Boris Godunov is an opera in four acts by Mussorgsky, composed and orchestrated between October 1868 and December 1869. The libretto is based on two works: Karamzin's History of the Russian State and Pushkin's Boris Godunov. Andrei Konchalovsky's staging at the Teatro Regio in Torino is based on a new musical structure stemming from the 1872 written version by Mussorgsky and the adaptation work carried out by director and conductor Gianandrea Noseda. The staging is sober and the scenery so simple that the contrast with the shimmering costumes is striking. In the leading role is Bulgarian singer Orlin Anastassov, one of the world's most outstanding basses, and winner of first prize at Plácido Domingo's Operalia Competition in 1999. He is now a worldwide star on the lyric scene.
Plot
The opera Boris Godunov is set in Russia and Poland from 1598 to 1605. Several historical events are recounted, in a similar way to a Shakespearean historical drama. Boris Godunov, brother-in-law and prime minister of Tsar Feodor, has Dimitri, the Tsar's young heir, assassinated. When Feodor dies, Boris Godunov seizes the throne in place of Dimitri and is hailed by the people. A young monk named Grigori then pretends to be Dimitri, the assassinated Tsarevich. Grigori is first welcomed in Poland, then marches on Russia. When Boris dies, he seizes power.
