Boris Godunov at SF Opera Revives Original Version

Never mind those historical inaccuracies in the Russian genius’s play. Alexander Pushkin was not a historian after all, and poets possess a right to sacrifice Cleo to other muses. So what if Tsar Boris didn’t kill Tsarevich Dimitri, and in hindsight happened to be the most progressive ruler in centuries—the story is built upon his unredeemable guilt. A typical Russian [glorious doom and gloom] opera, Boris Godunov explores intimate connections between power and the people, personal trials and tribulations and their global implications, and the inherent to the culture in question dilemma of means and results. In San Francisco Opera production, conducted by Vassily Sinaisky and directed by Julia Pevzner, a constellation of operatic stars, lead by Samuel Ramey (Boris Godunov) flawlessly delivered the complex and hard to perform Mussorgsky’s original version from 1869. The production also marked Mr. Ramey’s 30th anniversary with SF Opera. Next in the company’s this year repertoire are: Giacomo Puccini “La Boheme” through December 7 and Three Decembers by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer—a West Coast premiere Dec. 11, 12, 14. To learn more, visit www.sfopera.com. Photo by Terrence McCarthy.