About the work
Opera by Modest Mussorgsky based on Alexander Pushkin's verse drama Boris Godunov (1825) and Nikolai Karamzin's history of the Russian state; Mussorgsky wrote the libretto himself. An initial version was completed in 1868/69, followed by an expanded second version with a larger female role in 1871/72; this revised version premiered on 8 February 1874 (27 January Old Style) at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg.
Plot
Tsar Boris Godunov rules Russia, tormented by suspicion that he ordered the murder of the young heir Dmitri. In Poland, a man claiming to be the surviving Dmitri appears, backed by the Polish noblewoman Marina, and marches on Moscow. Boris dies under the weight of his guilt as the country rises against its rulers.
Cultural significance
The opera is regarded as one of the most important works in Russian music history, using large choral scenes to give the people a dramatic role of their own for the first time. It influenced composers such as Debussy and Ravel and remains among the most frequently performed Russian operas.