NEWTON, Mass. – Three Ukrainian artists assume principal roles in a new production of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov” by the Commonwealth Lyric Theater (CLT). Conductor Adrian Bryttan will lead a cast that includes bass Dmytro Pavlyuk from the Odesa National Opera in the title role and soprano Olga Lisovskaya as Ksenia.
Ms. Lisovskaya is also executive director of the CLT and is well-known in New England for her frequent recitals featuring Ukrainian composers. It was her initiative that lead to the successful staging of Semen Hulak-Artemovsky’s “Kozak beyond the Danube” last season by the CLT.
CLT Artistic Director Alexander Prokhorov has interpreted Mussorgsky’s operatic masterpiece to examine what power does to a person – a reflection of our inner world, with its own temptations, good and evil. In the words of Mr. Prokhorov, “a leader in Russian history is always a complicated character, whose hands are covered in blood, who is tempted by great power and at the same time is helpless before the incomprehensible people’s nature. It is especially important for our contemporaries to meet this individual and to comprehend him.”
Mr. Bryttan prepared the soloists, chorus and orchestra to convey all the grandeur, drama and humor in Mussorgsky’s challenging magnum opus. Mussorgsky created his musical ideas to reflect the text of his libretto, with all the subtleties of speech inflections and their underlying emotions. This resulted in a specifically unique operatic score – vibrant and colorful, but posing many challenges for performers.
All performances are fully staged and include running supertitle translation. Performances on May 20 and 21 will be with piano accompaniment at 381 Dudley Road in Newton. Performances on May 24 and 26 will be with orchestra at Newton City Hall. For more information: www.CommonwealthLyricTheater.com, 857-284-9982.