BORIS GODUNOV

MURDER, MADNESS, MAYHEM.

WITNESS A NATION IN TURMOIL

This New Zealand première of Mussorgsky's deeply Russian masterpiece is a drama of
conscience wrapped in a crime thriller, inside an historical epic. The guilt-torn character
of Boris towers over the opera. To this role the extraordinary star of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre, Vladimir Matorin, brings the authentic power of a great Russian bass.

Amid the bloody "time of troubles" that followed the death of Ivan the Terrible at the turn of the 17th century, the shrewd regent Boris Godunov has won the Tsar's crown. But guilt over his slaying of the true heir, Dimitri, plagues the new ruler. Fate and madness close in on Boris as a young monk seeks to avenge Dimitri's killing by posing as the dead heir and riding the anger of the crowd to a terrifying climax.

Mussorgsky tells the gripping story in a daring, realistic style. The music, often calling on Russian folk tunes and glorious hymns of Russian heritage, is thrilling, with some of the greatest chorus scenes ever written. A huge cast and a 70-strong chorus join with the magnificent New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (Wellington) and Auckland Philharmonia (Auckland) to make this an event of stunning spectacle and sound. Boris Godunov, being performed in New Zealand for the first time, is opera at its most powerful.

"This is opera as you have never probably seen it before; do not miss it." 
Rod Biss, The Sunday Star Times

"...Vladimir Matorin is a towering presence."
John Button, The Dominion Post

The Tower Autumn Season of
Boris Godunov
By Modest Mussorgsky
Libretto by the composer, after Pushkin

New Zealand Première and new production
Sung in Russian with English surtitles

With the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus

Accompanied by the
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (Wellington)
Auckland Philharmonia (Auckland)

Dates