Kent Nagano superbly masters the challenges presented by this score, shapes the dynamics with subtle intensity, and casts the score in a mellow glow. As Marfa, the spurned lover of Ivan Khovansky‘s son Andrei, Doris Soffel unfolds such a rich palette of sonorities, from the pathos of the lower ranges to shaded discant heights, that “one is tempted to speak of a Russian mezzo”. The final chorus, which Mussorgsky did not compose, is played in the orchestrally transparent version of Igor Stravinsky – the third great Russian composer who contributed to making “Khovanshchina“ a timeless, gripping stage work. With his stripped-down sets and historicising costumes, director Dmitri Tcherniakov, one of the new voices of contemporary Russian theatre, builds a bridge to the political present. A lesson in history and music!
Mussorgsky: Khovanshchina
August 28, 2012
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Paata Burchuladze
Ivan Khovansky
Klaus Florian Vogt
Andrei Khovansky
John Daszak
Golitsin
Valeri Alexejev
Shaklovity
Anatoly Kotcherga
Dosifey
Doris Soffel
Marfa
Ilrich Reß
Scrivener
Camila Nylund
Emma
Kent Nagano
Conductor
Dmitri Tcherniakov
Director
Modeste Moussorgsky
Writer
Modeste Moussorgsky
Music