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{{Short description|Opera by Modest Mussorgsky}}
{{other uses|Boris Godunov (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox opera
| name              = Boris Godunov
| composer          = [[Modest Mussorgsky]]
| image             = The Death of Boris 1874.jpg
| image_upright     = 1.5
| caption           = The death of Boris in the [[Palace of Facets|Faceted Palace]] from the premiere production
| native_name       = {{langx|ru|Борис Годунов}}
| librettist        = Mussorgsky
| language          = Russian
| based_on          = ''[[Boris Godunov (play)|Boris Godunov]]'' by [[Alexander Pushkin]] and ''History of the Russian State'' by [[Nikolay Karamzin]]
| premiere_date     = {{Start date|1874|01|27|df=y}}
| premiere_location = [[Mariinsky Theatre]], Saint Petersburg
}}
'''''Boris Godunov''''' ({{langx|ru|'''Борис Годунов'''|Borís Godunóv|links=no}} {{Audio|Ru-Boris_Godunov.ogg|listen}}) is an [[opera]] by [[Modest Mussorgsky]] (1839–1881). The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece.<ref>Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: pp. 98, 138)</ref><ref>Brown (1986: p. 31)</ref> Its subjects are the [[List of Russian rulers|Russian ruler]] [[Boris Godunov]], who reigned as [[Tsar]] (1598 to 1605) during the [[Time of Troubles]], and his [[nemesis (mythology)|nemesis]], the [[False Dmitriy I|False Dmitriy]] (reigned 1605 to 1606). The Russian-language [[libretto]] was written by the composer, and is based on the 1825 [[drama]] ''[[Boris Godunov (play)|Boris Godunov]]'' by [[Alexander Pushkin|Aleksandr Pushkin]], and, in the Revised Version of 1872, on [[Nikolay Karamzin]]'s ''History of the Russian State''.

Among major operas, ''Boris Godunov'' shares with [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s ''[[Don Carlos]]'' (1867) the distinction of having an extremely complex creative history, as well as a great wealth of alternative material.<ref>Taruskin (1993: p. 202)</ref> The composer created two versions—the Original Version of 1869, which was rejected for production by the Imperial Theatres, and the Revised Version of 1872, which received its first performance in 1874 in Saint Petersburg.

''Boris Godunov'' has often been subjected to cuts, recomposition, re-orchestration, transposition of scenes, or conflation of the original and revised versions.

Several composers, chief among them [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov|Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov]] and [[Dmitri Shostakovich]], have created new editions of the opera to "correct" perceived technical weaknesses in the composer's original scores. Although these versions held the stage for decades, Mussorgsky's individual harmonic style and orchestration are now valued for their originality, and revisions by other hands have fallen out of fashion.

In the 1980s, ''Boris Godunov'' was closer to the status of a repertory piece than any other [[Russian opera]], even [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]]'s ''[[Eugene Onegin (opera)|Eugene Onegin]]'',<ref>Oldani (1982: p. 12)</ref> and is the most recorded Russian opera.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk| title = Opera Discography}}</ref>

==History==

===Composition history===
''Note: Dates provided in this article for events taking place in Russia before 1918 are [[Old Style]].''

{{Gallery
|title=
|footer=
|width=140
|File:Karamzin by Tropinin (1818, Tretyakov gallery).jpg|{{center|[[Nikolay Karamzin]]<br />(1766–1826)}}
|File:Kiprensky Pushkin.jpg|{{center|[[Alexander Pushkin]]<br />(1799–1837)}}
|File:Vladimir Vasilyevich Stasov 1873-1875.jpg|{{center|[[Vladimir Stasov]]<br />(1824–1906)}}
|File:Vladimir Nikolsky.jpg|{{center|[[Vladimir Nikolsky]]<br />(1836–1883)}}
}}
By the close of 1868, Mussorgsky had already started and abandoned two important opera projects—the antique, exotic, romantic tragedy ''[[Salammbô (Mussorgsky)|Salammbô]]'', written under the influence of [[Alexander Serov|Aleksandr Serov]]'s ''[[Judith (Serov)|Judith]]'', and the contemporary, Russian, anti-romantic farce ''[[Zhenitba|Marriage]]'', influenced by [[Alexander Dargomyzhsky|Aleksandr Dargomïzhsky]]'s ''[[The Stone Guest (Dargomyzhsky)|The Stone Guest]]''. Mussorgsky's next project would be a very original and successful synthesis of the opposing styles of these two experiments—the romantic-lyrical style of ''Salammbô'', and the realistic style of ''Marriage''.<ref>Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: p. 106)</ref>

In the autumn of 1868, Vladimir Nikolsky, a professor of [[History of Russia|Russian history]] and [[Russian language|language]], and an authority on Pushkin, suggested to Mussorgsky the idea of composing an opera on the subject of Pushkin's [[drama|"dramatic chronicle"]] ''[[Boris Godunov (play)|Boris Godunov]]''.<ref>Calvocoressi (1959: p. 137)</ref> ''Boris'' the play, modelled on [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] [[Shakespearean history|histories]],<ref>Lloyd-Jones (1975: p. 13)</ref> was written in 1825 and published in 1831, but was not approved for performance by the state censors until 1866, almost 30 years after the author's death. Production was permitted on condition that certain scenes were cut.<ref name="Oldani 1982: p.8">Oldani (1982: p. 8)</ref><ref name="Calvocoressi, Abraham 1974: p.37">Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: p. 37)</ref> Although enthusiasm for the work was high, Mussorgsky faced a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to his plans in that an Imperial ukaz of 1837 forbade the portrayal in opera of Russian Tsars (amended in 1872 to include only [[Romanov dynasty|Romanov]] Tsars).<ref>Lloyd-Jones (1975: pp. 13, 16)</ref>

[[File:Modest Musorgskiy, 1870.jpg|thumb|upright|Mussorgsky in 1870]]
'''Original Version'''

When [[Lyudmila Shestakova]], the sister of [[Mikhail Glinka]], learned of Mussorgsky's plans, she presented him with a volume of Pushkin's dramatic works, interleaved with blank pages and bound, and using this, Mussorgsky began work in October 1868 preparing his own libretto.<ref name="Lloyd-Jones 1975: p. 14">Lloyd-Jones (1975: p. 14)</ref> [[s:Boris Godunov|Pushkin's drama]] consists of 25 scenes, written predominantly in [[blank verse]]. Mussorgsky adapted the most theatrically effective scenes, mainly those featuring the title character, along with a few other key scenes (Novodevichy, Cell, Inn), often preserving Pushkin's verses.<ref>Taruskin (1993: pp. 220, 222–223)</ref>

Mussorgsky worked rapidly, composing first the [[vocal score]] in about nine months (finished 18 July 1869), and completed the full score five months later (15 December 1869), at the same time working as a civil servant.<ref name="Lloyd-Jones 1975: p. 14" /><ref name="Oldani 2002: p. 545">Oldani (2002: p. 545)</ref> In 1870, he submitted the libretto to the state censor for examination, and the score to the literary and music committees of the Imperial Theatres.<ref>Oldani (1982: p. 9)</ref> However, the opera was rejected (10 February 1871) by a vote of 6 to 1, ostensibly for its lack of an important female role.<ref name="Taruskin 1993: pp. 250–251">Taruskin (1993: pp. 250–251)</ref> Lyudmila Shestakova recalled the reply made by conductor [[Eduard Nápravník]] and stage manager [[Gennadiy Kondratyev]] of the [[Mariinsky Theatre]] in response to her question of whether ''Boris'' had been accepted for production:<ref name="Taruskin 1993: p. 251">Taruskin (1993: p. 251)</ref>

{{blockquote|"'No,' they answered me, 'it's impossible. How can there be an opera without the feminine element?! Mussorgsky has great talent beyond doubt. Let him add one more scene. Then ''Boris'' will be produced!'"<ref name="Taruskin 1993: p. 251"/>|Lyudmila Shestakova, in ''My Evenings'', her recollections of Mussorgsky and [[The Mighty Handful]], 1889}}

Other questionable accounts, such as Rimsky-Korsakov's, allege that there were additional reasons for rejection, such as the work's novelty:<ref name="Taruskin 1993: p. 251"/>

{{blockquote|"...Mussorgsky submitted his completed ''Boris Godunov'' to the Board of Directors of the Imperial Theatres ... The freshness and originality of the music nonplussed the honorable members of the committee, who reproved the composer, among other things, for the absence of a reasonably important female role."<ref>Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: pp. 109–110)</ref>|Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, ''Chronicle of My Musical Life'', 1909}}

{{blockquote|"All his closest friends, including myself, although moved to enthusiasm by the superb dramatic power and genuinely national character of the work, had constantly been pointing out to him that it lacked many essentials; and that despite the beauties with which it teemed, it might be found unsatisfactory in certain respects. For a long time he stood up (as every genuine artist is wont to do) for his creation, the fruit of his inspiration and meditations. He yielded only after ''Boris'' had been rejected, the management finding that it contained too many choruses and ensembles, whereas individual characters had too little to do. This rejection proved very beneficial to ''Boris''."<ref>Calvocoressi (1956: p. 156)</ref>|Vladimir Stasov}}
Meanwhile, Pushkin's drama (18 of the published 24 scenes, condensed into 16) finally received its first performance in 1870 at the [[Mariinsky Theatre]], three years in advance of the premiere of the opera in the same venue, using the same scene designs by [[Matvey Shishkov]] that would be recycled in the opera.<ref name="Oldani 1982: p.8" /><ref name="Calvocoressi, Abraham 1974: p.37" />

[[File:Eduard Napravnik 2.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Eduard Nápravník]] conducted the premiere of ''Boris Godunov'' (1874).<ref>Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: p. 46)</ref> The Czech Nápravník would spend more than 40 years in the service of Russian music as chief conductor of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre.<ref name="Oldani 1982: p. 7">Oldani (1982: p. 7)</ref> In Rimsky-Korsakov's memoirs, ''Chronicle of My Musical Life'', the composer praises his keen ear, his ability to detect errors, and his overall technique, but faults him for his rapid tempi, his interpretational inflexibility and insensitivity, and, most of all, for his habit of making sweeping cuts.<ref>Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: pp. 221, 254, 327–328)</ref>]]

'''Revised Version'''

In 1871, Mussorgsky began recasting and expanding the opera with enthusiasm, ultimately going beyond the requirements of the directorate of the Imperial Theatres, which called simply for the addition of a female role and a scene to contain it.<ref name="Taruskin 1993: pp. 250–251" /> He added three scenes (the two Sandomierz scenes and the Kromï Scene), cut one (The Cathedral of Vasiliy the Blessed), and recomposed another (the Terem Scene). The modifications resulted in the addition of an important [[prima donna]] role (Marina Mniszech), the expansion of existing female roles (additional songs for the Hostess, Fyodor, and the Nurse), and the expansion of the first tenor role (the Pretender). Mussorgsky augmented his adaptation of Pushkin's drama with his own lyrics, assisted by a study of the monumental ''History of the Russian State'' by Karamzin, to whom Pushkin's drama is dedicated.
The Revised Version was finished in 1872 (vocal score, 14 December 1871; full score 23 June 1872),<ref name="Oldani 2002: p. 545" /> and submitted to the Imperial Theatres in the autumn.

Most Mussorgsky biographers claim that the directorate of the Imperial Theatres also rejected the revised version of ''Boris Godunov'', even providing a date: 6 May 1872 (Calvocoressi),<ref>Calvocoressi (1956: p. 169)</ref> or 29 October 1872 (Lloyd-Jones).<ref>Lloyd-Jones (1975: p. 17)</ref> Recent researchers point out that there is insufficient evidence to support this claim, emphasizing that in his revision Mussorgsky had rectified the only objection the directorate is known to have made.<ref>Oldani (1982: p. 10)</ref>

In any case, Mussorgsky's friends took matters into their own hands, arranging the performance of three scenes (the Inn and both Sandomierz scenes) at the Mariinsky Theatre on 5 February 1873, as a benefit for stage manager Gennadiy Kondratyev.<ref name="Oldani 2002: p. 545" /> [[César Cui]]'s review noted the audience's enthusiasm:

{{blockquote|"The success was enormous and complete; never, within my memory, had such ovations been given to a composer at the Mariinsky."<ref name="Calvocoressi, Abraham p. 42">Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: p. 42)</ref>|César Cui, ''[[Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti]]'', 1873}}

The success of this performance led [[V. Bessel and Co.]] to announce the publication of the piano vocal score of Mussorgsky's opera, issued in January 1874.<ref name="Oldani 2002: p. 545" />

'''Premiere'''

The triumphant 1873 performance of three scenes paved the way for the first performance of the opera, which was accepted for production on 22 October 1873.<ref>Calvocoressi (1956: p. 135)</ref> The premiere took place on 27 January 1874, as a benefit for prima donna [[Yuliya Platonova]].<ref name="Oldani 2002: p. 545" /> The performance was a great success with the public. The Mariinsky Theatre was sold out; Mussorgsky had to take some 20 curtain calls; students sang choruses from the opera in the street. This time, however, the critical reaction was exceedingly hostile<ref>Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: pp. 48–51)</ref> [see [[Boris Godunov (opera)#Critical reception|Critical Reception]] in this article for details].

Initial performances of ''Boris Godunov'' featured significant cuts. The entire Cell Scene was cut from the first performance, not, as is often supposed, due to censorship, but because Nápravník wished to avoid a lengthy performance, and frequently cut episodes he felt were ineffective.<ref name="Oldani 1982: p. 11">Oldani (1982: p. 11)</ref> Later performances tended to be even more heavily cut, including the additional removal of the Kromï scene, likely for political reasons (starting 20 October 1876, the 13th performance).<ref>Orlova (1991: p. 158)</ref> After protracted difficulties in obtaining the production of his opera, Mussorgsky was compliant with Nápravník's demands, and even defended these mutilations to his own supporters.

{{blockquote|"Presently cuts were made in the opera, the splendid scene 'Near Kromï' was omitted. Some two years later, the Lord knows why, productions of the opera ceased altogether, although it had enjoyed uninterrupted success, and the performances under [[Osip Petrov|Petrov]] and, after his death, by [[Fyodor Stravinsky|F. I. Stravinsky]], Platonova, and [[Fyodor Petrovich Komissarzhevsky|Komissarzhevsky]] had been excellent. There were rumors afloat that the opera had displeased the Imperial family; there was gossip that its subject was unpleasant to the censors; the result was that the opera was stricken from the repertory."<ref>Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: pp. 145–146)</ref>|Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, ''Chronicle of My Musical Life''}}

''Boris Godunov'' was performed 21 times during the composer's lifetime, and 5 times after his death (in 1881) before being withdrawn from the repertory on 8 November 1882. When Mussorgsky's subsequent opera ''[[Khovanshchina]]'' was rejected for production in 1883, the Imperial Opera Committee reputedly said: "One radical opera by Mussorgsky is enough."<ref>Emerson (1988: p. 236)</ref> ''Boris Godunov'' did not return to the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre until 9 November 1904, when the Rimsky-Korsakov edition was presented under conductor [[Felix Blumenfeld|Feliks Blumenfeld]] with bass [[Feodor Chaliapin]] in the title role.

===''Boris Godunov'' and the Imperial Family===
The reports of the antipathy of the Imperial family to Mussorgsky's opera are supported by the following accounts by Platonova and Stasov:

{{blockquote|"During the [premiere], after the scene by the fountain, [[Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia|Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich]], a devoted friend of mine, but by the calumny of the [[Saint Petersburg Conservatory|Conservatory]] members, the sworn enemy of Musorgsky, approached me during the intermission with the following words: 'And you like this music so much that you chose this opera for a benefit performance?' 'I like it, Your Highness,' I answered. 'Then I am going to tell you that this is a shame to all Russia, and not an opera!' he screamed, almost foaming at the mouth, and then turning his back, he stomped away from me."<ref>Orlova (1991: p. 77)</ref>|[[Yuliya Platonova]], letter to Vladimir Stasov}}

{{blockquote|"In the entire audience, I think only Konstantin Nikolayevich was unhappy (he does not like our school, in general) ... it was not so much the fault of the music as that of the libretto, where the 'folk scenes,' the riot, the scene where the police officer beats the people with his stick so that they cry out begging Boris to accept the throne, and so forth, were jarring to some people and infuriated them. There was no end to applause and curtain calls."<ref>Orlova (1991: p. 171)</ref>|Vladimir Stasov, letter to his daughter, 1874}}

{{blockquote|"When the list of operas for the winter was presented to [[Alexander III of Russia|His Majesty the Emperor]], he, with his own hand, was pleased to strike out ''Boris'' with a wavy line in blue pencil."<ref>Emerson, Oldani (1994: p. 107)</ref>|Vladimir Stasov, letter to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, 1888}}

===Performance history===
''Note: This section lists performance data for the Saint Petersburg and Moscow premieres of each important version, the first performance of each version abroad, and premieres in English-speaking countries. Dates provided for events taking place in Russia before 1918 are [[Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in Eastern Europe|Old Style]].''

'''Original interpreters'''
{{Gallery
|title=
|footer=
|width=140
|File:Varlaam and Misail.jpg|{{center|Petrov and Dyuzhikov<br />as Varlaam and Misail}}
|File:Melnikov as Boris 2.jpg|{{center|Ivan Melnikov<br />as Tsar Boris}}
|File:Platonova as Marina 2.jpg|{{center|Paleček and Platonova<br />as Rangoni and Marina}}
|File:Komissarzhevsky as Pretender.jpg|{{center|Fyodor Komissarzhevsky<br />as the Pretender}}
}}

'''1872, Saint Petersburg – Excerpts'''

The Coronation Scene was performed on 5 February 1872 by the Russian Music Society, conducted by [[Eduard Nápravník]]. The Polonaise from Act 3 was performed (without chorus) on 3 April 1872 by the Free School of Music, conducted by [[Mily Balakirev|Miliy Balakirev]].<ref>Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: p. 39</ref>

'''1873, Saint Petersburg – Three scenes'''

Three scenes from the opera—the Inn Scene, the Scene in Marina's Boudoir, and the Fountain Scene—were performed on 5 February 1873 at the Mariinsky Theatre. Eduard Nápravník conducted.<ref name="Calvocoressi, Abraham p. 42">Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: p. 42)</ref> The cast included Darya Leonova (Innkeeper), [[Fyodor Petrovich Komissarzhevsky|Fyodor Komissarzhevsky]] (Pretender), [[Osip Petrov]] (Varlaam), Vasiliy Vasilyev (or 'Vasilyev II') (Misail), [[Mikhail Sariotti]] (Police Officer), Yuliya Platonova (Marina), Josef Paleček (Rangoni), and Feliks Krzesiński (Old Polish Noble).<ref>Musorgskiy (1984: p. 323)</ref>

[[File:Shishkov - Call to the Throne.jpg|thumb|200px|'The House of Boris', design by Matvey Shishkov (1870)]]

'''1874, Saint Petersburg – World premiere'''

The Revised Version of 1872 received its world premiere on 27 January 1874 at the [[Mariinsky Theatre]]. The Cell Scene was omitted. The Novodevichiy and Coronation scenes were combined into one continuous scene: 'The Call of Boris to the Tsardom'. Matvey Shishkov's design for the last scene of Pushkin's drama, 'The House of Boris' (see illustration, right), was substituted for this hybrid of the Novodevichiy and Coronation scenes.<ref>Emerson, Oldani (1994: p. 100)</ref> The scenes were grouped in five acts as follows:<ref>Shirinyan (1989: p. 56)</ref>

:Act 1: 'The Call of Boris to the Tsardom' and 'Inn'
:Act 2: 'With Tsar Boris'
:Act 3: 'Marina's Boudoir' and 'At the Fountain'
:Act 4: 'The Death of Boris'
:Act 5: 'The Pretender near Kromï'

Production personnel included Gennadiy Kondratyev (stage director), Ivan Pomazansky (chorus master), Matvey Shishkov, Mikhail Bocharov, and Ivan Andreyev (scene designers), and Vasiliy Prokhorov (costume designer). Eduard Nápravník conducted. The cast included [[Ivan Melnikov (singer)|Ivan Melnikov]] (Boris), Aleksandra Krutikova (Fyodor), Wilhelmina Raab (Kseniya), Olga Shryoder (nurse), Vasiliy Vasilyev, 'Vasilyev II' (Shuysky), Vladimir Sobolev (Shchelkalov), Vladimir Vasilyev, 'Vasilyev I' (Pimen, Lawicki), [[Fyodor Petrovich Komissarzhevsky|Fyodor Komissarzhevsky]] (Pretender), Yuliya Platonova (Marina), Josef Paleček (Rangoni), [[Osip Petrov]] (Varlaam), Pavel Dyuzhikov (Misail), [[Antonina Abarinova]] (Innkeeper), Pavel Bulakhov (Yuródivïy), Mikhail Sariotti (Nikitich), Lyadov (Mityukha), Sobolev (Boyar-in-Attendance), Matveyev (Khrushchov), and Sobolev (Czernikowski). The production ran for 26 performances over 9 years.<ref name="Pruzhansky">Pruzhansky</ref>

The premiere established traditions that have influenced subsequent Russian productions (and many abroad as well): 1) Cuts made to shorten what is perceived as an overlong work; 2) Declamatory and histrionic singing by the title character, often degenerating in climactic moments into shouting (initiated by Ivan Melnikov, and later reinforced by Fyodor Shalyapin); and 3) Realistic and historically accurate sets and costumes, employing very little stylization.<ref>Emerson, Oldani (1994: p. 91)</ref>

'''1879, Saint Petersburg – Cell Scene'''

The Cell Scene (Revised Version) was first performed on 16 January 1879 in Kononov Hall, at a concert of the Free School of Music, in the presence of Mussorgsky.<ref>Lloyd-Jones (1975: p. 20)</ref> Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov conducted. The cast included Vladimir Vasilyev, "Vasilyev I" (Pimen), and Vasiliy Vasilyev, 'Vasilyev II' (Pretender).<ref>Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: p. 211)</ref><ref>Orlova (1991: p. 141)</ref>

'''1888, Moscow – Bolshoy Theatre premiere'''

The Revised Version of 1872 received its Moscow premiere on 16 December 1888 at the [[Bolshoy Theatre]]. The Cell and Kromï scenes were omitted. Production personnel included Anton Bartsal (stage director), and Karl Valts (scene designer). [[Ippolit Al'tani|Ippolit Altani]] conducted. The cast included [[Bogomir Korsov]] (Boris), Nadezhda Salina (Fyodor), Aleksandra Karatayeva (Kseniya), O. Pavlova (Nurse), Anton Bartsal (Shuysky), Pyotr Figurov (Shchelkalov), Ivan Butenko (Pimen), Lavrentiy Donskoy (Pretender), Mariya Klimentova (Marina), Pavel Borisov (Rangoni), Vladimir Streletsky (Varlaam), Mikhail Mikhaylov (Misail), Vera Gnucheva (Innkeeper), and [[Alexander Dodonov|Aleksandr Dodonov]] (Boyar-in-attendance). The production ran for 10 performances.<ref name="Pruzhansky" /><ref>Shirinyan (1989: p. 105)</ref>

'''1896, Saint Petersburg – Premiere of the Rimsky-Korsakov edition'''

The Rimsky-Korsakov edition premiered on 28 November 1896 in the Great Hall of the [[Saint Petersburg Conservatory]]. Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov conducted. The cast included [[Mikhail Lunacharsky]] (Boris), [[Gavriil Morskoy]] (Pretender), [[Nikolay Kedrov, Sr.|Nikolay Kedrov]] (Rangoni), and [[Fyodor Stravinsky]] (Varlaam). The production ran for 4 performances.<ref name="Pruzhansky" />

[[File:Shalyapin Boris 1898.jpg|thumb|100px|Shalyapin as Boris (1898)]]
'''1898, Moscow – Fyodor Shalyapin as Boris'''

Bass [[Fyodor Shalyapin]] first appeared as Boris on 7 December 1898 at the [[Private Opera|Solodovnikov Theatre]] in a Private Russian Opera production. The Rimsky-Korsakov edition of 1896 was performed. Production personnel included [[Savva Mamontov]] (producer), and Mikhail Lentovsky (stage director). [[Giuseppe Truffi]] conducted. The cast also included [[Anton Sekar-Rozhansky]] (Pretender), Serafima Selyuk-Roznatovskaya (Marina), [[Varvara Strakhova]] (Fyodor), and [[Vasily Shkafer|Vasiliy Shkafer]] (Shuysky). The production ran for 14 performances.<ref name="Pruzhansky" />

'''1908, Paris – First performance outside Russia'''

The Rimsky-Korsakov edition of 1908 premiered on 19 May 1908 at the [[Paris Opéra]]. The Cell Scene preceded the Coronation Scene, the Inn Scene and the Scene in Marina's Boudoir were omitted, the Fountain Scene preceded the Terem Scene, and the Kromï Scene preceded the Death Scene. Production personnel included [[Sergei Diaghilev|Sergey Dyagilev]] (producer), [[Alexander Sanin|Aleksandr Sanin]] (stage director), [[Aleksandr Golovin (artist)|Aleksandr Golovin]], [[Konstantin Yuon]], [[Alexandre Benois|Aleksandr Benua]], and [[Eugene Lanceray|Yevgeniy Lansere]] (scene designers), Ulrikh Avranek (chorusmaster), and [[Ivan Bilibin]] (costume designer). [[Felix Blumenfeld|Feliks Blumenfeld]] conducted. The cast included [[Feodor Chaliapin|Fyodor Shalyapin]] (Boris), Klavdiya Tugarinova (Fyodor), Dagmara Renina (Kseniya), Yelizaveta Petrenko (Nurse), Ivan Alchevsky (Shuysky), [[Nikolay Kedrov, Sr.|Nikolay Kedrov]] (Shchelkalov), [[Vladimir Kastorsky]] (Pimen), [[Dmitri Smirnov (tenor)|Dmitri Smirnov]] (Pretender), [[Nataliya Yermolenko-Yuzhina]] (Marina), Vasiliy Sharonov (Varlaam), Vasiliy Doverin-Kravchenko (Misail), Mitrofan Chuprïnnikov (Yuródivïy), and Khristofor Tolkachev (Nikitich).<ref name="Pruzhansky" /> The production ran for 7 performances.<ref>Emerson, Oldani (1994: p. 119)</ref>

[[File:Didurboris.jpg|thumb|100px|Didur as Boris (1913)]]
'''1913, New York – United States premiere'''
[[File:Boris Godunoff at Metropolitan Opera NY Dec 7, 1922.jpg|thumb|left|Cast of a performance of ''Boris Godunoff'' (sung in Italian) at the Metropolitan Opera, 7 December 1922]]
The United States premiere of the 1908 Rimsky-Korsakov edition took place on 19 March 1913 at the [[Metropolitan Opera House (39th Street)|Metropolitan Opera]], and was based on [[Sergei Diaghilev|Sergey Dyagilev]]'s Paris production. The opera was presented in three acts. The Cell Scene preceded the Coronation Scene, the scene in Marina's Boudoir was omitted, and the Kromï Scene preceded the Death Scene. However, the Inn Scene, which was omitted in Paris, was included. Scenery and costume designs were the same as used in Paris in 1908—made in Russia by Golovin, [[Alexandre Benois|Benua]], and [[Ivan Bilibin|Bilibin]], and shipped from Paris. [[Arturo Toscanini]] conducted. The cast included [[Adamo Didur]] (Boris), [[Anna Case]] (Fyodor), [[Leonora Sparkes]] (Kseniya), [[Maria Duchêne]] (Nurse), [[Angelo Badà]] (Shuysky), [[Vincenzo Reschiglian]] (Shchelkalov, Lawicki), [[Jeanne Maubourg]] (Innkeeper), [[Léon Rothier]] (Pimen), [[Paul Althouse]] (Pretender), [[Louise Homer]] (Marina), [[Andrés de Segurola]] (Varlaam), Pietro Audisio (Misail), [[Albert Reiss]] (Yuródivïy), Giulio Rossi (Nikitich), Leopoldo Mariani (Boyar-in-Attendance), and Louis Kreidler (Czernikowski).<ref>Metropolitan Opera Archives</ref> This performance was sung in Italian.

[[File:Chaliapin F. (Шаляпин Ф. И.) 1913 as Boris Godunov.jpg|thumb|100px|Shalyapin as Boris (1913)]]
'''1913, London – United Kingdom premiere'''

The United Kingdom premiere of the 1908 Rimsky-Korsakov edition took place on 24 June 1913 at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]] in London. Production personnel included [[Sergei Diaghilev|Sergey Dyagilev]] (producer) and [[Alexander Sanin|Aleksandr Sanin]] (stage director). [[Emil Cooper]] conducted. The cast included [[Fyodor Shalyapin]] (Boris), Mariya Davïdova (Fyodor), Mariya Brian (Kseniya), Yelizaveta Petrenko (Nurse, Innkeeper), Nikolay Andreyev (Shuysky), A.&nbsp;Dogonadze (Shchelkalov), Pavel Andreyev (Pimen), Vasiliy Damayev (Pretender), Yelena Nikolayeva (Marina), Aleksandr Belyanin (Varlaam), Nikolay Bolshakov (Misail), Aleksandr Aleksandrovich (Yuródivïy), and Kapiton Zaporozhets (Nikitich).<ref name="Pruzhansky" />

'''1927, Moscow – St. Basil's Scene'''

The newly published St. Basil's Scene was performed on 18 January 1927 at the [[Bolshoy Theatre]] in the 1926 revision by [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov]], commissioned in 1925 to accompany the Rimsky-Korsakov edition. Production personnel included Vladimir Lossky (stage director) and [[Fyodor Fedorovsky]] (scene designer). [[Ariy Pazovsky]] conducted. The cast included [[Ivan Kozlovsky]] (Yuródivïy), and Leonid Savransky (Boris).<ref>Shirinyan (1989: pp. 134–135)</ref> The production ran for 144 performances.<ref name="Pruzhansky"/>

[[File:Boris Godunov Novodevichy Dmitriev 1928.jpg|thumb|150px|Novodevichiy Scene. Design by Vladimir Dmitriev (1928)]]
'''1928, Leningrad – World premiere of the 1869 Original Version'''

The Original Version of 1869 premiered on 16 February 1928 at the [[Mariinsky Theatre|State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet]]. Production personnel included Sergey Radlov (stage director), and Vladimir Dmitriyev (scene designer). Vladimir Dranishnikov conducted. The cast included [[Mark Reizen|Mark Reyzen]] (Boris), Aleksandr Kabanov (Shuysky), Ivan Pleshakov (Pimen), Nikolay Pechkovsky (Pretender), Pavel Zhuravlenko (Varlaam), Yekaterina Sabinina (Innkeeper), and V. Tikhiy (Yuródivïy).<ref name="Pruzhansky" />

'''1935, London – First performance of the 1869 Original Version outside Russia'''

The first performance of the 1869 Original Version abroad took place on 30 September 1935 at the [[Sadler's Wells Theatre]]. The opera was sung in English. [[Lawrance Collingwood]] conducted. The cast included Ronald Stear (Boris).<ref>Oldani (1982: pp. 37, 49)</ref>

'''1959, Leningrad – First performance of the Shostakovich orchestration'''

The premiere of the Shostakovich orchestration of 1940 of [[Pavel Lamm]]'s vocal score took place on 4 November 1959 at the [[Mariinsky Theatre|Kirov Theatre]]. Sergey Yeltsin conducted. The cast included [[Boris Shtokolov]] (Boris).

'''1974, New York – First Russian Language Performance in the United States'''

On 16 December 1974, an adapted version of the original Mussorgsky orchestration was used for this New production, with [[Martti Talvela]] performing the title role by the [[Metropolitan Opera]], which was also the first performance of Boris Godunov in [[Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center)|the new Lincoln Center building]] since its opening in 1966.

===Publication history===
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2022}}
{|Class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; line-height:1.2"
!style="width:6%;"|Year
!style="width:14%;"|Score
!style="width:22%;"|Editor
!style="width:22%;"|Publisher
!style="width:36%;"|Notes
|-
|1874||Piano vocal score||Modest Mussorgsky||[[V. Bessel and Co.]], Saint Petersburg||Revised Version
|-
|1896||Full score||Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov||V. Bessel and Co., Saint Petersburg|| A drastically edited, re-orchestrated, and cut form of the 1874 vocal score
|-
|1908||Full score||Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov||V. Bessel and Co., Saint Petersburg||A drastically edited and re-orchestrated form of the 1874 vocal score
|-
|rowspan=2|1928||Piano vocal score||[[Pavel Lamm]]||[[Muzgiz|Muzsektor]], Moscow; [[Oxford University Press]], London||A restoration of the composer's scores; a conflation of the Original and Revised Versions, but with notes identifying the sources
|-
|Full score||Pavel Lamm and [[Boris Asafyev]]||Muzsektor, Moscow; Oxford University Press, London||A restoration of the composer's scores; a conflation of the Original and Revised Versions; limited edition of 200 copies
|-
|1963||Full score||Dmitriy Shostakovich||[[Muzgiz]], Moscow||A new orchestration of Lamm's vocal score; a conflation of the Original and Revised Versions
|-
|1975||Full score||[[David Lloyd-Jones (conductor)|David Lloyd-Jones]]||Oxford University Press, London||A restoration of the composer's scores; a conflation of the Original and Revised Versions, but with notes identifying the sources
|}

==Versions==
[[File:Boris Godunov Score.jpg|thumb|Title page of the 1874 Piano Vocal Score. The text reads: "Boris Godunov, opera in 4 acts with a prologue, a composition by M. P. Mussorgsky; complete arrangement (including scenes not offered for production on the stage) for piano and voice; Saint Petersburg, by V. Bessel and Co."]]
''Note: Musicologists are often not in agreement on the terms used to refer to the two authorial versions of ''Boris Godunov''. Editors [[Pavel Lamm]] and [[Boris Asafyev]] used "preliminary redaction" and "principal redaction" for the 1st and 2nd versions, respectively,<ref>Taruskin (1993: p. 209)</ref> and [[David Lloyd-Jones (conductor)|David Lloyd-Jones]] designated them "initial" and "definitive."<ref>Lloyd Jones (1975: p. 15)</ref> This article, aiming for utmost objectivity, uses "original" and "revised."''

The differences in approach between the two authorial versions are sufficient as to constitute two distinct ideological conceptions, not two variations of a single plan.<ref>Taruskin (1993: p. 204)</ref><ref name="Emerson 1988: p. 237">Emerson (1988: p. 237)</ref>

'''1869 Original Version'''

The Original Version of 1869 is rarely heard. It is distinguished by its greater fidelity to Pushkin's drama and its almost entirely male cast of soloists. It also conforms to the [[recitative]] opera style (opéra dialogué) of ''[[The Stone Guest (Dargomyzhsky)|The Stone Guest]]'' and ''[[Zhenitba|Marriage]]'', and to the ideals of [[The Five (composers)|kuchkist]] [[Realism (arts)|realism]], which include fidelity to text, formlessness, and emphasis on the values of spoken theatre, especially through naturalistic declamation.<ref name="Emerson 1988: p. 237"/><ref>Taruskin (1993: pp. 217–218)</ref> The unique features of this version include:
*Pimen's narrative of the scene of the murder of [[Dmitry of Uglich|Dmitriy Ivanovich]] (Part&nbsp;2, Scene&nbsp;1)
*The original Terem Scene (Part&nbsp;3), which follows Pushkin's text more closely than does the revised version.
*The scene 'The Cathedral of Vasiliy the Blessed' (the 'St. Basil's Scene'—Part&nbsp;4, Scene&nbsp;1)
The terse Terem Scene of the 1869 version and the unrelieved tension of the two subsequent and final scenes make this version more dramatically effective to some critics (e.g., [[Boris Asafyev]]).<ref>Taruskin (1993: pp. 211–212)</ref>

'''1872 Revised Version'''

The Revised Version of 1872 represents a retreat from the ideals of Kuchkist realism, which had come to be associated with comedy, toward a more exalted, tragic tone, and a conventionally operatic style—a trend that would be continued in the composer's next opera, ''[[Khovanshchina]]''.<ref>Taruskin (1993: p. 265)</ref> This version is longer, is richer in musical and theatrical variety,<ref>Taruskin (1993: pp. 216)</ref> and balances naturalistic declamation with more lyrical vocal lines. The unique features of this version include:
*Two new offstage choruses of monks in the otherwise abbreviated Cell Scene (Act 1, Scene 1)
*The innkeeper's 'Song of the Drake' (Act&nbsp;1, Scene&nbsp;2)
*The revised Terem Scene (Act&nbsp;2), which presents the title character in a more tragic and [[melodrama]]tic light, and includes new songs and new musical themes borrowed from ''[[Salammbô (Mussorgsky)#Subsequent use of musical materials|Salammbô]]''<ref>Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: p. 119)</ref>
*The conventionally operatic 'Polish' act (Act&nbsp;3)
*The novel final scene of anarchy (the Kromï Scene—Act&nbsp;4, Scene&nbsp;2)
Mussorgsky rewrote the Terem Scene for the 1872 version, modifying the text, adding new songs and plot devices (the parrot and the clock), modifying the psychology of the title character, and virtually recomposing the music of the entire scene.

This version has made a strong comeback in recent years, and has become the dominant version.

'''1874 Piano Vocal Score'''

The Piano Vocal Score of 1874 was the first published form of the opera, and is essentially the 1872 version with some minor musical variants and small cuts. The 1874 vocal score does not constitute a 'third version', but rather a refinement of the 1872 Revised Version.<ref name="Oldani 2002: p. 545" />

==Scene structure==

The distribution of scenes in the authorial versions is as follows:
{|Class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; line-height:1.2"
!style="width:40%;"|Scene
!style="width:20%;"|Short name
!style="width:20%;"|Original Version 1869
!style="width:20%;"|Revised Version 1872
|-
|The Courtyard of the Novodevichiy Monastery
|Novodevichy Scene
|Part 1, Scene 1
|Prologue, Scene 1
|-
|A Square in the Moscow Kremlin
|Coronation Scene
|Part 1, Scene 2
|Prologue, Scene 2
|-
|A Cell in the Chudov Monastery
|Cell Scene
|Part 2, Scene 1
|Act 1, Scene 1
|-
|An Inn on the Lithuanian Border
|Inn Scene
|Part 2, Scene 2
|Act 1, Scene 2
|-
|The Tsar's Terem in the Moscow Kremlin
|Kremlin Scene
|Part 3
|Act 2
|-
|Marina's Boudoir in Sandomierz
| {{center| –}}
| {{center| –}}
|Act 3, Scene 1
|-
|The Garden of Mniszech's Castle in Sandomierz
|Fountain Scene
| {{center| –}}
|Act 3, Scene 2
|-
|The Cathedral of Vasiliy the Blessed
|St. Basil's Scene
|Part 4, Scene 1
| {{center| –}}
|-
|The Faceted Palace in the Moscow Kremlin
|Death Scene
|Part 4, Scene 2
|Act 4, Scene 1
|-
|A Forest Glade near Kromï
|Revolution Scene
| {{center| –}}
|Act 4, Scene 2
|}

Upon revising the opera, Mussorgsky initially replaced the St. Basil's Scene with the Kromï Scene. However, on the suggestion of Vladimir Nikolsky, he transposed the order of the last two scenes, concluding the opera with the Kromï Scene rather than the Faceted Palace Scene. This gives the overall structure of the 1872 Revised Version the following symmetrical form:<ref name="Taruskin 1993: p. 281">Taruskin (1993: p. 281)</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; line-height:1.2"
!Act
!Scene
!Character Focus
|-
|rowspan=2|Prologue
|Novodevichy
| style="background:#FFC0CB" |People
|-
|Cathedral Square
| style="background:#B0E0E6" |Boris
|-
|rowspan=2|Act 1
|Cell
|rowspan="2" style="background:#98FB98" |Pretender
|-
|Inn
|-
|Act 2
|Terem
|style="background:#B0E0E6" |Boris
|-
|rowspan=2|Act 3
|Marina's Boudoir
|rowspan="2" style="background:#98FB98" |Pretender
|-
|Fountain
|-
|rowspan=2|Act 4
|Faceted Palace
|style="background:#B0E0E6" |Boris
|-
|Near Kromï
|style="background:#FFC0CB" |People
|}

'''Editions by other hands'''
* [[Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov]], 1896
* Rimsky-Korsakov, 1908
* [[Emilis Melngailis]], 1924
* Dmitri Shostakovich, 1940
* [[Karol Rathaus]], 1952

The Rimsky-Korsakov Version of 1908 has been the most traditional version over the last century, but has recently been almost entirely eclipsed by Mussorgsky's Revised Version (1872). It resembles the Vocal Score of 1874, but the order of the last two scenes is reversed [see [[Boris Godunov (opera)#Versions by other hands|Versions by Other Hands]] in this article for more details].

==Roles==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; line-height:1.5"
!style="width:55%;"|Role
!style="width:15%;"|[[Voice type]]
!style="width:30%;"|Premiere cast<ref>Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: p. 47)</ref><br />[[Mariinsky Theatre]], St Petersburg<br />27 January 1874<br />Conductor: [[Eduard Nápravník]]
|-
|[[Boris Godunov]]
|[[bass-baritone]] or high [[bass (voice type) | bass]]
|[[Ivan Melnikov (singer)|Ivan Melnikov]]
|-
|[[Feodor II|Fyodor]] (or Feodor), ''his son''
|[[mezzo-soprano]]
|[[Aleksandra Krutikova]]
|-
|[[Xenia Borisovna Godunova|Kseniya]] (or Xenia), ''Boris's daughter''
|[[soprano]]
|[[Wilhelmina Raab]]
|-
|''Kseniya's nurse''
|[[contralto]]
|[[Olga Shryoder (Schröder)]]
|-
|[[Vasili IV of Russia|Prince Vasiliy Ivanovich Shuysky]]
|[[tenor]]
|[[Vasiliy Vasilyev, 'Vasilyev II']]
|-
|[[Vasily and Andrey Shchelkalov|Andrey Shchelkalov]], ''[[Dyak (clerk)|Clerk]] of the [[Duma]]''
|[[bass-baritone]]
|[[Vladimir Sobolev (bass-baritone)|Vladimir Sobolev]]
|-
|Pimen, ''chronicler-[[hermit]]''
|[[Bass (voice type)|bass]]
|[[Vladimir Vasilyev, 'Vasilyev I']]
|-
|The [[False Dmitry I|Pretender]] ''under the name'' Grigoriy ''(in training with Pimen)''
|[[tenor]]
|[[Fyodor Petrovich Komissarzhevsky|Fyodor Komissarzhevsky]]
|-
|[[Marina Mniszech]]*, ''the daughter of the [[Sandomierz]] [[Voivode|Voyevoda]]''
|[[mezzo-soprano]] or [[soprano]]
|[[Yuliya Platonova]]
|-
|Rangoni,* ''a covert [[Jesuit]]''
|[[Bass (voice type)|bass]]
|Josef Paleček
|-
|Varlaam, ''a [[Vagabond (person)|vagabond]]''
|[[Bass (voice type)|bass]]
|[[Osip Petrov]]
|-
|Misail, ''a vagabond''
|[[tenor]]
|[[Pavel Dyuzhikov]]
|-
|''The Innkeeper''
|[[mezzo-soprano]]
|[[Antonina Abarinova]]
|-
|''The [[Yurodivy#Eastern Christianity|yuródivïy]]''
|[[tenor]]
|[[Pavel Bulakhov]]
|-
|Nikitich, ''a police officer''
|[[Bass (voice type)|bass]]
|[[Mikhail Sariotti]]
|-
|Mityukha, ''a peasant''
|[[Bass (voice type)|bass]]
|[[Lyadov]]
|-
|''The Boyar-in-Attendance''
|[[tenor]]
|[[Sobolev]]
|-
|''The [[Boyar]]'' Khrushchov*
|[[tenor]]
|[[Matvey Matveyev]]
|-
|Lawicki* (or Lavitsky), ''Jesuit''
|[[Bass (voice type)|bass]]
|[[Vladimir Vasilyev, 'Vasilyev I']]
|-
|Czernikowski* (or Chernikovsky), ''Jesuit''
|[[Bass (voice type)|bass]]
|[[Sobolev]]
|-
|Colspan="3"|Chorus, silent roles: ''Boyars, the Boyars' children, [[Streltsy|streltsï]], bodyguards, policemen, Polish nobles*, Sandomierz maidens*, wandering minstrels, people of Moscow''
|}

''Note:'' Roles designated with an asterisk (*) do not appear in the 1869 Original Version. 'Yuródivïy' is often translated as 'Simpleton' or 'Idiot'. However, '[[Foolishness for Christ#Eastern Christianity|Holy Fool]]' is a more accurate English equivalent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arzamas.academy/materials/1375|title=Чайковский и "Могучая кучка": спор о русской музыке|trans-title=Tchaikovsky and The Mighty Handful: A Debate about Russian Music|quote=Under the influence of these ideas, the source of which was largely French naturalism, new images from the social lower classes emerge in Mussorgsky’s works as “high” music – for example, the [[Foolishness for Christ#Eastern Christianity|Holy Fool]] [often wrongly translated to English as 'Simpleton'] in opera ''Boris Godunov''|publisher=Arzamas Academy|access-date=November 22, 2019|language=ru}}
* {{cite web |title=Блаженные похабы |trans-title=The Blessed Offenders |url=https://predanie.ru/book/91934-blazhennye-pohaby/ |website=predanie.ru |publisher=Orthodox Portal "Predanie" |access-date=23 October 2020 |language=ru|quote=he is privileged to ridicule, burlesque and defile the most sacred and important ceremonies… licensed to behave as no ordinary mortals would dream of behaving}}</ref>{{efn|This Holy Fool's character development also explicitly (see also the [[Novgorod]] [[:File:Tsarskiy titulyarnik emblems.jpg|coat of arms]] and [[Mussorgsky family]] history) references the controversial "bears appearance" scene in Bible. When a group of boys (or youths<ref>Hebrew ''na'ar'', translated "youths" in the [[New International Version]]. ''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]'' on [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5682-elisha Elisha] states, "The offenders were not children, but were called so ("ne'arim") because they lacked ("meno'arin") all religion ([[Soṭah]] 46b)." Although the [[Authorized King James Version]] used the words "little children", theologian [[John Gill (theologian)|John Gill]] stated in his [http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/2-kings-2-23.html ''Exposition of the Bible''] that the word was "used of persons of thirty or forty years of age".</ref>) from Bethel taunted the prophet [[Elisha]] for his baldness, Elisha cursed them in the name of [[Yahweh]] and two female bears came out of the forest and tore forty-two of the boys.<ref name=duffy>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Duffy |first=Daniel |year=1909 |title=Eliseus |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05386c.htm |encyclopedia=[[The Catholic Encyclopedia]] |volume=5 |location=New York |publisher=Robert Appleton Company |access-date=7 January 2014}}</ref> Holy Fool finishes the opera, 2nd edition, as a prophet. [[Tchaikovsky]] used to call Mussorgsky "a bear" as an insult.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tchaikovsky: Between Heaven and Hell |url=https://www.youtube.com/embed/nXb4XT3lwQQ?start=1199 |website=[[YouTube]] |publisher=[[TV Center]] |access-date=29 September 2020 |language=ru|date=4 January 2020}}</ref>}} In other roles lists created by Mussorgsky, Pimen is designated a monk (инок), Grigoriy a novice (послушник), Rangoni a Cardinal (кардинал), Varlaam and Misail vagrant-monks (бродяги-чернецы), the Innkeeper a hostess (хозяйка), and Khrushchov a Voyevoda (воевода).<ref>Orlova, Pekelis (1971: pp. 198–199)</ref> Pimen, Grigoriy, Varlaam, and Misail were likely given non-clerical designations to satisfy the censor.

==Instrumentation==
'''Mussorgsky orchestration'''
:''Strings'': [[violin]]s I & II, [[viola]]s, [[cello]]s, [[double bass]]es
:''Woodwinds'': 3&nbsp;[[flute]]s (3rd doubling [[piccolo]]), 2&nbsp;[[oboe]]s (2nd doubling [[english horn]]), 3&nbsp;[[clarinet]]s, 2&nbsp;[[bassoon]]s
:''Brass'': 4&nbsp;[[French horn|horns]], 2&nbsp;[[trumpet]]s, 3&nbsp;[[trombone]]s, 1&nbsp;[[tuba]]
:''Percussion'': [[timpani]], [[bass drum]], [[snare drum]], [[tambourine]], [[cymbal]]s
:''Other'': [[piano]], [[harp]]
:''On/Offstage instruments'': 1&nbsp;trumpet, [[bell (instrument)|bells]], [[tam-tam]]

'''Rimsky-Korsakov orchestration'''
:''Strings'': violins I & II, violas, cellos, double basses
:''Woodwinds'': 3&nbsp;flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 2&nbsp;oboes (2nd doubling english horn), 3 clarinets (3rd doubling [[bass clarinet]]), 2&nbsp;bassoons
:''Brass'': 4&nbsp;horns, 3&nbsp;trumpets, 3&nbsp;trombones, 1&nbsp;tuba
:''Percussion'': timpani, bass drum, snare drum, tambourine, cymbals
:''Other'': piano, harp
:''On/Offstage instruments'': 1&nbsp;trumpet, bells, tam-tam

'''Shostakovich orchestration'''
:''Strings'': violins I & II, violas, cellos, double basses
:''Woodwinds'': 3&nbsp;flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 2&nbsp;oboes, english horn, 3&nbsp;clarinets (3rd doubling [[E-flat clarinet]]), bass clarinet, 3&nbsp;bassoons (3rd doubling [[contrabassoon]])
:''Brass'': 4&nbsp;horns, 3&nbsp;trumpets, 3&nbsp;trombones, 1&nbsp;tuba
:''Percussion'': timpani, bass drum, snare drum, tambourine, cymbals, tam-tam, [[triangle (musical instrument)|triangle]], bells, [[glockenspiel]], [[xylophone]]
:''Other'': piano, harp, [[celesta]]
:''On/Offstage instruments'': 4&nbsp;trumpets, 2&nbsp;[[cornet]]s, 2&nbsp;horns, 2&nbsp;[[baritone horn]]s, 2&nbsp;[[euphonium]]s, 2&nbsp;tubas, [[balalaika]] and [[domra]] ad libitum

==Historical basis of the plot==
{{Gallery
|title=
|footer=
|width=140
|File:Boris Godunov.jpg|{{center|[[Boris Godunov]]<br />(1551–1605)}}
|File:Basil IV.jpg|{{center|[[Vasili IV of Russia|Vasiliy Shuysky]]<br />(1552–1612)}}
|File:Pseudo-Dmitrius.jpg|{{center|[[False Dmitriy I|The Pretender]]<br />(c. 1582–1606)}}
|File:Marina mniszek.jpg|{{center|[[Marina Mniszech]]<br />(1588–1614)}}
}}
An understanding of the drama of ''Boris Godunov'' may be facilitated by a basic knowledge of the historical events surrounding the [[Time of Troubles]], the [[interregnum]] of relative anarchy following the end of the [[Rurik Dynasty|Ryurik Dynasty]] (1598) and preceding the [[Romanov|Romanov Dynasty]] (1613). Key events are as follows:
* ''1584'' – [[Ivan&nbsp;IV]] "The Terrible", the first [[Grand Prince]] of [[Grand Duchy of Moscow|Muscovy]] to officially adopt the title ''[[Tsar]]'' (Caesar), dies. Ivan's successor is his feeble son, [[Fyodor I]], who cares only for spiritual matters and leaves the affairs of state to his capable brother-in-law, [[boyar]] Boris Godunov.
* ''1591'' – Ivan's other son, the eight-year-old Tsarevich Dmitriy Ivanovich, dies under mysterious circumstances in [[Uglich]]. An investigation, ordered by Godunov and carried out by Prince Vasiliy Shuysky, determines that the Tsarevich, while playing with a knife, suffered an epileptic seizure, fell, and died from a self-inflicted wound to the throat. Dmitriy's mother, [[Maria Nagaya]], banished with him to Uglich by Godunov, claims he was assassinated. Rumors linking Boris to the death are circulated by his enemies.
* ''1598'' – Tsar Fyodor&nbsp;I dies. He is the last of the [[Rurik Dynasty|Ryurik Dynasty]], who have ruled Russia for seven centuries. [[Patriarch Job of Moscow]] nominates Boris to succeed as Tsar, despite the rumors that Boris ordered the murder of Dmitriy. Boris agrees to accept the throne only if elected by the [[Zemsky Sobor]]. This the assembly does unanimously, and Boris is crowned the same year.
* ''1601'' – The [[Russian famine of 1601–1603]] undermines Boris Godunov's popularity and the stability of his administration.
[[File:Polish magnates 1576-1586.PNG|thumb|Polish magnates]]
* ''1604'' – A [[pretender]] to the throne appears in [[Poland]], claiming to be Tsarevich Dmitriy, but believed to be in reality one [[False Dmitri I|Grigoriy Otrepyev]]. He gains the support of the [[Szlachta]], [[magnates]], and, upon conversion to [[Roman Catholicism]], the [[Apostolic Nuncio]] [[Claudio Rangoni (bishop of Reggio Emilia)|Claudio Rangoni]]. Obtaining a force of soldiers, he marches on [[Moscow]]. The False Dmitriy's retinue includes the Jesuits Lawicki and Czernikowski, and the monks Varlaam and Misail of the Chudov Monastery. Crossing into Russia, Dmitriy's invasion force is joined by disaffected [[Cossacks]]. However, after a few victories, the campaign falters. Polish mercenaries mutiny and desert.
* ''1605'' – Boris dies of unknown causes. He is succeeded by his son, [[Fyodor&nbsp;II]]. The death of Boris gives new life to the campaign of the [[False Dmitri I|False Dmitriy]]. Boyars who have gone over to the Pretender murder Fyodor&nbsp;II and his mother. The False Dmitriy enters Moscow and is soon crowned. Prince Shuysky begins plotting against him.
* ''1606'' – The Russian boyars oppose Dmitriy's Polish and Catholic alliances. He is murdered shortly after wedding [[Marina Mniszech]], and is succeeded by Vasiliy Shuysky, now [[Vasily IV|Vasiliy&nbsp;IV]].
* ''1610'' – [[Battle of Klushino]] and Polish seizure and occupation of Moscow. Vasiliy&nbsp;IV is [[Deposition (politics)|deposed]], and dies two years later in a Polish prison. Another pretender claiming to be Dmitriy Ivanovich, [[False Dmitry II|False Dmitriy&nbsp;II]], is murdered.
* ''1611'' – Yet a third pretender, [[False Dmitry III|False Dmitriy&nbsp;III]], appears. He is captured and executed in 1612.
* ''1613'' – The Time of Troubles comes to a close with the accession of [[Michael&nbsp;I of Russia|Mikhail Romanov]], son of [[Patriarch Filaret (Feodor Romanov)|Fyodor Romanov]], who had been persecuted under Boris Godunov's reign.

Note: The culpability of Boris in the matter of Dmitriy's death can neither be proved nor disproved. Karamzin accepted his responsibility as fact, and Pushkin and Mussorgsky after him assumed his guilt to be true, at least for the purpose of creating a tragedy in the mold of Shakespeare. Modern historians, however, tend to acquit Boris.

==Synopsis==
Note: ''Shishkov and Bocharev designed the sets (samples below), some of which were used in the first complete performance in 1874.''

( ) = ''Arias and numbers''

[ ] = ''Passages cut from or added to the 1872 Revised Version [see [[Boris Godunov (opera)#Versions|Versions]] in this article for details]''

'''Setting'''
:Time: The years 1598 to 1605
:Place: [[Moscow]]; the [[Lithuania]]n frontier; a castle in [[Sandomierz]]; [[Kromy|Kromï]]

===Part 1 / Prologue===
[[File:Shishkov - Novodevichiy.jpg|thumb|Shishkov's design for the Novodevichiy Monastery Scene (1870)]]
''Scene 1: The Courtyard of the [[Novodevichy Convent|Novodevichiy Monastery]] near [[Moscow]] (1598)''

There is a brief introduction foreshadowing the 'Dmitriy Motif'. The curtain opens on a crowd in the courtyard of the monastery, where the weary [[regent]] [[Boris Godunov]] has temporarily retired. Nikitich the police officer orders the assembled people to kneel. He goads them to clamor for Boris to accept the throne. They sing a chorus of supplication ("To whom dost thou abandon us, our father?"). The people are bewildered about their purpose and soon fall to bickering with each other, resuming their entreaties only when the policeman threatens them with his club. Their chorus reaches a feverish climax. [[Vasily and Andrey Shchelkalov|Andrey Shchelkalov]], the Secretary of the [[Duma]], appears from inside the convent, informs the people that Boris still refuses the throne of Russia ("Orthodox folk! The boyar is implacable!"), and requests that they pray that he will relent. An approaching procession of pilgrims sings a hymn ("Glory to Thee, Creator on high"), exhorting the people to crush the spirit of anarchy in the land, take up holy icons, and go to meet the Tsar. They disappear into the monastery.
:[''Original 1869 Version only:'' The people discuss the statements of the pilgrims. Many remain bewildered about the identity of this Tsar. The police officer interrupts their discussion, ordering them to appear the next day at the [[Moscow Kremlin]]. The people move on, stoically exclaiming "if we are to wail, we might as well wail at the Kremlin".]

[[File:Bocharov - Cathedral Square.jpg|thumb|left|Bocharov's design for the Cathedral Square Scene (1874)]]
''Scene 2: [[Cathedral Square in Moscow|[Cathedral] Square]] in the [[Moscow Kremlin]] (1598).''

The orchestral introduction is based on bell motifs. From the porch of the [[Cathedral of the Dormition]], [[Vasily IV|Prince Shuysky]] exhorts the people to glorify Tsar Boris. As the people sing a great chorus of praise ("Like the beautiful sun in the sky, glory"), a solemn procession of [[boyar]]s exits the cathedral. The people kneel. Boris appears on the porch of the cathedral. The shouts of "Glory!" reach a climax and subside. Boris delivers a brief [[monologue]] ("My soul grieves") betraying a feeling of ominous foreboding. He prays for God's blessing, and hopes to be a good and just ruler. He invites the people to a great feast, and then proceeds to the [[Cathedral of the Archangel]] to kneel at the tombs of [[List of Russian rulers|Russia's past rulers]]. The people wish Boris a long life ("Glory! Glory! Glory!"). A crowd breaks toward the cathedral. The police officers struggle to maintain order. The people resume their shouts of "Glory!"

In this scene, Mussorgsky has been hailed as ahead of his time musically. His use of the [[whole tone scale]], which uses only whole steps, made the Coronation scene stand out. This technique was replicated by impressionistic composers about 20 years later who noted his success. Mussorgsky also combined different two-beat and three-beat meters to create a unique sound for his composition called polymeters. These techniques were uncommon during this era and were believed to be almost too overwhelming for the public. This led to his rejection on two different occasions by the [[Russian opera|Imperial Opera]] before they decided to perform.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hoffer|first1=Charles|title=Music Listening Today|date=2012|publisher=Cengage Advantage|pages=228–229|edition=Fourth}}</ref>

===Part 2 / Act 1===
[[File:Ivan Biblibin 241.jpg|thumb|[[Ivan Bilibin]]'s design for the Cell Scene (1900s)]]
''Scene 1: Night. A Cell in the [[Chudov Monastery]] [within the Moscow Kremlin] (1603)''

Pimen, a venerable monk, writes a chronicle ("Yet one last tale") of Russian history. The young novice Grigoriy awakes from a horrible (and prophetic) dream, which he relates to Pimen, in which he climbed a high tower, was mocked by the people of Moscow, and fell. Pimen advises him to fast and pray. Grigoriy regrets that he retired so soon from worldly affairs to become a monk. He envies Pimen's early life of adventure. Pimen speaks approvingly of [[Ivan IV|Ivan the Terrible]] and his son [[Feodor I|Fyodor]], who both exhibited great spiritual devotion, and draws a contrast with Boris, a [[regicide]].
:[''Original 1869 Version only:'' At Grigoriy's request, Pimen tells the vivid details of the scene of the murder of Dmitriy Ivanovich, which he witnessed in [[Uglich]].]
Upon discovering the similarity in age between himself and the murdered [[Tsarevich]], Grigoriy conceives the idea of posing as the [[Pretender]]. As Pimen departs for [[Matins]], Grigoriy declares that Boris shall escape neither the judgment of the people, nor that of God.

[[File:Shishkov - Inn.jpg|thumb|left|Shishkov's design for the Inn Scene (1870)]]
''Scene 2: An Inn on the Lithuanian Border (1603)''

There is a brief orchestral introduction based on three prominent themes from this scene.
::[''Revised 1872 Version only:'' The Hostess enters and sings the 'Song of the Drake' ("I have caught a gray drake"). It is interrupted towards the end by approaching voices].
The vagrants Varlaam and Misail, who are dressed as monks and are begging for alms, and their companion Grigoriy, who is in secular garb, arrive and enter. After exchanging greetings, Varlaam requests some wine. When the Hostess returns with a bottle, he drinks and launches into a ferocious song ("So it was in the city of Kazan") of [[Ivan IV|Ivan the Terrible's]] [[Siege of Kazan (1552)|siege of Kazan]]. The two monks quickly become tipsy, and soon begin to doze. Grigoriy quietly asks the Hostess for directions to the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania|Lithuanian]] border. The Hostess mentions that the police are watching the ordinary roads, but they are wasting their time, because there is an alternative, less well-known way to get to the border. Policemen appear in search of a fugitive heretic monk (Grigoriy) who has run off from the [[Chudov Monastery]] declaring that he will become Tsar in Moscow. Noticing Varlaam's suspicious appearance and behavior, the lead policeman thinks he has found his man. He cannot read the ukaz (edict) he is carrying, however, so Grigoriy volunteers to read it. He does so, but, eyeing Varlaam carefully, he substitutes Varlaam's description for his own. The policemen quickly seize Varlaam, who protests his innocence and asks to read the ukaz. Varlaam is only barely literate, but he manages to haltingly read the description of the suspect, which of course matches Grigoriy. Grigoriy brandishes a dagger, and leaps out of the window. The men set off in pursuit.

===Part 3 / Act 2===
[[File:Shishkov - Terem.jpg|thumb|right|Shishkov's design for the Terem Scene (1870)]]
''The Interior of the Tsar's [[Terem Palace|Terem]] in the [[Moscow Kremlin]] (1605)''

[[Xenia Borisovna Godunova|Kseniya (or Xenia)]], clutching a portrait of [[John, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein|"Prince Ivan"]], her betrothed who has died, sings a brief mournful aria ("Where are you, my bridegroom?"). [[Feodor II|Fyodor]] studies a great map of the [[Tsardom of Russia]].
:[''Revised 1872 Version only:'' Fyodor tries to console Kseniya and shows her the magic of the clock, once it starts chiming].
Kseniya's nurse assures her that she will soon forget about "Prince Ivan".
:[''1872:'' The nurse and Fyodor attempt to cheer Kseniya up with some songs ("A gnat was chopping wood" and "A little tale of this and that").]
Boris abruptly enters, briefly consoles Kseniya, and then sends her and her nurse to their own quarters. Fyodor shows Boris the map of Russia. After encouraging his son to resume his studies, Boris delivers a long and fine [[soliloquy]] ("I have attained supreme power").
{{Listen|filename=Moussorgski Monologue Boris Godounov.ogg|title="I have attained supreme power"<br>(Rimsky-Korsakov Version)|description=performed by [[Feodor Chaliapin]]}}
:[''1872:'' At the end of this [[arioso]] he reveals that he has been disturbed by a vision of a bloody child begging for mercy. A commotion breaks out in his children's quarters. Boris sends Fyodor to investigate.]
The boyar-in-attendance brings word of the arrival of [[Vasily IV|Prince Shuysky]], and reports a denunciation against him for his intrigues.
:[''1872:'' Fyodor returns to relate a whimsical tale ("Our little parrot was sitting") involving a pet parrot. Boris takes comfort in his son's imagination and advises Fyodor, when he becomes Tsar, to beware of evil and cunning advisors such as Shuysky.]
Prince Shuysky now enters. Boris insults him, accusing him of conspiring with Pushkin, an ancestor of the poet. However, the prince brings grave tidings. A [[Pretender]] has appeared in [[Lithuania]]. Boris angrily demands to know his identity. Shuysky fears the Pretender might attract a following bearing the name of Tsarevich Dmitriy. Shaken by this revelation, Boris dismisses Fyodor. He orders Shuysky to seal the border with Lithuania, and, clearly on the edge of madness, asks Shuysky whether he has ever heard of dead children rising from their graves to question Tsars. Boris seeks assurance that the dead child the prince had seen in [[Uglich]] was really Dmitriy. He threatens Shuysky, if he dissembles, with a gruesome execution. The Prince describes the ghastly scene of Dmitriy's murder in a brief and beautiful aria ("In Uglich, in the cathedral"). But he gives hints that a miracle ([[incorruptibility]]) has occurred. Boris begins choking with guilt and remorse, and gives a sign for Shuysky to depart.
:[''1872:'' The chiming clock again begins working.]
Boris hallucinates (''Hallucination or 'Clock' Scene''). The spectre of the dead Dmitriy reaches out to him. Addressing the apparition, he denies his responsibility for the crime: "Begone, begone child! I am not thy murderer... the will of the people!" He collapses, praying that God will have mercy on his guilty soul.

===Act 3 (The 'Polish' Act) (1872 Version only)===
[[File:Shishkov - Marina Boudoir.jpg|thumb|left|Shishkov's design for the scene in Marina's Boudoir (1870)]]
''Scene 1: The Boudoir of Marina Mniszech in [[Sandomierz]] [Poland] (1604)''

Maidens sing a delicate, sentimental song ("On the blue [[Vistula]]") to entertain Marina as her chambermaid dresses her hair. Marina declares her preference for heroic songs of chivalry. She dismisses everyone. Alone, she sings of her boredom ("How tediously and sluggishly"), of Dmitriy, and of her thirst for adventure, power, and glory. The [[Jesuit]] Rangoni enters, bemoans the wretched state of the church, attempts to obtain Marina's promise that when she becomes [[Tsaritsa]] she will convert the [[Heresy|heretics]] of Moscow ([[Russian Orthodox Church]]) to the true faith ([[Roman Catholicism]]), and encourages her to bewitch the Pretender. When Marina wonders why she should do this, Rangoni angrily insists that she stop short of nothing, including sacrificing her honor, to obey the dictates of the church. Marina expresses contempt of his hypocritical insinuations and demands he leave. As Rangoni ominously tells her she is in the thrall of infernal forces, Marina collapses in dread. Rangoni demands her obedience.

[[File:Shishkov - Night Garden Fountain.jpg|thumb|Shishkov's design for the scene in the Garden of Mniszech's Castle (1870)]]
''Scene 2: Mniszech's Castle in Sandomierz. A Garden. A Fountain. A Moonlit Night (1604)''

Woodwind and harp accompany a pensive version of the 'Dmitriy Motif'. The Pretender dreams of an assignation with Marina in the garden of her father's castle. However, to his annoyance, Rangoni finds him. He brings news that Marina longs for him and wishes to speak with him. The Pretender resolves to throw himself at Marina's feet, begging her to be his wife and Tsaritsa. He entreats Rangoni to lead him to Marina. Rangoni, however, first begs the Pretender to consider him a father, allowing him to follow his every step and thought. Despite his mistrust of Rangoni, the Pretender agrees not to part from him if he will only let him see Marina. Rangoni convinces the Pretender to hide as the Polish nobles emerge from the castle dancing a [[polonaise (dance)|polonaise]] (''Polonaise''). Marina flirts, dancing with an older man. The Poles sing of taking the Muscovite throne, defeating the army of Boris, and capturing him. They return to the castle. The Pretender comes out of hiding, cursing Rangoni. He resolves to abandon wooing Marina and begin his march on Moscow. But then Marina appears and calls to him. He is lovesick. She, however, only wants to know when he will be Tsar, and declares she can only be seduced by a throne and a crown. The Pretender kneels at her feet. She rejects his advances, and, attempting to spur him to action, dismisses him, calling him a lackey. Having reached his limit, he tells her he will depart the next day to lead his army to Moscow and to his father's throne. Furthermore, as Tsar he will take pleasure in watching her come crawling back looking for her own lost throne, and will command everyone to laugh at her. She quickly reverses course, tells him she adores him, and they sing a duet ("O Tsarevich, I implore you"). Rangoni observes the amorous couple from afar, and, joining them in a brief trio, cynically rejoices in his victory.

===Part 4 / Act 4===
[[File:Boris Godunov Vasiliy Blazhenniy Bolshoy 1927.jpg|thumb|left|The Cathedral of Vasiliy the Blessed. Bolshoy Theatre (1927)]]

''Scene 1 [1869 Version only]: The Square before the Cathedral of Vasiliy the Blessed in Moscow (1605)''

A crowd mills about before the [[Saint Basil's Cathedral|Cathedral of the Intercession]] (the Temple of [[Basil Fool for Christ|Vasiliy the Blessed]]) in [[Red Square]]. Many are beggars, and policemen occasionally appear. A group of men enters, discussing the [[anathema]] the [[deacon]] had declared on [[False Dmitri I|Grishka (Grigoriy) Otrepyev]] in the mass. They identify Grishka as the Tsarevich. With growing excitement they sing of the advance of his forces to Kromï, of his intent to retake his father's throne, and of the defeat he will deal to the Godunovs. A [[Yurodivy#Eastern Christianity|yuródivïy]] enters, pursued by urchins. He sings a nonsensical song ("The moon is flying, the kitten is crying"). The urchins greet him and rap on his metal hat. The yuródivïy has a [[Russian ruble|kopek]], which the urchins promptly steal. He whines pathetically. Boris and his retinue exit the cathedral. The boyars distribute [[alms]]. In a powerful chorus ("Benefactor father... Give us bread!"), the hungry people beg for bread. As the chorus subsides, the yuródivïy's cries are heard. Boris asks why he cries. The yuródivïy reports the theft of his kopek and asks Boris to order the boys' slaughter, just as he did in the case of the Tsarevich. Shuysky wants the yuródivïy seized, but Boris instead asks for the holy man's prayers. As Boris exits, the yuródivïy declares that the [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mother of God]] will not allow him to pray for [[Herod the Great|Tsar Herod]] (see [[Massacre of the Innocents]]). The yuródivïy then sings his lament ("Flow, flow, bitter tears!") about the fate of Russia.

[[File:Shishkov - Palace of Facets.jpg|thumb|Shishkov's design for the Faceted Palace Scene (1870)]]
''Scene 2 [1869 Version] / Scene 1 [1872 version]: The [[Palace of Facets|Faceted Palace]] in the [[Moscow Kremlin]] (1605)''

A session of the [[Duma]] is in progress.
:[''Original 1869 Version only:'' The assembled boyars listen as [[Vasily and Andrey Shchelkalov|Shchelkalov]], reading the Tsar's ukaz (edict), informs them of the [[Pretender]]'s claim to the throne of Russia, and requests they pass judgment on him.]
After some arguments, the boyars agree ("Well, let's put it to a vote, boyars"), in a powerful chorus, that the Pretender and his sympathizers should be executed. [[Vasily IV|Shuysky]], whom they distrust, arrives with an interesting story. Upon leaving the Tsar's presence, he observed Boris attempting to drive away the ghost of the dead Tsarevich, exclaiming: "Begone, begone child!" The boyars accuse Shuysky of spreading lies. However, a dishevelled Boris now enters, echoing Shuysky: "Begone child!" The boyars are horrified. After Boris comes to his senses, Shuysky informs him that a humble old man craves an audience. Pimen enters and tells the story ("One day, at the evening hour") of a blind man who heard the voice of the Tsarevich in a dream. Dmitry instructed him to go to [[Uglich]] and pray at his grave, for he has become a miracle worker in heaven. The man did as instructed and regained his sight. This story is the final blow for Boris. He calls for his son, declares he is dying ("Farewell, my son, I am dying"), gives Fyodor final counsel, and prays for God's blessing on his children. In a very dramatic scene ("The bell! The funeral bell!"), he dies.

''Scene 2 [1872 Version only]: A Forest Glade near [[Kromi|Kromï]] (1605)''

Tempestuous music accompanies the entry of a crowd of vagabonds who have captured the boyar Khrushchov. The crowd taunts him, then bows in mock homage ("Not a falcon flying in the heavens"). The [[Yurodivy#Eastern Christianity|yuródivïy]] enters, pursued by urchins. He sings a nonsensical song ("The moon is flying, the kitten is crying"). The urchins greet him and rap on his metal hat. The yuródivïy has a kopek, which the urchins promptly steal. He whines pathetically. Varlaam and Misail are heard in the distance singing of the crimes of Boris and his henchmen ("The sun and moon have gone dark"). They enter. The crowd gets worked up to a frenzy ("Our bold daring has broken free, gone on a rampage") denouncing Boris. Two Jesuits are heard in the distance chanting in Latin ("Domine, Domine, salvum fac"), praying that God will save Dmitriy. They enter. At the instigation of Varlaam and Misail, the vagabonds prepare to hang the Jesuits, who appeal to the [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Holy Virgin]] for aid. Processional music heralds the arrival of Dmitriy and his forces. Varlaam and Misail glorify him ("Glory to thee, Tsarevich!") along with the crowd. The Pretender calls those persecuted by Godunov to his side. He frees Khrushchov, and calls on all to march on Moscow. All exeunt except the yuródivïy, who sings a plaintive song ("Flow, flow, bitter tears!") of the arrival of the enemy and of woe to Russia.
[[File:Mussorgsky Letter105 To Stasov 1.jpg|thumb|center|500px|From Mussorgsky's [[s:ru:Письмо М. П. Мусоргского – В. В. Стасову 12 июля 1872 г.|letter of 13 July 1872]] to Vladimir Stasov: A citation from the closing bars of the opera (1872 version). The upper part depicts desolation; the lower, weeping. The inscription is a line from the yuródivïy's lament:<br />{{center|«Скоро врагъ придётъ и настанетъ тьма»<br />"Soon the enemy will arrive and darkness will come"}}]]

==Principal arias and numbers==
* Chorus: "To whom dost thou abandon us, our father?" «На кого ты нас покидаешь, отец наш?» (People)
* Aria: "Orthodox folk! The boyar is implacable!" «Православные! Неумолим боярин!» (Shchelkalov)
* Chorus: "Like the beautiful sun in the sky, glory" «Уж как на небе солнцу красному слава» (People)
* Monologue: "My soul grieves" «Скорбит душа» (Boris)
* Chorus: "Glory! Glory! Glory!" «Слава! Слава! Слава!» (People)
* Aria: "Yet one last tale" «Еще одно, последнее сказанье» (Pimen)
* Song: "So it was in the city of Kazan" «Как во городе было во Казани» (Varlaam)
* Monologue: "I have attained supreme power" «Достиг я высшей власти» (Boris)
* Scene: "Hallucination" or "Clock Scene" «Сцена с курантами» (Boris)
* Aria: "How tediously and sluggishly" «Как томительно и вяло» (Marina)
* Dance: "Polonaise" «Полонез» (Marina, Polish nobles)
* Duet: "O Tsarevich, I implore you" «О царевич, умоляю» (Marina, Pretender)
* Chorus: "Well? Let's put it to a vote, boyars" «Что ж? Пойдём на голоса, бояре» (Boyars)
* Aria: "One day, at the evening hour" «Однажды, в вечерний час» (Pimen)
* Aria: "Farewell, my son, I am dying" «Прощай, мой сын, умираю...» (Boris)
* Scene: "The bell! The funeral bell!" «Звон! Погребальный звон!» (Boris, Fyodor, Chorus)
* Song: "Flow, flow, bitter tears!" «Лейтесь, лейтесь, слёзы горькие!» (Yuródivïy)

==Critical reception==
{{Gallery
|title=
|footer=
|width=140
|File:Cui CuiIP Frontispiece 600.jpg|{{center|[[César Cui]]<br />(1835–1918)}}
|File:Милий Балакирев.jpg|{{center|[[Mily Balakirev]]<br />(1837–1910)}}
|File:Porträt des Komponisten Pjotr Tschaikowski (1840-1893).jpg|{{center|[[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Pyotr Tchaikovsky]]<br />(1840–1893)}}
|File:Nikolai A. Rimsky-Korsakov.jpg|{{center|[[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]]<br />(1844–1908)}}
}}

Russian opera of the early 1870s was dominated by Western European works—mainly Italian. The domestic product was regarded with skepticism and sometimes hostility. The playwright Tikhonov wrote in 1898:

{{blockquote|"In those days, splendid performances of Russian operas were given, but the attendance was generally poor. ...to attend the Russian opera was not fashionable. At the first performance of ''[[The Maid of Pskov]]'' [in 1873] there was a good deal of protest. An energetic campaign was being waged against the 'music of the future'–that is, that of the 'mighty handful'."<ref>Tikhonov in ''Istorichesky Vestnik'', 1898. In Calvocoressi (1956: p. 175)</ref>}}

As the most daring and innovative member of [[the Mighty Handful]], Mussorgsky frequently became the target of conservative critics and rival composers, and was often derided for his supposedly clumsy and crude musical idiom. After the premiere of ''Boris Godunov'', influential critic [[Herman Laroche]] wrote:
{{blockquote|"The general decorativeness and crudity of Mr. Mussorgsky's style, his passion for the brass and percussion instruments, may be considered to have been borrowed from [[Alexander Serov|Serov]]. But never did the crudest works of the model reach the naive coarseness we note in his imitator."<ref>Hermann Laroche in ''Golos'', 1874. In Taruskin (1993: p. 109)</ref>}}

Reviews of the premiere performance of ''Boris Godunov'' were for the most part hostile.<ref name="Oldani 1982: p. 11" /> Some critics dismissed the work as "chaotic" and "a cacophony". Even his friends [[Mily Balakirev]] and [[César Cui]], leading members of the Mighty Handful, minimized his accomplishment.<ref>Calvocoressi (1956: pp. 169, 177)</ref> Unable to overlook Mussorgsky's "trespasses against the conventional musical grammar of the time", they failed to recognize the giant step forward in musical and dramatic expression that ''Boris Godunov'' represented. Cui betrayed Mussorgsky in a notoriously scathing review of the premiere performance:
{{blockquote|"Mr. Mussorgsky is endowed with great and original talent, but ''Boris'' is an immature work, superb in parts, feeble in others. Its main defects are in the disjointed recitatives and the disarray of the musical ideas.... These defects are not due to a lack of creative power.... The real trouble is his immaturity, his incapacity for severe self-criticism, his self-satisfaction, and his hasty methods of composition..."<ref>Cui, in the newspaper ''[[Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti]]'', 1874. From Calvocoressi (1956: p. 178)</ref>}}

Although he found much to admire, particularly the Inn Scene and the Song of the Parrot, he reproved the composer for a poorly constructed libretto, finding the opera to exhibit a lack of cohesion between scenes. He claimed that Mussorgsky was so deficient in the ability to write instrumental music that he dispensed with composing a prelude, and that he had "borrowed the cheap method of characterization by leitmotives from Wagner."<ref>Calvocoressi (1956: p. 177)</ref>

Other composers were even more censorious. [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Pyotr Tchaikovsky]] wrote in a letter to his brother [[Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Modest]]:
{{blockquote|"I have studied ''Boris Godunov'' and ''[[The Demon (opera)|The Demon]]'' thoroughly. Mussorgsky's music I send to the devil; it is the most vulgar and vile parody on music..."<ref>Pyotr Tchaikovsky, letter to his brother [[Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Modest Tchaikovsky]], 29 October 1874. In Tchaikovsky (1982: p. 89)</ref>}}

Of the critics who evaluated the new opera, only the 19-year-old critic [[Vladimir Baskin]] defended Mussorgsky's skill as a composer.<ref>Lloyd-Jones (1975: p. 19)</ref> Writing under the pen name "Foma Pizzicato", Baskin wrote,
{{blockquote|"Dramatization in vocal music could go no farther. Mussorgsky has proved himself to be a philosopher-musician, capable of expressing with rare truth the mind and soul of his characters. He also has a thorough understanding of musical resources. He is a master of the orchestra; his working-out is fluent, his vocal and chorus parts are beautifully written."<ref>Vladimir Baskin, in the journal ''Peterburgsky Listok'', 1874. In Calvocoressi (1974: p. 51)</ref>}}
[[File:Bilibin Boris Godunov cover.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Ivan Bilibin]]'s program design for [[Sergei Diaghilev|Sergey Dyagilev]]'s 1908 [[Paris Opera]] production of ''Boris Godunov'', which launched the opera in Western Europe using the Rimsky-Korsakov edition.]]
Although ''Boris Godunov'' is usually praised for its originality, dramatic choruses, sharply delineated characters, and for the powerful psychological portrayal of Tsar Boris, it has received an inordinate amount of criticism for technical shortcomings: weak or faulty [[harmony]], part-writing, and [[orchestration]]. [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov|Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov]] said:
{{blockquote|"I both adore and abhor ''Boris Godunov''. I adore it for its originality, power, boldness, distinctiveness, and beauty; I abhor it for its lack of polish, the roughness of its harmonies, and, in some places, the sheer awkwardness of the music."<ref>In Emerson, Oldani (1994: p. 107)</ref>}}
The perception that ''Boris'' needed correction due to Mussorgsky's poverty of technique prompted Rimsky-Korsakov to revise it after his death. His edition supplanted the composer's Revised Version of 1872 in Russia, and launched the work abroad, remaining the preferred edition for some 75 years<ref name="Oldani 1982: p. 7" /> (see [[Boris Godunov (opera)#Versions by other hands|Versions by Other Hands]] in this article for more details). For decades, critics and scholars pressing for the performance of Mussorgsky's own versions fought an often losing battle against the conservatism of conductors and singers, who, raised on the plush Rimsky-Korsakov edition, found it impossible to adapt to Mussorgsky's comparatively unrefined and bleak original scores.<ref>Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: p. 139</ref>

Recently, however, a new appreciation for the rugged individuality of Mussorgsky's style has resulted in increasing performances and recording of his original versions. Musicologist [[Gerald Abraham]] wrote:
{{blockquote|"...in the perspective of a hundred years we can see that Musorgsky's score did not really need 'correction' and reorchestration, that in fact the untouched ''Boris'' is finer than the revised ''Boris''."<ref>Abraham (1985: p. 66)</ref>}}

==Analysis==
'''Models and influences'''
{{Original research|section|date=August 2021}}
* [[Mikhail Glinka]]: ''[[A Life for the Tsar]]'' (1836), ''[[Ruslan and Ludmila]]''(1842)
* [[Alexander Serov|Aleksandr Serov]]: ''[[Judith (Serov)|Judith]]'' (1863), ''[[Rogneda (opera)|Rogneda]]'' (1865), ''[[The Power of the Fiend]]'' (1871)
* [[Giuseppe Verdi]]: ''[[Don Carlos]]'' (1867)
* [[César Cui]]: ''[[William Ratcliff (Cui)|William Ratcliff]]'' (1868)
* [[Alexander Dargomyzhsky|Aleksandr Dargomïzhsky]]: ''[[The Stone Guest (Dargomyzhsky)|The Stone Guest]]'' (1869)
* [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov|Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov]]: ''[[The Maid of Pskov]]'' (1872)
<!--
* ''Skillful musical characterization''
* ''Thematic development''
* ''Key themes borrowed from [[Salammbô (Mussorgsky)|Salammbô]]''
* ''Use of [[leitmotiv]]e''
* ''Use of [[Musical mode|modes]]''
* ''Speech melody''
-->

==Performance practice==
[[File:Maryinsky Theater in 1900s.jpg|thumb|The [[Mariinsky Theatre]] opened in 1860. ''Boris Godunov'' received its premiere there in 1874.]]

A conflation of the 1869 and 1872 versions is often made when staging or recording ''Boris Godunov''. This typically involves choosing the 1872 version and augmenting it with the St. Basil's Scene from the 1869 version. This practice is popular because it conserves a maximum amount of music, it gives the title character another appearance on stage, and because in the St. Basil's Scene Boris is challenged by the Yurodivïy, the embodiment of his conscience.<ref>Taruskin (1993: p. 248)</ref>

However, because the composer transferred the episode of the Yurodivïy and the urchins from the St. Basil's Scene to the Kromï Scene when revising the opera, restoring the St. Basil's Scene to its former location creates a problem of duplicate episodes, which can be partially solved by cuts. Most performances that follow this practice cut the robbery of the Yurodivïy in the Kromï Scene, but duplicate his lament that ends each scene.

The Rimsky-Korsakov Version is often augmented with the [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov|Ippolitov-Ivanov]] reorchestration of the St. Basil's Scene (commissioned by the [[Bolshoy Theatre]] in 1925, composed in 1926, and first performed in 1927).

Conductors may elect to restore the cuts the composer himself made in writing the 1872 version [see [[Boris Godunov (opera)#Versions|Versions]] in this article for more details]. The 1997 Mariinsky Theatre recording under [[Valery Gergiev]] is the first and only to present the 1869 Original Version side by side with the 1872 Revised Version, and, it would seem, attempts to set a new standard for musicological authenticity. However, although it possesses many virtues, the production fails to scrupulously separate the two versions, admitting elements of the 1872 version into the 1869 recording, and failing to observe cuts the composer made in the 1872 version.<ref>Taruskin (1999)</ref>

Critics argue that the practice of restoring the St. Basil's scene and all the cuts that Mussorgsky made when revising the opera—that is, creating a "supersaturated" version—can have negative consequences, believing that it destroys the symmetrical scene structure of the Revised Version,<ref name="Taruskin 1993: p. 281"/> it undermines the composer's carefully devised and subtle system of [[leitmotiv]] deployment, and results in the overexposure of the Dmitriy motive.<ref>Taruskin (1993: p. 287)</ref>

==Versions by other hands==

===Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (1896)===
[[File:Walentin Alexandrowitsch Serow 004.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov edited Mussorgsky's works (often drastically) to enable them to enter the repertoire. Portrait by [[Valentin Serov]] (1898).]]
After Mussorgsky's death in 1881, his friend [[Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov]] undertook to put his scores in order, completing and editing ''[[Khovanshchina]]'' for publication (1883),<ref>Oldani (2002: p. 549)</ref> reconstructing ''[[Night on Bald Mountain]]'' (1886), and "correcting" some songs. Next, he turned to ''Boris''.<ref>Calvocoressi (1956: pp. 215, 217)</ref>

{{blockquote|"Although I know I shall be cursed for so doing, I will revise ''Boris''. There are countless absurdities in its harmonies, and at times in its melodies."<ref name="Calvocoressi 1956: p. 216">Calvocoressi (1956: p. 216)</ref>|Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, 15 April 1893}}

He experimented first with the Polonaise, temporarily scoring it for a [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]]-sized orchestra in 1889. In 1892 he revised the Coronation Scene, and, working from the 1874 Vocal Score, completed the remainder of the opera, although with significant cuts, by 1896.

===Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (1908)===
In the spring of 1906, Rimsky-Korsakov revised and orchestrated several passages omitted in the 1896 revision:<ref>Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: p. 421)</ref>
#"Pimen's story of Tsars Ivan and Fyodor" (Cell Scene)
#"Over the map of the Muscovite land" (Terem Scene)
#"The story of the parrot" (Terem Scene)
#"The chiming clock" (Terem Scene)
#"The scene of the False Dmitriy with Rangoni at the fountain" (Fountain Scene)
#"The False Dmitriy's soliloquy after the Polonaise" (Fountain Scene)
[[File:Chaliapin Godunov 1912.jpg|thumb|175px|[[Feodor Chaliapin|Fyodor Shalyapin]] was a powerful exponent of the Rimsky-Korsakov version, which launched ''Boris Godunov'' abroad. Portrait by [[Aleksandr Golovin (artist)|Aleksandr Golovin]] (1912).]]
Rimsky-Korsakov compiled a new edition in 1908, this time restoring the cuts, and making some significant changes:
* He omitted the end of the Novodievichy Scene, so that it ends with the Pilgrims' Chorus. (As does the 1874 vocal score.)
* He added some music to the Coronation Scene, because producer [[Sergei Diaghilev|Sergey Dyagilev]] wanted more stage spectacle for the Paris premiere. The additions are a 40 bar insert placed before Boris's monologue, and a 16 bar insert following it, both of which are based on the bell motifs that open the scene and on the "Slava" theme.
* He altered the dynamics of the end of the Inn Scene, making the conclusion loud and bombastic, perhaps because he was dissatisfied that all of Mussorgsky's scenes with the exception of the Coronation Scene end quietly.
* He similarly altered the conclusion of the Fountain Scene, replacing Mussorgsky's quiet moonlit trio with a grand peroration combining the 6 note descending theme that opens the scene, the 5 note rhythmic figure that opens the Polonaise, and the lusty cries of "Vivat!" that close the Polonaise.

These revisions clearly went beyond mere reorchestration. He made substantial modifications to harmony, melody, dynamics, etc., even changing the order of scenes.

{{blockquote|"Maybe Rimsky-Korsakov's harmonies are softer and more natural, his part-writing better, his scoring more skillful; but the result is not Mussorgsky, nor what Mussorgsky aimed at. The genuine music, with all its shortcomings, was more appropriate. I regret the genuine ''Boris'', and feel that should it ever be revived on the stage of the Mariinskiy Theatre, it is desirable that it should be in the original."<ref>Calvocoressi (1956: pp. 216–217)</ref>|César Cui, in an article in ''Novosti'', 1899}}

{{blockquote|"Besides re-scoring ''Boris'' and correcting harmonies in it (which was quite justifiable), he introduced in it many arbitrary alterations, which disfigured the music. He also spoilt the opera by changing the order of scenes."<ref name="Calvocoressi 1956: p. 216" />|Miliy Balakirev, letter to Calvocoressi, 25 July 1906}}

Rimsky-Korsakov immediately came under fire from some critics for altering ''Boris'', particularly in France, where his revision was introduced. The defense usually made by his supporters was that without his ministrations, Mussorgsky's opera would have faded from the repertory due to difficulty in appreciating his raw and uncompromising idiom. Therefore, Rimsky-Korsakov was justified in making improvements to keep the work alive and increase the public's awareness of Mussorgsky's melodic and dramatic genius.

{{blockquote|"I remained inexpressibly pleased with my revision and orchestration of ''Boris Godunov'', heard by me for the first time with a large orchestra. Moussorgsky's violent admirers frowned a bit, regretting something... But having arranged the new revision of ''Boris Godunov'', I had not destroyed its original form, had not painted out the old frescoes forever. If ever the conclusion is arrived at that the original is better, worthier than my revision, then mine will be discarded and ''Boris Godunov'' will be performed according to the original score."<ref>Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: p. 407)</ref>|Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, ''Chronicle of My Musical Life'', 1909}}

The Rimsky-Korsakov version remained the one usually performed in Russia, even after Mussorgsky's earthier original (1872) gained a place in Western opera houses. The Bolshoy Theatre has only recently embraced the composer's own version.<ref>Lloyd-Jones (2002)</ref>

===Dmitriy Shostakovich (1940)===
[[File:Dmitri Shostakovich credit Deutsche Fotothek adjusted.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Dmitriy Shostakovich orchestrated Pavel Lamm's vocal score.]]
[[Dmitri Shostakovich|Dmitriy Shostakovich]] worked on ''Boris Godunov'' in 1939–1940 on a commission from the [[Bolshoy Theatre]] for a new production of the opera. A conflation of the 1869 and 1872 versions had been published by Pavel Lamm and aroused keen interest in the piece. However, it did not erase doubts as to whether Mussorgsky's own orchestration was playable. The invasion of Russia by Nazi Germany prevented this production from taking place, and it was not until 1959 that Shostakovich's version of the score was premiered.<ref>Maes, 368–369.</ref>

To Shostakovich, Mussorgsky was successful with solo instrumental timbres in soft passages but did not fare as well with louder moments for the whole orchestra.<ref>Maes, 368.</ref> Shostakovich explained:

{{blockquote|"Mussorgsky has marvelously orchestrated moments, but I see no sin in my work. I didn't touch the successful parts, but there are many unsuccessful parts because he lacked mastery of the craft, which comes only through time spent on your backside, no other way."|Dmitriy Shostakovich}}

Shostakovich confined himself largely to reorchestrating the opera, and was more respectful of the composer's unique melodic and harmonic style. However, Shostakovich greatly increased the contributions of the woodwind and especially brass instruments to the score, a significant departure from the practice of Mussorgsky, who exercised great restraint in his instrumentation, preferring to utilize the individual qualities of these instruments for specific purposes. Shostakovich also aimed for a greater symphonic development, wanting the orchestra to do more than simply accompany the singers.{{Citation needed |date= January 2021}}

{{blockquote|"This is how I worked. I placed Mussorgsky's piano arrangement in front of me and then two scores—Mussorgsky's and Rimsky-Korsakov's. I didn't look at the scores, and I rarely looked at the piano arrangement either. I orchestrated by memory, act by act. Then I compared my orchestration with those of Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. If I saw that either had done it better, then I stayed with that. I didn't reinvent bicycles. I worked honestly, with ferocity, I might say."|Dmitriy Shostakovich}}{{Citation needed |date= January 2021}}

Shostakovich remembered [[Alexander Glazunov]] telling him how Mussorgsky himself played scenes from ''Boris'' at the piano. Mussorgsky's renditions, according to Glazunov, were brilliant and powerful—qualities Shostakovich felt did not come through in the orchestration of much of ''Boris''.<ref>Volkov (1979: pp. 227–228)</ref> Shostakovich, who had known the opera since his student days at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, assumed that Mussorgsky's orchestral intentions were correct but that Mussorgsky simply could not realize them:{{Citation needed |date= January 2021}}

{{blockquote|"As far as I can tell, he imagined something like a singing line around the vocal parts, the way subvoices surround the main melodic line in Russian folk song. But Mussorgsky lacked the technique for that. What a shame! Obviously, he had a purely orchestral imagination, and purely orchestral imagery, as well. The music strives for "new shores," as they say—musical dramaturgy, musical dynamics, language, imagery. But his orchestral technique drags us back to the old shores."|Dmitriy Shostakovich}}{{Citation needed |date= January 2021}}

One of those "old shore" moments was the large monastery bell in the scene in the monk's cell. Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov both use the gong. To Shostakovich, this was too elemental and simplistic to be effective dramatically, since this bell showed the atmosphere of the monk's estrangement. "When the bell tolls," Shostakovich reportedly told [[Solomon Volkov]], "it's a reminder that there are powers mightier than man, that you can't escape the judgment of history."<ref name="Volkov 1979: p. 234">Volkov (1979: p. 234)</ref> Therefore, Shostakovich reorchestrated the bell's tolling by the simultaneous playing of seven instruments—bass clarinet, double bassoon, French horns, gong, harps, piano, and double basses (at an octave). To Shostakovich, this combination of instruments sounded more like a real bell.{{Citation needed |date= January 2021}}

Shostakovich admitted Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestration was more colorful than his own and used brighter timbres. However, he also felt that Rimsky-Korsakov chopped up the melodic lines too much and, by blending melody and subvoices, may have subverted much of Mussorgsky's intent. Shostakovich also felt that Rimsky-Korsakov did not use the orchestra flexibly enough to follow the characters' mood changes, instead making the orchestra calmer, more balanced.{{Citation needed |date= January 2021}}

===Igor Buketoff (1997)===
The American conductor [[Igor Buketoff]] created a version in which he removed most of Rimsky-Korsakov's additions and reorchestrations, and fleshed out some other parts of Mussorgsky's original orchestration. This version had its first performance in 1997 at the [[Metropolitan Opera]], New York, under [[Valery Gergiev]].<ref>[http://www.historicopera.com/listing_composers_conductors.htm Historic Opera] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114061640/http://www.historicopera.com/listing_composers_conductors.htm |date=14 January 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/11/arts/igor-buketoff-87-conductor-and-expert-on-rachmaninoff.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss| title = New York Times, 11 September 2001| work = The New York Times| date = 11 September 2001| last1 = Kozinn| first1 = Allan}}</ref>

==Related works==
* [[Antonín Dvořák]]: Opera, ''[[Dimitrij (opera)|Dimitrij]]'' (1882)
* [[Sergei Prokofiev]]: [[Incidental music]], ''Boris Godunov'' (1936)

==See also==
* [[Boris Godunov discography]]

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist}}
'''Sources'''
* [[Gerald Abraham|Abraham, G.]], ''Essays on Russian and East European Music'', Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985
* Brown, D. [[Gerald Abraham|Abraham, G.]], "Mikhail Glinka" and "Modest Musorgsky" in ''The New Grove: Russian Masters 1'', New York: W. W. Norton & Co. (1986)
* [[Michel Dimitri Calvocoressi|Calvocoressi, M.D.]], Abraham, G., ''Mussorgsky, 'Master Musicians' Series'', London: J.M.Dent & Sons, Ltd., 1974
* Calvocoressi, M.D., ''Modest Mussorgsky: His Life and Works'', London: Rockliff, 1956
* Emerson, C., ''Mussorgsky's Libretti on Historical Themes: From the Two Borises to Khovanshchina'', in ''Reading Opera'', eds. Groos, A. & Parker, R., Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1988
* Emerson, C., and Oldani, R. W., ''Modest Musorgsky and Boris Godunov: Myths, Realities, Reconsiderations'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994
* [[David Lloyd-Jones (conductor)|Lloyd-Jones, D.]], ''Boris Godunov: The Facts and the Problems'', Oxford University Press, 1975 (reprinted in the notes to Philips CD 412 281–2)
* Lloyd-Jones, D., Interview: [http://www.musicweb-international.com/bax/lljones.htm ''A Discussion with David Lloyd-Jones''] on ''The Sir Arnold Bax Website'', 2002 (Accessed 1 March 2009)
* Maes, Francis, tr. [[Arnold J. Pomerans]] and Erica Pomerans, ''A History of Russian Music: From ''Kamarinskaya ''to'' Babi Yar (Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press, 2002). {{ISBN|0-520-21815-9}}.
* [http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=54660&limi Metropolitan Opera Archives] (Accessed 9 March 2011)
* Musorgskiy, M., ''M. P. Musorgskiy: Letters'', 2nd edition, Gordeyeva, Ye. (editor), Moscow: Muzïka (Music, publisher), 1984 [Мусоргский, М., ''М. П. Мусоргский: Письма'', Гордеева, Е., Москва: Музыка, 1984]
* Musorgskiy, M., ''Literary Legacy (Literaturnoye naslediye)'', Orlova, A., Pekelis, M. (editors), Moscow: Muzïka (Music, publisher), 1971 [Мусоргский, М., ''Литературное наследие'', Орлова, А., Пекелис, М., Москва: Музыка, 1971]
* Mussorgsky, M., ''Boris Godunov'' (vocal score), edited by Pavel Lamm, London: Oxford University Press
* Oldani, R. W. (article), Sadie, S. (editor), ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 2001, 2002
* Oldani, R. W., John, N., Fay, L. E., de Jonge, A., Osborne, N., ''Opera Guide 11: Boris Godunov'', London: John Calder, Ltd., 1982
*''Opera Discography'' at http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk (Accessed 2 January 2010)
* Orlova, A., ''Musorgsky Remembered'', translated by Zaytzeff, V., and Morrison, F., Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1991
* Pruzhansky, A., ''Dictionary of Native Singers 1750–1917'' [http://next.feb-web.ru/test/pruzhan/abc/ &#91;Пружанский, А. М., ''Отечественные певцы. 1750–1917: Словарь''&#93;] (In Russian. Retrieved August, 2011)
* Rimsky-Korsakov, N., ''Chronicle of My Musical Life'', translated by Joffe, J. A., New York: Knopf, 1923
* Shirinyan, R. (author), Kondakhchan, K. (editor), ''M. P. Musorgskiy'', Moscow: Muzïka (Music, publisher), 1989 [Ширинян, Р., Кондахчан, К., ''М. П. Мусоргский'', Москва: Музыка, 1989]
* [[Richard Taruskin|Taruskin, R.]], ''Musorgsky: Eight Essays and an Epilogue'', New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1993
* Taruskin, R., [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/28/arts/music-russian-originals-de-and-re-edited.html?pagewanted=1 ''Russian Originals De- and Re-edited''], CD Review, ''The New York Times'', 1999 (Accessed 21 February 2009)
* Tchaikovsky, P., ''Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Letters to his Family, an Autobiography'', translated by G. von Meck, New York: Stein and Day, 1982
* [[Solomon Volkov|Volkov, S.]], ''Testimony: The Memoirs of Dmitry Shostakovich'', translated by [[Antonina W. Bouis|Bouis, Antonina W.]], New York: Harper & Row, 1979

==External links==
{{Commons category|Boris Godunov (opera)}}

'''Libretto'''
* [https://archive.org/details/borisgodounov00muss English translation of Boris Godunov from Archive.org]
* [http://musorgskiy1839.narod.ru/boris.htm Russian libretto in HTML]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060520170129/http://www.ceo.spb.ru/libretto/classic/posle_glinki/godunov.zip Russian libretto in zip file for Word]

'''Other'''
* {{IMSLP2|work=Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky, Modest)|cname=''Boris Godunov''}}
* [https://www.operabase.com/works/boris-godunov-2214/en ''Boris Godunov''] on [[Operabase]]

{{Modest Mussorgsky}}
{{Boris Godunov}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Operas]]
[[Category:1874 operas]]
[[Category:Russian-language operas]]
[[Category:Operas by Modest Mussorgsky]]
[[Category:Operas based on plays]]
[[Category:Operas based on works by Aleksandr Pushkin]]
[[Category:Operas set in Russia]]
[[Category:Operas set in Poland]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Boris Godunov]]
[[Category:Works set in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]]
[[Category:Dmitri Shostakovich]]