Kent Nagano superbly masters the challenges presented by this score, shapes the dynamics with subtle intensity, and casts the score in a mellow glow. As Marfa, the spurned lover of Ivan Khovansky‘s son Andrei, Doris Soffel unfolds such a rich palette of sonorities, from the pathos of the lower ranges to shaded discant heights, that “one is tempted to speak of a Russian mezzo”. The final chorus, which Mussorgsky did not compose, is played in the orchestrally transparent version of Igor Stravinsky – the third great Russian composer who contributed to making “Khovanshchina“ a timeless, gripping stage work. With his stripped-down sets and historicising costumes, director Dmitri Tcherniakov, one of the new voices of contemporary Russian theatre, builds a bridge to the political present. A lesson in history and music!
Paata Burchuladze
as Ivan Khovansky
Klaus Florian Vogt
as Andrei Khovansky
John Daszak
as Golitsin
Valeri Alexejev
as Shaklovity
Anatoli Kotscherga
as Dosifey
Doris Soffel
as Marfa
Ilrich Reß
as Scrivener
Camilla Nylund
as Emma
Kent Nagano
as Conductor
