BORIS GODUNOV POWER, GUILT, AND THE RUSSIAN SOUL

Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov (composed 1868–1873) is a masterpiece of Russian opera, detailing the psychological torment of Tsar Boris during the tumultuous years of 1598–1605. The opera features monumental choruses and dramatic monologues, centering on Boris’s guilt for murdering the heir Dmitry to seize power. The opera famously captures the suffering and desperation of the Russian people, with massive, immersive crowd scenes contrasting with intimate, intense scenes of the Tsar’s private agony. Boris Godunov is, without a doubt,  the definitive Russian nationalist opera, breaking away from Western European traditions to create a unique, "authentic" national voice.