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Boris Godunov
Metropolitan Opera House, Tue, September 21, 1982
Debut : Darren Nimnicht
Boris Godunov (213)
Modest Mussorgsky | Modest Mussorgsky
- Boris Godunov
- Martti Talvela
- Prince Shuisky
- Robert Nagy
- Pimen
- Paul Plishka
- Grigory
- Wieslaw Ochman
- Marina
- Mignon Dunn
- Rangoni
- John Darrenkamp
- Varlaam
- Donald Gramm
- Simpleton
- James Atherton
- Nikitich
- Andrij Dobriansky
- Mitiukha
- James Courtney
- Shchelkalov
- Arthur Thompson
- Innkeeper
- Geraldine Decker
- Missail
- Charles Anthony
- Officer
- William Fleck
- Xenia
- Betsy Norden
- Feodor
- Charles Coleman
- Nurse
- Batyah Godfrey Ben-David
- Boyar in Attendance/Khrushchov
- Emil Filip
- Lavitsky
- Darren Nimnicht [Debut]
- Chernikovsky
- Anthony Laciura
- Conductor
- James Conlon
- Production
- August Everding
- Set Designer
- Ming Cho Lee
- Costume Designer
- Peter J. Hall
- Lighting Designer
- Gil Wechsler
- Choreographer
- George Balanchine
- Stage Director
- Phebe Berkowitz
Boris Godunov received eighteen performances this season.
FUNDING:
Revival a gift of the Panwy Foundation
Review 1:
Andrew Porter in the New Yorker
THE Met's "Boris Godunov," rich yet sombre in its staging, directed by August Everding, has the same integrity and coherence. This season's revival is conducted by James Conlon and is his finest achievement: broadly paced, grand, yet poetic and emotional, with instrumental lines and colors direct in their eloquence. The edition used is a conflation of Mussorgsky's first and second versions, containing more music than the composer ever intended to be played in a single evening. The result could be unwieldy but proves not so, because Ming Cho Lee's scenes change swiftly and the "dramatic iconography" ? in which Gil Wechsler's lighting has an important part ? is so striking. But unless a Princess Marina smoother and more seductive of voice than Mignon Dunn was and a less boring Rangoni than John Darrenkamp can be found, the Polish act ? Mussorgsky's afterthought ? might as well be omitted. The time gained could be used to restore passages missing from the study scene. The Kromy Forest scene is this season played without some cuts that disfigured it before.
Martti Talvela is a Boris without the bite of his great predecessors, but in his slightly soft-grained way he is imposing. His histrionics looked calculated; one noticed him preparing to overturn the heavy table, claw down the curtains, take a spectacular final tumble. Wieslaw Ochman was a strong, fine-drawn Grigory, though the fountain duet needed a sweeter timbre. There were good performances from Robert Nagy (Shuisky), Paul Plishka (Pimen), Donald Gramm (Varlaam), and several others. James Atherton's Simpleton should have been more simply played and sung. The chorus's curious logrolling exercises in the final episodes suggested that rehearsal time had run short. But, all in all, this was a noble and stirring account of the piece.
Search by season: 1982-83
Search by title: Boris Godunov,
Met careers
- James Conlon [Conductor]
- Martti Talvela [Boris Godunov]
- Robert Nagy [Prince Shuisky]
- Paul Plishka [Pimen]
- Wieslaw Ochman [Grigory]
- Mignon Dunn [Marina]
- John Darrenkamp [Rangoni]
- Donald Gramm [Varlaam]
- James Atherton [Simpleton]
- Andrij Dobriansky [Nikitich]
- James Courtney [Mitiukha]
- Arthur Thompson [Shchelkalov]
- Geraldine Decker [Innkeeper]
- Charles Anthony [Missail]
- William Fleck [Officer]
- Betsy Norden [Xenia]
- Charles Coleman [Feodor]
- Batyah Godfrey Ben-David [Nurse]
- Emil Filip [Boyar in Attendance/Khrushchov]
- Darren Nimnicht [Lavitsky]
- Anthony Laciura [Chernikovsky]
- August Everding [Production]
- George Balanchine [Choreographer]
- Ming Cho Lee [Set Designer]
- Peter J. Hall [Costume Designer]
- Gil Wechsler [Lighting Designer]
- Phebe Berkowitz [Stage Director]