Boris Godunov

A slow, heavy plunge into guilt and power, staged with stark theatricality and a constant sense of dread.

Directed by

Kirill Serebrennikov

Genres

Music

Starring

Tomasz Konieczny, David van Laar, Inna Demenkova

Overview

Nobleman Boris Godunov accumulates power in Russia, first as regent, then as tsar. But the ghosts of the past catch up with him and he ends up losing not only his power but his sanity. Russia sinks ever deeper into a mire of corruption, intrigue and coups. In his grand choral opera, Modest Mussorgsky deals with a theme that offers poignant parallels to today’s world: the extremes to which one man’s thirst for power can lead. The director Kirill Serebrennikov incorporates his own experiences in Russia to present his take on an opera about political turmoil and its consequences. Serebrennikov’s production focuses on the effect on the people of high-stakes political scheming. Conductor Vasily Petrenko makes his Amsterdam debut leading the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. A top-flight cast is led bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny, celebrated for his ability to get into the skin of his characters both vocally and dramatically, singing the title role for the first time.

How it feels

Dark, bleak, tense and earnest. Slow-burning and demanding.

About

Power, corruption, guilt, madness

Content

Mild violence, sexual content and language. No gore.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)