Godunov Set for THIRTEEN's GREAT PERFORMANCES, 2/13
By: Nicole Rosky Jan. 26, 2011
The Metropolitan Opera's new production of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov starring René Pape as Boris and conducted by Valery Gergiev, will air on THIRTEEN's Great Performances Sunday, February 13 at 12 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings). (In New York, THIRTEEN will air the program Thursday, February 10 at 8 p.m. ET.) Stephen Wadsworth directs the company's first new production of the opera since 1974. The program was originally seen live in movie theaters on October 23, 2010 as part of the groundbreaking The Met: Live in HD series, which transmits live performances to more than 1500 movie theaters and performing arts centers in 46 countries around the world.
Adapted from a play by Alexander Pushkin about the extraordinary reign of the 16th-century tsar, Boris Godunov is regarded as one of the masterpieces of the Russian operatic repertoire. The Met's new production of Mussorgsky's epic political tragedy was praised by critics following the first performance on October 11: The Associated Press declared "Bravo, Boris!...a huge success on every count - from the superb cast led by bass René Pape in the title role to the inspired conducting of Valery Gergiev to the remarkably fluid and psychologically acute direction by Stephen Wadsworth." The Wall Street Journal called the performance "an engrossing theatrical event" and cited the production as a "deeply moving, complex and tragic portrait of Russia that melds historical sweep with intimate and detailed personal encounters." Pape "is ideal for the role" of the guilt-ridden tsar, said The New York Times, and "riveting in Boris's death scene."Great Performances at the Met is a presentation of THIRTEEN for WNET.ORG, one of America's most prolific and respected public media providers.René Pape has built a reputation as a consummate singing-actor at the Met, including acclaimed roles in Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal, Don Giovanni, Faust, and Don Carlo, and his American debut in the role of Boris was highly anticipated. The new production also features a number of leading singers performing Boris Godunov for the first time at the Met. The cast includes Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko as Grigory/The Pretender Dimitri; and Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk as Princess Marina. Other notable Russian singers making their Met role debuts in this production are bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin as Rangoni, bass Mikhail Petrenko as Pimen, and tenor Oleg Balashov as Shuisky. Bass Vladimir Ognovenko reprises his portrayal of Varlaam, which he first performed with the Met in a 1997 run of performances conducted by Gergiev. Many of the Met cast members have performed Boris Godunov with Gergiev at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theater, where he is artistic director and where the opera had its 1874 premiere.
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