| Composer: |
Modest Petrovich Musorgsky |
| Music title: |
Boris Godunov (1874) |
| Librettist: |
Modest Petrovich Musorgsky |
| Work definition: |
Opera in nine scenes, or a prologue and four acts |
| After/based on: |
Adapted from the historical tragedy 'Boris Godunov' by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, and from material partly derived from historical works by Nikolay Mikhaylovich Karamzin and others |
| Language: |
Russian |
| Notes: |
Musorgsky's original work, composed in 1868-69, consisted of seven scenes grouped into four acts. A revised version of nine scenes (six from the original and three new) was the first version performed, in 1874. After Musorgsky's death, Rimsky-Korsakov re-orchestrated the opera, making a number of cuts and insertions and transposing the last two scenes. This version was first performed in December 1896. Between 1906 and 1908, Rimsky-Korsakov worked on a second version, restoring the cuts yet retaining his own insertions. For many years, Rimsky-Korsakov's 1908 version was the 'standard version' used by opera companies worldwide. The original 1869 work was first performed in 1928.
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| World premiere: |
27 January 1874, Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg |
| ROH premiere: |
12 May 1948, Covent Garden Opera Company |
| ROH company premiere: |
12 May 1948, Covent Garden Opera Company, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London |
| Related work: |
Boris Godunov [1896], Boris Godunov [1869], Boris Godunov [1908]
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