Modest Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov (Complete Opera)

Studio recording, 1985

“A superbly authentic Boris at a near-irresistible price: The old Bolshoi style was irresistible: huge choruses on stage, dozens of extras – and great personalities. In this 1982 Boris Godunov (re-mastered 1992, 2012), the voices are well forward…but one senses a performance tradition, a way of declaiming the text that would be impossible for non-Russian singers….On stage it must have been overwhelming. Ognivtsiev as Pimen …sings with beauty and subtlety, Atlantov, is …melodramatic (but) the voice is magnificent, as always. Obraztsova is regal and forceful, and relentlessly loud in her dealings with Atlantov. Mazurok is a superbly wily Rangoni. Conductor Mark Ermler displays all the necessary understanding of the opera. The edition used is now seldom heard but (formerly) the one most often used on both sides of the Iron Curtain. At its super-budget price, this 1982 set is an easy recommendation” (Gramophone)