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
Boris Godunov (opera) and Khrushchov a Voyevoda (воевода). Pimen, Grigoriy, Varlaam, and Misail were likely given non-clerical designations to satisfy the censor. Mussorgsky orchestration Rimsky-Korsakov orchestration Shostakovich orchestration An understanding of the drama of "Boris Godunov" may be facilitated by a basic knowledge of the historical events surrounding the Time of Troubles, the interregnum of relative anarchy following the end of the Ryurik Dynasty (1598) and preceding the Romanov Dynasty (1613). Key events are as follows: Note: The culpability of Boris in the matter of Dmitriy's death can neither be proved nor disproved. Karamzin accepted his responsibility as fact, and Pushkin and Mussorgsky