Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

It is a seudo-historical opera with good voices, nice choruses and so-so sound and staging.

An outstanding opera--one of the Russian best. Nesterenko is a great bass and the other singers are excellent.