{"id":16504,"date":"2014-03-19T11:19:59","date_gmt":"2014-03-19T15:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicalamerica.com\/mablogs\/?p=16504"},"modified":"2018-02-10T12:39:59","modified_gmt":"2018-02-10T16:39:59","slug":"petrenkos-sharper-boris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.musicalamerica.com\/mablogs\/?p=16504","title":{"rendered":"Petrenko\u2019s Sharper Boris"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Boris<\/p>\n

By ANDREW POWELL
Published: March 19, 2014<\/span><\/p>\n

MUNICH \u2014 Bavarian State Opera<\/a>\u2019s flag-waving, Putin-skewering production<\/a> of Boris Godunov<\/i> had extra resonance in a revival on Sunday afternoon (March 16) as Crimeans engaged in their foregone conclusion of a referendum. Musically, too, all emerged tougher and more urgent than at last year\u2019s premiere.<\/p>\n

Kirill Petrenko<\/a> sharpened the orchestral colors and summoned thrilling, even frightening, contributions from the chorus (trained by S\u00f6ren Eckhoff<\/a>), a welcome shift from the norm here. Mussorgsky\u2019s opera found its climax under this conductor in Scene VI, before what should be St Basil\u2019s Cathedral, the Holy Fool (Kevin Conners<\/a>) intoning sweetly around the people\u2019s acerbic cry for bread: \u0425\u043b\u0435\u0431\u0430, \u0445\u043b\u0435\u0431\u0430! \u0414\u0430\u0439 \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u043d\u044b\u043c \u0445\u043b\u0435\u0431\u0430, \u0445\u043b\u0435\u0431\u0430!<\/em><\/p>\n

Anatoli Kotcherga<\/a> re-graduated from Pimen last February to a title role he owned twenty years ago, his voice undiminished but for some missing support in soft passages, while Ain Anger<\/a> brought virile ardor to the chronicler. Vladimir Matorin<\/a> railed and whimpered definitively (again) as a drunken Varlaam. Dmytro Popov<\/a> introduced a sonorous Grigory, and Gerhard Siegel<\/a> and Markus Eiche<\/a> repeated their effective Shuisky and Shchelkalov.<\/p>\n

Although lamely led by Kent Nagano<\/a>, BelAir Classiques\u2019 just-released DVD from the 2013 run<\/a> preserves Alexander Tsymbalyuk<\/a>\u2019s magnetic, gloriously sung Boris as well as Matorin\u2019s perfect Varlaam. Stage director Calixto Bieito<\/a> uses the 1869 score, so seven scenes and no Marina or Rangoni.<\/p>\n

Photo \u00a9 Wilfried H\u00f6sl<\/p>\n

Related posts:
\nPetrenko\u2019s Rosenkavalier<\/a>
\nBrahms Days in Tutzing<\/a>
\nBieito Hijacks Boris<\/a>
\nMastersingers\u2019 Depression<\/a>
\nPoulenc DVD Back On Market<\/a><\/p>\n