The World's Most Famous Operas — Boris Godunov

Music by: Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881)

Rendered into Arabic by: Samir Shikhani

An opera in four acts, adapted from a play by Alexander Pushkin.

Produced for the first time in St. Petersburg in 1874.

The Characters:
• Boris Godunov
• Grigory, a novice monk, later called Dimitri
• Pimen, a monk and chronicler
• Prince Shuisky, a royal counselor
• Missail and Varlaam, mendicant monks
• Marina Mnishek, a Polish noblewoman
• Xenia, Boris's daughter
• Fyodor, Boris's son
• Rangoni, a Jesuit priest
• The hostess of the inn
• The Simpleton
• Soldiers, guards, pilgrims, men, women, children

Time: 1598–1605.
Place: Russia and Poland.

Act One

Scene One: A courtyard before a monastery in Moscow.

The young Tsar Fyodor, son of Ivan the Terrible, has died, and it has become necessary to choose a successor to him, for there is no direct heir. Boris Godunov, who was regent over the young Fyodor, is conspiring in secret to become Tsar of Russia. But he wishes this deed of his to appear as an answer to the popular will. He has withdrawn to a monastery and refused the offer made to him to sit upon the throne; but he has ordered the police to gather a great crowd of people and compel them to demand that he receive the crown. A band of pilgrims comes forward, chanting and distributing holy amulets and charms among the assembled crowds, making the people believe that it is the will of God that Boris should be the new Tsar. A herald appears at the gate of the monastery and announces to all that Russia is threatened with collapse unless Boris can be brought to consent to take the throne. Whereupon all kneel in prayer at the prompting of the men of the police..

Scene Two: A monk's cell in the Monastery of Chudov.

The old monk Pimen is writing a history of Russia. He tells the novice Grigory that he has grown very old and will not be granted time to complete this history, and he begs him to take up the task. He has reached, in his setting down of the history, the following point: that Dimitri, the younger brother of the late Tsar Fyodor, was killed at the instigation of Boris Godunov, who aspired to reach the throne. The old monk says that had this boy lived he would have become Tsar of Russia, and he would now be of Grigory's age. And so a tremendous idea takes root in the mind of this ambitious youth, as he cries: "Here, in this secluded cell, dwells the avenger of the murdered boy!"

Scene Three: A square before the Kremlin palace in Moscow (the Coronation Scene).

The pealing of bells is heard, and the enthusiasm of the crowd rises at the appointment of the new Tsar. A magnificent procession crosses the stage while the people chant the hymn "Glory to Russia, glory to Tsar Boris!" At last Boris appears in his splendid robes for the coronation ceremony, accompanied by his daughter Xenia and his little son Fyodor. The strains of the music die away as he addresses the multitudes with complete calm — and sadness.. for he — as he says — feels grief at yielding to their wish and receiving the throne. But the truth is that he secretly feels the reproach of conscience for having committed the crime that carried him to the throne. He blesses the crowds with utter humility and majesty, then enters the Cathedral of the Archangels, and the procession continues on its way. The pealing of the bells rises anew, and the crowd sings the "Coronation Hymn,"

which has no sooner ended than we see Boris standing on the steps of the cathedral.

Act Two

Scene One: An inn near the Lithuanian border.

The curtain rises and we hear the hostess of the inn, a simple peasant woman, singing as she goes about the business of her inn. Before long two mendicant monks, Missail and Varlaam, come in; they call for some wine and sit down at one of the tables, drinking great quantities of it. Behind them slips in Grigory, the young monk we saw in the first act. But he is a monk no longer: he has fled the monastery and put on civilian clothes, for he hopes to raise an army against Tsar Boris, claiming that he is the young Dimitri, the lawful heir to the throne of the Tsars, whom he believes Boris murdered.

Varlaam, a bottle of wine in his hand, sings a boisterous song that opens: "Once upon a time in the town of Kazan." While the two monks chatter, Grigory asks the hostess about the shortest road to the border. He is on the point of leaving the place by stealth when there comes a loud knocking at the door. Policemen enter, searching for a runaway monk and carrying a warrant for his arrest. Since they cannot read, Grigory volunteers to read out the warrant. In doing so he makes the description contained in the warrant he reads fit Varlaam, who is fuddled with drink. But the latter starts up in anger and proceeds to recite the true description set down in the warrant — which fits, of course, Grigory. He had expected this, so he drew a knife and cut himself a way out through the window, after overturning a table in the path of his pursuers, who tumbled one over another and could not follow him at once.

Scene Two: The Tsar's private apartments in the Kremlin palace.

Tsar Boris's two children are sitting with their nurse.. Fyodor is poring over a geography book, and the girl Xenia is singing a sad song for the death of her betrothed. Boris enters and advises his daughter to amuse herself with friends of her own age.. and she leaves the room with her nurse. Boris talks with his son and urges him to be diligent in his lessons, for he will one day become Tsar and will need knowledge and wisdom. Then Tsar Boris falls to contemplating his misery, five years having passed since he seated himself in the seat of power. For he has felt no contentment or happiness in having reached the throne. Famine has broken out in Russia; there are unceasing conspiracies and quarrels among the nobles.. and worst of all, his conscience is never once at ease, and the vision of the murdered boy Dimitri haunts him always..

A messenger comes to inform him of fresh disturbances, followed by Prince Shuisky, one of the members of the court, known for his cunning and his foxiness. He acquaints Boris with the rebellion contrived by Grigory, who claims to be the lawful heir Dimitri. The Tsar cries out, "Can Dimitri rise from among the dead?" Shuisky, who witnessed the crime, trembles before the Tsar's wrath, and re-enacts before him the events of the bloody crime until Boris's nerves give way completely. He seizes Shuisky by the collar of his robe and orders him out, then falls prey to a terrible fit of the reproaches of conscience. He imagines that he sees the ghost of Dimitri streaming with blood; he sinks upon his knees, a prey to the pains of remorse and self-reproach, and closes with prayer.

Act Three

Scene One: A lady's boudoir in a palace in Poland.

Here Dimitri, who claims the throne of the Tsars as its lawful heir, is organizing his revolt against Boris. And here is Marina Mnishek, the beautiful Polish noblewoman, seated before her mirror making ready for a ball, her maids-in-waiting assisting in her toilette and adornment. She turns to them, saying she is weary of hearing the airs of the mazurka and the polonaise, and asks them to sing her the songs of the Polish warriors. After she dismisses them she dreams of setting the Russian crown upon her head, for she has met the false Dimitri and believes he has fallen in love with her. The Jesuit priest Rangoni enters and persuades her not to content herself with Dimitri's request to marry her, but to adopt the cause of the Roman Catholic Church against the Russian Orthodox Church, the official church of the Russian Empire. Marina protests at first, saying the task is too perilous for her to undertake; but Rangoni takes up a small cross he carries, and Marina stands in awe of the moment and submits to his demands.

Scene Two: A fountain in the garden of Marina's palace.

Dimitri has a rendezvous with Marina in the garden, which is bathed in moonlight, and he

is yearning to meet her, that he may sing her his love. The strains of the polonaise are heard and Dimitri withdraws, while a company of nobles, men and women, enters the place; they dance and sing the polonaise, led by Marina leaning on the arm of a noble advanced in years. When this company returns to the palace Dimitri comes forward, despair having taken hold of him in the belief that Marina has promised to give her hand to the old noble with whom she danced.

Marina comes out into the garden and meets Dimitri at the edge of the fountain, as she had promised him. With her skill and her cunning she plays upon Dimitri's emotions, aided in this by the dreamy musical atmosphere.. and she throws herself at his feet, telling him that he is her hero. Dimitri raises her and encircles her in his arms, while the priest Rangoni passes at the back of the stage, rubbing his hands in token of satisfaction at the success of his appointed plan.

Act Four

Scene One: A snow-covered clearing in the forest of Kromy near Moscow.

A crowd of peasants is beating a nobleman who has fallen into their hands.. for they look with hatred upon all members of the upper class and consider them the cause of every ill and evil... with Boris foremost among them. The village simpleton comes in with a pot set upon his head, singing a song that opens: "In the light of the moon the cats...". Some boys set upon him and steal from him the single coin he carries. He weeps and leaves the stage, while the two monks Varlaam and Missail enter, cursing Boris's rule and urging the crowd to support Dimitri. The crowd likewise abuses two Jesuit priests, but this scene is cut short by the arrival of a detachment of Dimitri's soldiers, followed after a while by Dimitri himself on the back of his horse. Thus the poor nobleman and the two priests are saved, and the voices of the crowd rise, chanting with fervor: "Glory! Glory to Dimitri Ivanovich!" The stage empties of all but the poor simpleton, lamenting the state of Russia in the song "The Simpleton's Lament"...

Scene Two: The council hall in the Kremlin palace.

At an official assembly, threats issue from the assembled company as to what ought to be done with Dimitri, who claims the throne, and with his followers. Prince Shuisky, however, appears distraught, for he has seen Boris a prey to the reproach of conscience, after imagining that he saw the ghost of the young Dimitri. Shuisky describes this scene in full detail and precision to the astounded men of the court. Suddenly Boris enters the hall, cutting the prince short in this account of his; and Shuisky begs those present to listen to an old man, and Boris consents. The old man is the monk Pimen, the chronicler... He relates a strange story of an old blind shepherd who heard a voice while he dreamed — a voice saying that it was the murdered Dimitri, and that the shepherd must go to pray at his tomb, for he had now become an angel who could work miracles. The old blind shepherd goes to Dimitri's tomb to pray there, and his sight is restored to him. Boris believes that his little victim has become an angel, and the old monk's story affects him to such a degree that he cries: "I need air.. I shall suffocate!" and nearly faints. He dismisses the assembly in haste, summons his son Fyodor, and charges him to rule the land after him with wisdom and justice, and to defend the faith of Russia, saying to him: "Farewell, my son — I am departing!"

The mournful tolling of a bell is heard, and a choir praying for the repose of Boris. In his final agony Boris gathers his strength and prays, while the company of nobles enters the place. Boris forces himself up and stands upon his feet, then points to his son, saying: "Behold your Tsar!" — and thereupon falls dead at the foot of the throne, after begging mercy of heaven!..