Mussorgsky - Khovanshchina / Nesterenko, Vedernikov, Arkhipova, Simonov, Bolshoi Opera

As one reviewer has already said, Khovanshchina is a "sprawling" masterpiece. But it has a number of mysteries associated with it also. The opera was little more than a collection of scenes written over a period of years that were collected by Vladimir Stasov as the "blue notebook". These were divided into acts by Rimsky Korsikov who also took Mussorgsky' music sketches (only two small scenes had been orchestrated) and fashioned an opera out of them. There were revisions by Rimsky-Korsikov himself; another by Stravinsky and Ravel for the Paris premier as well as by Shostakovitch who in time reorchestrated the whole thing for the Marinsky and a classic film. Thus there is no "final" authoritative score. The opera itself remains a mystery in what the composers judgement was for the actions portrayed in the opera. It came into existence in Tsar Peter the Great bicentenary year and concerns the history of his consolidating power against old Russia and forming a modern state in the "western-European" mode. He did this by destroying the old serf state, the old princes powers, the old church beliefs and gave rise to the modern state of Russia; but it was a very bloody road. This situation came about when his father Tsar Fyodor Alexeyevich (Romanov) died age 20 leaving a 16 year old brother, dim-witted Ivan and a half brother Peter. A nasty mess of palace intrigues followed so that both brothers were installed as Tsar with an older sister Sophia as regent. In order consolidate his power he needed to eliminate the Strel'tsi ( a militia) and their leader Ivan Khovansky and son Andrey (their two revolts are called the Khovansky affairs (Khovanshchina).Only the latter is represented in the opera. In the opera Shaklovity elininates Khovansky as Peter's agent and the son dies in flames in the end of the opera. Peter's second opponent is Sophie as represented by Golitsin her chief minister (and lover) but she plots Peter's murder with Golitsin and she is banished and Golitsin is exiled. The final opposition is represented in the opera as the "Old Believers". They want the church reforms of Peter and Peter's father annuled and a return to "'that old time religion". In the opera they are the only ones that remain undefiled by plots, ambitions or greed. Yet they along with the evil actors in the story end in the dust bin of history. There is the mystery: the opera as done by Rimsky-Korsakov lets us think that all the plots and the burning of the "Old Believers" was worth the price to form modern Russia and Peter is the Hero. But from Mussorgsky's notes, conversations with Stasov (collector of Mussorgsky's librettos) and writings he may have said that Peter and his culprits should be condemned by history. This would mean that at the ending of the opera the Old Believers singing should fade out and end instead of having the triumphal trumpets of Peter the Great's army in thier French-inspired uniforms heralding the "New Russia".Yes, there are many technical problems with this DVD and many other little things to find fault with but I cherish this album to hear one of the greatest basses in my memory: Evgeny Nesterenko. Only Boris Christof comes close.

Modeste Mussorgsky drank himself to death in his early 40's, leaving nothing but the vocal score to this magnificent, positively sprawling cornerstone of Russian culture. Aside from one short strophic song in Act 3, Mussorgsky's ideas about the orchestral scoring of Khovanshchina were left to chance. This production presents the version of Mussorgsky's friend and mentor Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: one of the most phenomenal misappropriations of opera history. The two composers could not have been more dissimilar - Rimsky-Korsakov failed utterly and completely to understand Mussorgsky's revolutionary genius, thus confusing the public for Khovanshchina as well, first in Russia, where the Rimsky-Korsakov version was standard for decades, and later in the West. The version is full of musically alien Germanisms and too precious dramatic "moments," woefully lacking in long-range tension and the kind of penetrating psychology that is the essence of Mussorgsky. About this video there is a critical, three-pronged allure. It is the tension between the soaringly FABULOUS vocalism of the soloists, the grandeur of the production (especially the costumes), and the patchy version of the score, probably responsible for the out-dated notion that Khovanshchina is too epic for its own good. (Just listen to Shostakovich's later orchestration - a huge success in comparison.) Yevgeni Nesterenko as Dosifei is a force of nature - simply awe-inspiring. Irina Arkhipova (recently her role in the Soviet government has been revealed - suffice it to say her colleagues should have been terrified of her political influence) sings Marfa with bravura but maintains an unbecoming haughtiness throughout. Truly world-class singing from the other soloists and the chorus reinforces that, for melomanes, Russophiles, and indeed almost all music lovers, this a video not to miss.

Mussorsky is Mussorsky. He get his review couple on hundreds years ego. Steal very good.

Excellent product and service.

Excellent. Documentary recording of an actual performance.

The video arrived quickly, and in good shape. I love Russian opera, and I already have Nesterenko's Boris, so I really wanted this video.

This is a very good performance of Mussorgsky's sprawling masterpiece, with excellent voices, old-fashioned staging,and gorgeous costuming.The ability of the performers to "act" is variable, but acceptable.English subtitles are automatic (and somewhat "modern"). No other languages offered.

This is a wonderful opera! However, I needed to order it quickly, so I did not have time to compare the different versions available on DVD/VHS. I am especially interested in the final scene, when the Old Believers burn themselves up in their church rather than submit to Peter's men. I am rather disappointed, particularly because the image quality is poor, and the sound isn't great either. The scene that interests me is all right, but it is very short and not very dramatic. Maybe I should have gone with the Kirov: I own several opera DVDs and videos of their performances, and all of them are good. I just thought I should post this in case someone else is in the same position I was, and cannot tell from the comments and descriptions which version is best.

This is the only existing version of Mussorgsky's Kovanshchina that I own or want to own. It is a genuine Russian (the Bolshoi) performance with positive 'old-fashioned' production values that make those of its rival from Vienna seem ridiculous - I have watched but declined to buy that version. English subtitles are embedded, but following the somewhat complicated plot does require prior attention to a synopsis. The plot is a real slice of Russian history centering on the Seventeenth Century modernizing reforms of Peter the Great, with particular focus on those affecting the Church. The "Old Believers" resent these reforms bitterly and wish both to retain the simplicity and purity of the earlier liturgy and do away with the political modernising that accompanies the reforms. (For those so inclined, some of the reactions to the fate of the Latin Mass in Roman Catholicism, and the virtual demise of the Book of Common Prayer in the Anglican/Episcopal Communion, might provide modern if less dramatic parallels on the religious side. The best parallel on the political side is probably the Sixteenth Century English one involving the reaction to Henry V111 and his breach with the Church of Rome). The spiritual leader of the "Old Believers" is the monk Dofei, sung spectacularly by the great bass Nestorenko who is not, however, in quite the same league as an actor. The secular leader is Prince Khovansky - a man of great dignity, of which he is at times excessively conscious - again a bass role well sung and this time also well acted. He is assassinated before the final act and the secular leadership devolves on his son, Prince Andrei Khovansky, who comes across as a rather useless and distinctly unpleasant person. This is not a grateful role for a tenor - there are parallels with Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly - but the performance is certainly satisfactory. The other male roles, mainly on the side of "modernisation" (or simply self-interest)) are well done, as is that of The Scribe, who performs somewhat the same narration/prediction function as does The Simpleton in Boris Godunov.But for me the great glory of the set is the only significant female role, Marfa (an "Old Believer"), sung and acted with incredible power and dignity by the great mezzo Irina Arkhipova. It can be argued that Marfa should be sung by a younger mezzo representing a girl newly come to strong religious values, but Arkhipova makes a most convincing case for a more mature singer who in keeping with a more mature appearance can also portray more naturally both an emotional and spiritual depth and an understanding of human nature that confers a leadership role that would not normally fit a much younger girl - although Joan of Arc might be a real exception both in life and in opera. Marfa, Dofei, Andrei Khovansky, and many other "old Believers", commit suicide by fire at the end of thre opera but the sect continues to exist in modern Russia albeit as a minor sidebar to the revival of the Russian Orthodox Church.In a rather short time I have come to prefer this opera, in this version, to Boris Godunov (in any version) as the true ideal of all that is great and good in Russian opera. To those who know some of the Russian repertoire, please do try this if you haven't already. To those who so far have not sampled this repertoire, I warmly recommend this opera, in this version, as a worthwhile alternative starting point to Boris Godunov or operas by the likes of Glinka and Tchaikovsky: but be warned, it is very long and some may find it emotionally quiite draining.