Boris Godunov (opera) ("Flow, flow, bitter tears!") of the arrival of the enemy and of woe to Russia. Russian opera of the early 1870s was dominated by Western European works—mainly Italian. The domestic product was regarded with skepticism and sometimes hostility. The playwright Tikhonov wrote in 1898: As the most daring and innovative member of the Mighty Handful, Mussorgsky frequently became the target of conservative critics and rival composers, and was often derided for his supposedly clumsy and crude musical idiom. After the premiere of "Boris Godunov", influential critic Herman Laroche wrote: Reviews of the premiere performance of "Boris Godunov" were for the
The Ballad of Little Joe the ranchhouse, leaving the sheep that are still stacked in groups of ten. At the breakfast table, the brothers are ready to chow down, when Pa comes into the room, telling the brothers that today is Little Joe's birthday. Little Joe is feeding Baby Ben, when he hears this news, before the family's servant (played by Mr. Lunt) hops into the room while carrying a birthday cake. Soon, Pa then has the brothers sing a Westernized birthday song for Little Joe, though they do it rather reluctantly. After the song ends, Little Joe tells them that they shouldn't have, before