La Scala

Boris Godunov

In Cinemas 28, 29 Jan & 1 Feb 2023
Conductor
Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala
Cast
Ildar Abdrazakov (Boris Godunov), Anna Denisova (Kseniya), Ain Anger (Pimen), Stanislav Trofimov (Varlaam), Dmitry Golovnin (Grigorij Otrepev), Norbert Ernst (Vasiliy Shuysky), Lilly Jørstad (Fydor), Agnieszka Rehlis (Kseniya’s nurse), Alexey Markov (Shchelkalov)
Composer
Modest Mussorgsky
Director
Kasper Holten
Set Design
Es Devlin
Duration
2h46, including an interval
Sung in Russian, with English subtitles
Captured live from Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 7 Dec 2022
Official Event Listing
  • Marvellous. Abdrazakov carries the role with exquisite musicianship. When the La Scala Chorus turn on the after-burners, they are truly a wonder to behold, with sound that pushes you into the back of your seat.
    David Karlin, BACHTRACK
    A brooding, aching and often ethereal account of music invested with the anguish of an entire nation. Abdrazakov's is a towering performance of Shakespearean proportions. La Scala’s first-rate chorus as powerful as the oppressed masses.
    James Iman, FINANCIAL TIMES

Opera in a prologue and three acts (1869 version)

New Production! For his ninth La Scala season inauguration (the biggest event in the Italian musical calendar), maestro Riccardo Chailly conducts the original 1869 version of Mussorgsky’s fresco on the brutality and solitude of power, a title of profound humanity in which personal drama is reflected in collective tragedy, with a focus on the theme of individual guilt and its inevitable consequences.

Inspired by Pushkin, the opera follows the dazzling, tortured reign of the titular Tsar (the brilliant Ildar Abdrazakov), who seizes the throne in 1598 as society around him is on the threshold of moral crisis.

The stage direction of Kasper Holten, former Director of Covent Garden, adds a view of the history of Russia, heightening the emotional experience with a reflection on the value of memory and the bearing of witness.

La Scala

Milan's famous Teatro alla Scala was inaugurated on 3 August 1778. Apart from its sheer beauty and size, La Scala's acoustics are said to be perfect. One of the leading opera and ballet theatres in the world, the venue is home to the La Scala Theatre Chorus, La Scala Theatre Ballet and La Scala Theatre Orchestra, as well as the La Scala Theatre Academy.

See more productions from: La Scala & All'Opera Italiana