Russian opera 'Boris Godunov' on Seoul stage for first time
By Yun Suh-young
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Most of the operas staged in Seoul are dominantly Italian, fair amount French and occasionally German. Seldom are Russian operas performed. In fact the last time a Russian piece was staged by the Korea National Opera (KNO) was back in 2002 (War and Peace). And the group is the largest opera organization in the country.
The KNO is preparing itself for a challenging season this year as it will be showcasing “Boris Godunov,” a quintessentially Russian opera, for the first time in 15 years. Opera fans are up for a treat.
"Boris Godunov," which will run from April 20 through 23 at the Seoul Arts Center, is hard core. Not only is it heavy in plot but also the language is difficult to perform, even for veteran opera singers. The KNO specially recruited a Russian language teacher two months ago to guide the Korean singers.
"This is a really difficult opera and Russian is a very difficult language. But our singers are doing very well and I'm thankful to KNO for taking interest in this Russian opera," said Russian conductor Stanislav Kochanovsky during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday.
"This opera premiered (in 1874) at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg where I've conducted many times. So staging this opera here is quite meaningful for me. Although it is difficult, I hope the Korean audience will continue to have the opportunity to meet Russian music and opera."
The KNO will perform the operatic version composed by Modest Mussorgsky (1839- 1881) and revised by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1908. It is the only completed opera by Mussorgsky. The opera is based on the drama written by Russian poet and playwright, Aleksandr Pushkin.
It depicts the dark period of Russian history known as the "Time of Troubles" between the late 16th century and early 17th century. The opera begins with the story of Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as tsar (1598-1605) replacing Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich, the son of late Tsar Ivan IV "The Terrible," after he dies mysteriously. Rumor has it that Godunov is behind the prince's death. But with no tsar and no heir to inherit the throne, Godunov takes the throne under the support of aristocrats. When he does, however, the nightmare begins. He is constantly haunted by ghosts. Soon after, a pretender who claims he is the "risen" Dmitry who escaped an assassination attempt, gathers an army from Poland and marches toward Moscow. As the False Dmitry, supposedly claimed to be a monk called Grigory Otrepyev, gains support, Godunov suddenly dies, after being haunted by the spirits of the dead.
When asked why the KNO chose to stage such a difficult Russian opera, Artistic Director of KNO Kim Hak-min said, "We were confident that this piece showed the essence of Russian opera. Boris Godunov is like a Bible to the history of Russian opera and depicts the Russian national sentiment well. It is also significant in musical history, as Mussorgsky had taught himself to compose without learning the law of harmony. Hence, it shows very new, very weird harmony, which is basically dissonance. Paradoxically, his music heavily influenced Western Europeans. Whereas Tchaikovsky was a 'Westernized' Russian composer, Mussorgsky was Russian to the core. So we wanted to hit the cord hard if we were going to showcase real Russian opera," he said.
Italian director Stefano Poda said the opera depicts the "sorrow and resentment of the Russian people."
"At the center of this story is a person who is more complicated than Macbeth or Hamlet. I'm honored by the opportunity to direct this opera. I tried to create a stage which transcends time _ one that is not modern but not too historical either. I will try to show the magic of the music and take the audience on an aesthetic journey," Poda said.
Russian bass Orlin Anastassov, who takes the role of Boris Godunov along with Mikhail Kazakov, said he was impressed by the Korean opera singers.
"It's a very new experience and I was impressed by the quality of the Korean choir who participate in this piece. They match up to the level of European opera," he said.
Mezzo soprano Yang Song-mi, who takes the role of Marina, the wife of False Dmitry, said she had a hard time practicing Russian.
"When I was performing Rusalka last year in Czech, I was fearful of the unfamiliar language. Having completed that successfully with the help of the KNO, I jumped into this production without much thought but I realized this one is three times more difficult. It took me longer to prepare for this piece and sometimes I felt like I couldn't go on. But director Poda and Alisa Kolosova who plays the same role helped me a lot. Now I'm feeling like we're all becoming one through this music," she said.