Boris Godunov

Like the 1969 film of Borodin's Prince Igor (see VL-3/06), this Soviet production is a truncated version of a classic—in this case, Modest Mussorgsky's opera about the usurper tsar brought down by a monk masquerading as the young prince the tyrant had actually murdered. In this 1954 work, however, the singers mostly act their parts rather than being replaced by a separate acting cast (the exception is Boris' son Feodor, played by a young man whose voice is obviously dubbed by a female). The result is quite effective—visually opulent, with impressive sets and costumes, colorful cinematography, and direction by Vera Stroyeva that combines grandeur and excitement. While the vintage sound is mediocre—Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestration is presumably used, but it's difficult to tell—the performance per se is excellent. Alexander Pirogov, although slightly past his prime, comes across as a magisterial Boris; Georgi Nelepp is a vibrant Grigori (the Pretender); and Ivan Kozlovsky is compelling as the Fool. The orchestra suffers more than the voices from the muffled audio, but one can still detect the authority in conductor Vassily Nebolsin's leadership of the Bolshoi Theatre. A fine example of both Soviet-era filmmaking and Russian opera, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)