to see the tsar calling out to the dead Dmitry and driving away the ghost of the murdered baby, whispering “keep away, child.” Repeating the same words (“keep away, child”), Boris Godunov appears at the meeting.

Gradually the king comes to his senses and sits down in his place. Shuisky turns to him and asks him to listen to a certain elder who wants to tell great secret. Boris gives his consent.

Pimen enters. The elder begins his story, full of hints about the insidious and dishonest murder of Dmitry. The Tsar becomes agitated by these words and falls, exhausted, into the arms of the boyars. Boris feels that his death is close, he asks that they immediately send for Fedor. Because he wants to bless his son and transfer the right to reign. The death knell is heard. Godunov dies.

Scene 3

A path through the forest near the village of Kromy, located almost on the Lithuanian border. A crowd of tramps are walking along the road, leading the boyar Khrushchev. The prisoner is threatened and slandered against Boris Godunov. In this crowd is the holy fool, again surrounded by ragged boys. And Varlaam and Misail, talking about reprisals and executions in Rus', inflame the people even more. Former monks call on those gathered to defend the legitimate heir to the throne, Dmitry. The people support them and wish Boris dead.

The Pretender appears on horseback, followed by an army. He declares himself Russian Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich and invites everyone to come with him to Moscow. Those gathered glorify the Impostor and follow him.

Only the holy fool remains on the road. He sings a mournful song in which he predicts bitter tears and dark, impenetrable misfortune.

This is how the opera “Boris Godunov” ends. The summary for children may not include all scenes. It is advisable to exclude those that describe the terrible details of Dmitry’s death.

The opera (its 1st edition) was created in 1869 and rejected by the Mariinsky Theater Opera Committee. In the second edition (1871), the opera was accepted for production - premiered on January 27, 1974. p/u E Napravnik. In 1888, "Boris Godunov" was staged on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, then (1986) in the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, orchestrated by N. Rimsky-Korsakov.

The performance of the Private Russian Opera (Moscow) with F. Chaliapin in the role of Boris in 1898 was of decisive importance in the stage history of the opera. The opera began to be staged on peripheral stages (Kazan, Orel, Voronezh Saratov). In 1901 - also with the participation of Chaliapin and in the instrumentation of N. Rimsky-Korsakov - "Boris" was staged Bolshoi Theater. Over time, it (along with P. Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades) becomes the most repertoire of Russian opera. According to G. Bernandt's Opera Dictionary, by 1959 the opera had been staged 58 times, including 34 times outside Russia.

In the 60-70s, in the stage practice of "Boris" productions, Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestration began to give way to D. Shostakovich's orchestration (created in 1940). In the last decades of the twentieth century, theaters began to return to Mussorgsky's orchestration.

Editorial staff. The presence of two editions of the opera played a fundamental role in stage fate"Boris". It was as if the opera directors had the opportunity to assemble conceptually different “buildings” from the “bricks” (scenes) of “Boris Godunov” left by Mussorgsky in both editions. In the first edition, the opera consisted of seven scenes: 1) the courtyard of the Chudov Monastery 2) the coronation scene; 3) scene in the cell; 4) scene in Tavern; 5) royal tower; 6) Scene at St. Basil's Cathedral and 7) scene of the boyar Duma and the death of Boris. Thus, the central place in the operatic concept of the 1st edition of the opera was occupied by the personality of Boris and his tragic fate. In the process of creating the 2nd edition of the opera, two new - Polish - paintings arose (significantly increasing the proportion of the Pretender in the opera) and two new characters appeared - Marina Mniszech and the papal nuncio Rangoni. There are nine paintings. But the most fundamental change in the previous edition was the replacement of the “scene at St. Basil’s” with another folk scene, a scene that was the most cruel in its semantic potential - the “scene near Kromy,” which included the episode with the Holy Fool from the “St. Basil” abolished by the composer. And, although the opera in the 2nd edition still ended with the scene of Boris’s death, the logic of the conceptual development of “Boris Godunov” could not help but lead to what happened in its stage practice. Depending on the conceptual intentions of the producers, the opera ends either with the death of Boris or with the scene “under Kromi”. The folk stage "At St. Basil's", which was abolished by the composer, is usually present in productions of "Boris". (For the first time, a performance with both of these folk scenes - "Blessed" and "Kromy" - was staged in 1927 on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater.) Thus, the episode with the Holy Fool is repeated twice in the opera, becoming a kind of philosophically generalizing symbol of the opera. It only remains to add, that the two first folk pictures (Prologue) - Boris’s refusal to marry and his agreement to “be crowned king” - inevitably had to merge into one, which happened (for the first time) on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater five seasons after the first (1874) premiere "Boris".

This publication of the libretto text includes all ten scenes of the opera.

Yu. Dimitrin

Characters.

Boris Godunov – baritone or bass

Theodore, son of Boris – mezzo-soprano

Ksenia, daughter of Boris – soprano

Ksenia’s mother – low mezzo-soprano

Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky, prince - tenor

Andrey Shchelkalov, Duma clerk - baritone

Pimen, chronicler, hermit – bass

An impostor under the name of Gregory - tenor

Marina Mnishek, daughter of the Sandomierz governor -

– mezzo soprano or dramatic soprano

Rangoni, secret Jesuit - bass

Varlaam, tramp - bass

Misail, tramp – tenor

Tavern owner – mezzo-soprano

Fool - tenor

Nikitich, bailiff - bass

Mityukha - bass

Near Boyar – tenor

Boyarin Khrushchov – tenor

Levitsky, secret Jesuit - bass

FIRST PICTURE

Courtyard of the Novodevichy Convent near Moscow. Exit gate in the monastery wall with a turret. The bailiff enters.

BAILIFF (to the people).

Well, what about you?

Why have you become idols?

Quickly, on your knees!

Come on! (Threatens with a baton.)

Yah! Eco damn brat.

The people are on their knees.

Oh, you’re leaving it to someone, the breadwinner!

We and all your orphans are defenseless.

Oh, yes, we ask you, we pray

With tears, with grief:

Have mercy! Have mercy! Have mercy!

Boyar-father! Our Father!

You are the breadwinner!

Boyar, have mercy!

The bailiff leaves. The people remain on their knees.

PEASANT. Mityukh, and Mityukh, why are we yelling?

MITYUKHA. Won! How should I know!

PEASANTS. We want to install a Tsar in Rus'!

Oh, crazy! I'm completely hoarse!

Dove, neighbor,

Didn't you have some water?

ANOTHER GIRL. Look, what a noblewoman!

She screamed louder than anyone else

I would have saved it myself!

PEASANT. Well, you women, don't talk!

WOMEN. What kind of pointer are you?

PEASANTS. Nishkni.

WOMEN. Look, the bailiff has imposed himself!

MITYUKHA. Oh, you witches, don't rage!

Oh, you shot, you damned one!

The infidel has been found!

Eko, the devil, got attached!

Forgive me, Lord, shameless one!

Oh, let's better go, women,

I'll say hello,

From trouble and from adversity!

(Rise from their knees.)

PEASANTS.

I didn't like the nickname

Apparently it was salty,

Not to please, not to taste.

(Laughter.)

After all, we are already getting ready to go,

(Increasing laughter.)

The bailiff appears. Seeing him, the women drop to their knees... The former stillness of the crowd.

BAILIFF ( crowd).

What are you doing? Why did you stop talking?

Al a sip sorry?

(Shaking a baton) Here I am! Hasn’t it been a long time since the whip walked across your back? (Advancing.) I will teach you a lesson quickly!

Don't be angry, Nikitich.

Don't be angry, darling!

Let's just rest

We'll scream again.

(To the side.)

And he won’t let you breathe, damn it!

BAILIFF. Come on! Just don’t regret a sip!

PEASANTS. OK!

BAILIFF. Well!

PEOPLE (at the top of my lungs).

To whom are you leaving us, our father!

Oh, you’re leaving it to someone, my dear!

We, orphans, ask you, we pray

With tears, with grief;

Have mercy, have mercy,

Boyar-father!

(After the bailiff's threat.)

Our Father! Our Father! Breadwinner! Breadwinner!

Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!

Shchelkalov appears.

BAILIFF (seeing Shchelkalov, waves to the people).

Nishkni! Get up!

(The crowd rises.)

The clerk of the Duma says:

Shchelkalov comes out to the people.

SHCHELKALOV.

Orthodox! Relentless boyar!

To the mournful call of the Boyar Duma and the Patriarch,

And I didn’t want to hear about the royal throne.

Sadness in Rus'...

Hopeless sadness, Orthodox Christians!

The earth groans in evil lawlessness.

Fall down to the Lord of hosts:

May he send consolation to sorrowful Rus'...

And illuminate with heavenly light

Boris is a tired spirit!

(He leaves. The bailiff follows him.)

Opera in four acts (eight scenes) with a prologue (of two scenes)

Dedicated to the composer’s beloved nephew V.L. Davydov.

Libretto by M. P. Mussorgsky

Characters:
Boris Godunov: baritone
Boris's children: Fedor, Ksenia: mezzo-soprano soprano
Ksenia's mother low: mezzo-soprano
Prince Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky: tenor
Andrey Shchelkalov, Duma clerk: baritone
Pimen, hermit chronicler: bass
An impostor under the name of Gregory (raised by Pimen): tenor
Marina Mnishek, daughter of the Sandomierz voivode: mezzo-soprano
Rangoni, secret Jesuit: bass
Tramps: Misail, Varlaam: bass
Shinkarka: mezzo-soprano
Holy Fool: tenor
Nikitich, bailiff: bass
Mityukha, peasant: bass
Near Boyar: tenor
Boyarin Khrushchov: tenor
Jesuits: Chernikovsky, Lavitsky: bass

Boyars, boyar children, archers, bells, bailiffs, lords and ladies, Sandomierz girls, Kaliki travelers, the people of Moscow.

Location: Moscow, Lithuanian border, castle in Sandomierz, Kromy.

Time period: 1598-1605.

HISTORY OF CREATION

The idea of ​​writing an opera based on the plot historical tragedy Pushkin's "Boris Godunov" (1825) was given to Mussorgsky by his friend, the prominent historian Professor V.V. Nikolsky. Mussorgsky was extremely fascinated by the opportunity to translate the topic of the relationship between the tsar and the people, which was acutely relevant for his time, and to bring the people into the role of the main character of the opera. “I understand the people as a great personality, animated by a single idea,” he wrote. - This is my task. I tried to solve it in opera."

The work, which began in October 1868, proceeded with great creative enthusiasm. A month and a half later, the first act was ready. The composer himself wrote the libretto of the opera, drawing on materials from N. M. Karamzin’s “History of the Russian State” and other historical documents. As the composition progressed, individual scenes were performed in a circle of “kuchkists”, who gathered either at A. S. Dargomyzhsky or at Glinka’s sister L. I. Shestakova. “Joy, admiration, admiration were universal,” recalled V.V. Stasov.

At the end of 1869, the opera “Boris Godunov” was completed and presented to the theater committee. But its members, discouraged by the ideological and artistic novelty of the opera, rejected the work under the pretext of the lack of a winning female role. The composer made a number of changes, adding a Polish act and a scene near Kromy. However, the second edition of Boris, completed in the spring of 1872, was also not accepted by the directorate of the imperial theaters. “Boris” was staged only thanks to the energetic support of advanced artistic forces, in particular the singer Yu. F. Platonova, who chose the opera for her benefit performance. The premiere took place on January 27 (February 8), 1874 at the Mariinsky Theater. The democratic public greeted “Boris” enthusiastically. Reactionary criticism and the nobility-landowner society reacted sharply negatively to the opera.

Soon the opera began to be performed with arbitrary abbreviations, and in 1882 it was completely removed from the repertoire. “There were rumors,” wrote N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov on this occasion, “that the royal family did not like the opera; they chatted that its plot was unpleasant to the censors.”

“Boris Godunov” was revived in St. Petersburg many years later (1896) on a private stage, edited and orchestrated by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. From that time on, the triumphant procession of “Boris” began across the stages musical theaters peace. IN Lately The orchestration of the opera, made by D. D. Shostakovich, became famous.

PLOT

In the courtyard of the Novodevichy Convent, the bailiff threatens the assembled people to ask the boyar Boris Godunov to accept the royal crown. Boris stubbornly refuses the throne. Duma clerk Shchelkalov informs the people about this. “Holy elders” pass by - Kaliki passers-by, advocating for the election of Boris. The bailiff announces the decree of the boyars - tomorrow everyone must be in the Kremlin and wait there for orders.

The next morning, the people gathered in front of the Assumption Cathedral dutifully praise Boris, who agreed to be crowned king. But the triumph does not please the sovereign - painful forebodings torment him.

In the cell of the Chudov Monastery, the old hermit Pimen writes a true chronicle about Boris, who is guilty of the death of the legitimate heir to the throne - Tsarevich Dimitri. The young monk Grigory Otrepyev became interested in the details of the murder. With excitement, he learns that the prince was his age, and makes a daring decision: to call himself Dimitri and enter into a fight with Boris.

Gregory appears in a tavern on the Lithuanian border along with random fellow travelers - fugitive monks Varlaam and Misail. The bailiffs enter: they are looking for the fugitive heretic Grishka Otrepiev. Reading the royal decree, Grishka names the signs of Varlaam. The imaginary criminal is captured, but the deception is discovered, and the Pretender has to flee.

The Tsar's Tower in the Kremlin. Boris consoles his daughter Ksenia, who is grieving over her deceased fiancé. Both in the family and in government affairs no luck for the king. His efforts to earn the love of the people are in vain, the memories of committed crime. Prince Vasily Shuisky, a cunning and treacherous courtier, brings news of the appearance in Lithuania of an Pretender who called himself the name of Dimitri, who is supported by the king and lords. Boris is confused. He sternly interrogates Shuisky, a witness to the death of Dimitri, did the prince really die? However, Boris is unable to listen to the end of the story: he sees the ghost of a murdered baby.

Girls entertain Marina Mniszek, who is bored in Sandomierz Castle, with songs. An ambitious Polish woman, who dreams of taking the throne of the Moscow Tsars, wants to capture the Pretender. In the interests catholic church Jesuit Rangoni also demands this from her.

Together with a crowd of merry gentlemen, Marina leaves the castle into the garden. Here the Impostor is waiting for her. With cunning and affection, Marina kindles his love. It will belong to him when, at the head of the Polish army, the Pretender takes control of Moscow and becomes the ruler of Rus'.

Square in front of St. Basil's Cathedral. The people eagerly catch rumors about the approach of the Pretender. He believes that Dimitri is alive and will save him from Boris’s tyranny. The royal procession begins. Hungry people stretch out their hands with a desperate plea: “Bread!” The pitiful Holy Fool throws a grave accusation in the autocrat's face: he asks Boris to kill the boys who offended him, just as he stabbed the little prince.

The Boyar Duma met in the Faceted Chamber of the Kremlin. Everyone is excited about the news of the Imposter. The belated Shuisky talks about Boris’s secret suffering. Suddenly, the Tsar himself appears before the eyes of the boyars, driving away the ghost of a child in fear. Boris's torment reaches its limit when the chronicler Pimen, deliberately brought by Shuisky, narrates about miraculous healing a blind man who prayed over the grave of Demetrius. The king cannot stand it and falls unconscious. Having woken up, he calls his son Fyodor and, barely having time to say last words parting words, dies.

The peasant uprising flares up with a bright flame. In a forest clearing, near the village of Kromy, people mock Borisov’s governor and deal with the Jesuits who come to hand. Varlaam and Misail incite the rebellious people, talking about torture and executions in Rus'. The Impostor appears, the people joyfully greet him. But the Holy Fool predicts new adversities for the people. “Woe, grief of Rus', cry, Russian people, hungry people,” he sings.

MUSIC

“Boris Godunov” is a folk musical drama, a multifaceted picture of the era, striking in its Shakespearean breadth and boldness of contrasts. The characters are depicted with exceptional depth and psychological insight. The music reveals with stunning power the tragedy of the tsar’s loneliness and doom, and innovatively embodies the rebellious, rebellious spirit of the Russian people.

The prologue consists of two scenes. The orchestral introduction to the first expresses grief and tragic hopelessness. The chorus “To whom are you leaving us” is akin to mournful folk lamentations. Appeal from clerk Shchelkalov “Orthodox! The boyar is relentless!” imbued with majestic solemnity and restrained sadness.

The second scene of the prologue is a monumental choral scene, preceded by the ringing of bells. The solemn eulogy to Boris “As red as the sun in the sky” is based on a genuine folk melody. In the center of the picture is Boris’s monologue “The Soul Grieves,” whose music combines royal grandeur with tragic doom.

The first scene of the first act opens with a brief orchestral introduction; the music conveys the monotonous creak of the chronicler’s pen in the silence of a secluded cell. Pimen’s measured and sternly calm speech (monologue “One more, last legend”) outlines the stern and majestic appearance of the old man. Bossy, a strong character is felt in his story about the kings of Moscow. Gregory is depicted as an unbalanced, ardent young man.

The second scene of the first act contains rich everyday scenes. Among them are the songs of the shinkarka “I caught a gray drake” and Varlaam’s “How it was in the city in Kazan” (on folk words); the latter is full of elemental strength and daring.

The second act broadly outlines the image of Boris Godunov. The long monologue “I have reached the highest power” is filled with a restless, mournful feeling and alarming contrasts. Boris's mental discord worsens in a conversation with Shuisky, whose speeches sound insinuating and hypocritical, and reaches extreme tension in the final scene of hallucinations (the "scene with the chimes").

The first scene of the third act opens with an elegantly graceful chorus of girls “On the Azure Vistula”. Marina’s aria “How languid and sluggish,” set in the rhythm of a mazurka, paints a portrait of an arrogant aristocrat.

The orchestral introduction to the second scene depicts an evening landscape. The melodies of the Pretender's love confession are romantically excited. The scene of the Pretender and Marina, built on sharp contrasts and capricious changes of mood, ends with the passionate duet “Oh Tsarevich, I beg you.”

The first scene of the fourth act is a dramatically tense folk scene. From the plaintive groan of the Holy Fool’s song “The month is moving, the kitten is crying” grows the chorus of “Bread!”, stunning in its tragic power. The second scene of the fourth act ends with the psychologically acute scene of Boris's death. His last monologue, “Farewell, my son!” painted in tragically enlightened, peaceful tones.

The third scene of the fourth act is a monumental folk scene of exceptional scope and power. The opening chorus “Not a falcon flies across the sky” (to the original folk melody of a majestic song) sounds mocking and menacing. The song of Varlaam and Misail “The sun and the moon have darkened” is based on the melody folk epic. The climax of the picture is the rebellious chorus “Walked up, walked around”, full of spontaneous, indomitable revelry. The middle section of the chorus, “Oh, you, strength,” is a sweeping tune of a Russian round dance song, which, as it develops, leads to menacing, angry cries of “Death to Boris!” The opera ends with the solemn entry of the Pretender and the cry of the Holy Fool.

Characters:

HISTORY OF CREATION

The idea to write an opera based on the plot of Pushkin’s historical tragedy “Boris Godunov” (1825) was suggested by his friend, a prominent historian, Professor V.V. Nikolsky. I was extremely fascinated by the opportunity to translate the topic of the relationship between the tsar and the people, which was acutely relevant for his time, and to bring the people into the role of the main character of the opera. “I understand the people as a great personality, animated by a single idea,” he wrote. - This is my task. I tried to solve it in opera."

The work, which began in October 1868, proceeded with great creative enthusiasm. A month and a half later, the first act was ready. The composer himself wrote the libretto of the opera, drawing on materials from N. M. Karamzin’s “History of the Russian State” and other historical documents. As the composition progressed, individual scenes were performed in a circle of “kuchkists” who gathered first at and sometimes at sister L. I. Shestakova’s. “Joy, admiration, admiration were universal,” recalled V.V. Stasov.

At the end of 1869, the opera “Boris Godunov” was completed and presented to the theater committee. But its members, discouraged by the ideological and artistic novelty of the opera, rejected the work under the pretext of the lack of a winning female role. The composer made a number of changes, adding a Polish act and a scene near Kromy. However, the second edition of Boris, completed in the spring of 1872, was also not accepted by the directorate of the imperial theaters. “Boris” was staged only thanks to the energetic support of advanced artistic forces, in particular the singer Yu. F. Platonova, who chose the opera for her benefit performance. The premiere took place on January 27 (February 8), 1874 at the Mariinsky Theater. The democratic public greeted “Boris” enthusiastically. Reactionary criticism and the nobility-landowner society reacted sharply negatively to the opera.

Soon the opera began to be performed with arbitrary abbreviations, and in 1882 it was completely removed from the repertoire. “There were rumors,” he wrote on this occasion, “that the royal family did not like the opera; they chatted that its plot was unpleasant to the censors.”

"Boris Godunov" was revived in St. Petersburg many years later (1896) on a private stage in edition and instrumentation. From that time on, the triumphant march of “Boris” began across the stages of musical theaters around the world. Recently, the opera's instrumentation, made by .

PLOT

In the courtyard of the Novodevichy Convent, the bailiff threatens the assembled people to ask the boyar Boris Godunov to accept the royal crown. Boris stubbornly refuses the throne. Duma clerk Shchelkalov informs the people about this. “Holy elders” pass by - Kaliki passers-by, advocating for the election of Boris. The bailiff announces the decree of the boyars - tomorrow everyone must be in the Kremlin and wait there for orders.

The next morning, the people gathered in front of the Assumption Cathedral dutifully praise Boris, who agreed to be crowned king. But the triumph does not please the sovereign - painful forebodings torment him.

In the cell of the Chudov Monastery, the old hermit Pimen writes a true chronicle about Boris, who is guilty of the death of the rightful heir to the throne - Tsarevich Dimitri. The young monk Grigory Otrepyev became interested in the details of the murder. With excitement, he learns that the prince was his age, and makes a daring decision: to call himself Dimitri and enter into a fight with Boris.

Gregory appears in a tavern on the Lithuanian border along with random fellow travelers - fugitive monks Varlaam and Misail. The bailiffs enter: they are looking for the fugitive heretic Grishka Otrepiev. Reading the royal decree, Grishka names the signs of Varlaam. The imaginary criminal is captured, but the deception is discovered, and the Pretender has to flee.

The Tsar's Tower in the Kremlin. Boris consoles his daughter Ksenia, who is grieving over her deceased fiancé. The king has no luck both in his family and in government affairs. His efforts to earn the love of the people are in vain, the memories of the crime committed are painful. Prince Vasily Shuisky, a cunning and treacherous courtier, brings news of the appearance in Lithuania of an Pretender who called himself the name of Dimitri, who is supported by the king and lords. Boris is confused. He sternly interrogates Shuisky, a witness to the death of Dimitri, did the prince really die? However, Boris is unable to listen to the end of the story: he sees the ghost of a murdered baby.

Girls entertain Marina Mniszek, who is bored in Sandomierz Castle, with songs. An ambitious Polish woman, who dreams of taking the throne of the Moscow Tsars, wants to capture the Pretender. In the interests of the Catholic Church, Jesuit Rangoni also demands this from her.

Together with a crowd of merry gentlemen, Marina leaves the castle into the garden. Here the Impostor is waiting for her. With cunning and affection, Marina kindles his love. It will belong to him when, at the head of the Polish army, the Pretender takes control of Moscow and becomes the ruler of Rus'.

Square in front of St. Basil's Cathedral. The people eagerly catch rumors about the approach of the Pretender. He believes that Dimitri is alive and will save him from Boris’s tyranny. The royal procession begins. Hungry people stretch out their hands with a desperate plea: “Bread!” The pitiful Holy Fool throws a grave accusation in the autocrat's face: he asks Boris to kill the boys who offended him, just as he stabbed the little prince.

The Boyar Duma met in the Faceted Chamber of the Kremlin. Everyone is excited about the news of the Imposter. The belated Shuisky talks about Boris’s secret suffering. Suddenly, the Tsar himself appears before the eyes of the boyars, driving away the ghost of a child in fear. Boris's torment reaches its limit when the chronicler Pimen, deliberately brought by Shuisky, tells of the miraculous healing of a blind man who prayed over the grave of Demetrius. The king cannot stand it and falls unconscious. Waking up, he calls his son Fyodor and, barely having time to utter his last parting words, dies.

The peasant uprising flares up with a bright flame. In a forest clearing, near the village of Kromy, people mock Borisov’s governor and deal with the Jesuits who come to hand. Varlaam and Misail incite the rebellious people, talking about torture and executions in Rus'. The Impostor appears, the people joyfully greet him. But the Holy Fool predicts new adversities for the people. “Woe, grief of Rus', cry, Russian people, hungry people,” he sings.

MUSIC

“Boris Godunov” is a folk musical drama, a multifaceted picture of the era, striking in its Shakespearean breadth and boldness of contrasts. The characters are depicted with exceptional depth and psychological insight. The music reveals with stunning power the tragedy of the tsar’s loneliness and doom, and innovatively embodies the rebellious, rebellious spirit of the Russian people.

The prologue consists of two scenes. The orchestral introduction to the first expresses grief and tragic hopelessness. The chorus “To whom are you leaving us” is akin to mournful folk lamentations. Appeal from clerk Shchelkalov “Orthodox! The boyar is relentless!” imbued with majestic solemnity and restrained sadness.

The second scene of the prologue is a monumental choral scene, preceded by the ringing of bells. The solemn eulogy to Boris “As red as the sun in the sky” is based on a genuine folk melody. In the center of the picture is Boris’s monologue “The Soul Grieves,” whose music combines royal grandeur with tragic doom.

The first scene of the first act opens with a brief orchestral introduction; the music conveys the monotonous creak of the chronicler’s pen in the silence of a secluded cell. Pimen’s measured and sternly calm speech (monologue “One more, last legend”) outlines the stern and majestic appearance of the old man. An imperious, strong character is felt in his story about the kings of Moscow. Gregory is depicted as an unbalanced, ardent young man.

The second scene of the first act contains rich everyday scenes. Among them are the songs of the shinkarka “I caught a gray drake” and Varlaam’s “As it was in the city in Kazan” (to folk words); the latter is full of elemental strength and daring.

The second act broadly outlines the image of Boris Godunov. is filled with a restless, mournful feeling and alarming contrasts. Boris's mental discord worsens in a conversation with Shuisky, whose speeches sound insinuating and hypocritical, and reaches extreme tension in the final scene of hallucinations (the "scene with the chimes").

The first scene of the third act opens with an elegantly graceful chorus of girls “On the Azure Vistula”. Marina’s aria “How languid and sluggish,” set in the rhythm of a mazurka, paints a portrait of an arrogant aristocrat.

The orchestral introduction to the second scene depicts an evening landscape. The melodies of the Pretender's love confession are romantically excited. The scene of the Pretender and Marina, built on sharp contrasts and capricious changes of mood, ends with the passionate duet “Oh Tsarevich, I beg you.”

The first scene of the fourth act is a dramatically tense folk scene. From the plaintive groan of the Holy Fool’s song “The month is moving, the kitten is crying”, a chorus of “Bread!”, stunning in its tragic power, grows.

The second scene of the fourth act ends with the psychologically acute scene of Boris's death. His last monologue, “Farewell, my son!” painted in tragically enlightened, peaceful tones.

The third scene of the fourth act is a monumental folk scene of exceptional scope and power. The opening chorus “Not a falcon flies across the sky” (to the original folk melody of a majestic song) sounds mocking and menacing. The song of Varlaam and Misail “The sun and the moon have darkened” is based on the melody of a folk epic. The climax of the picture is the rebellious chorus “Walked up, walked around”, full of spontaneous, indomitable revelry. The middle section of the chorus, “Oh, you, strength,” is a sweeping tune of a Russian round dance song, which, as it develops, leads to menacing, angry cries of “Death to Boris!” The opera ends with the solemn entry of the Pretender and the cry of the Holy Fool.