Boris Godunov (opera) fought an often losing battle against the conservatism of conductors and singers, who, raised on the plush Rimsky-Korsakov edition, found it impossible to adapt to Mussorgsky's comparatively unrefined and bleak original scores. Recently, however, a new appreciation for the rugged individuality of Mussorgsky's style has resulted in increasing performances and recording of his original versions. Musicologist Gerald Abraham wrote: For many, "Boris Godunov" is the greatest of all Russian operas because of its originality, drama, and characterization, regardless of any cosmetic imperfections it may possess. Models and influences A conflation of the 1869 and 1872 versions is often made when
Ballad of the Little Soldier the Sandinistas. Herzog has said that the film is about child soldiers, and could have been made in any of several countries where child soldiers exist. Ballad of the Little Soldier Ballad of the Little Soldier () is a 1984 documentary film directed by Werner Herzog about children soldiers in Nicaragua. The film focuses on a group of Miskito Indians who used children soldiers in their resistance against the Sandinistas. Herzog made and co-directed the film at the request of his friend Denis Reichle, who himself served as a child-soldier in the Volkssturm at age fourteen in the aftermath of