Cheap Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov (Music) (Ilya Bogdanov, Ivan Sipaev, Mark Reizen, Sergei Krasovsky, Vassily Lubenzov, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Golovanov, Maria Maksakova, Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, Yelena Kruglikova) Price

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Customer Reviews of Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov

Patchwork masterpiece
This recording is a mess. It is a grossly truncated patchwork, stitched together from the work of assorted performers and conductors. Its sound reproduction is fairly good mono from the 1940s, which is to say that it is narrowly limited and laughably primitive in our era of digital recording. Its scenes are shuffled from the order intended by its creator and his music has been overlain by the lesser vision of Rimsky-Korsakov. I can think of only one reason why anyone would lay down money for this "Boris Godunov," even at its bargain basement price: it is brilliant! ... wonderful! ... terrific! Choose any adjective and you will find the word inadequate. <
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>For all its faults, this "Boris" works. This "Boris" rocks! Reisen, especially, and the rest of the cast are very, very fine, indeed. The chorus is by far the best and most expressive I have ever heard in "Boris." This reshuffled patchwork somehow achieves a dramatic and musical unity that has rarely been achieved in any opera recording. <
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>The shortcomings of this "Boris" are such that I cannot in good conscience recommend it as your only recording of this great Russian masterwork. I can certainly say, however, that you had better hustle on down to get it as your second recording--the one you listen to for your own pleasure, not the one you use to impress your audiophile friends.

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Historical but worthwhile
The Soviets had an interesting situation with this recording. Much as they did with George London in the early 60's, they recorded Reizen in the early 50's only in the scenes that Boris is in, using the same assisting cast members where necessary, but just replaced the existing Boris sections with Pirogov with the newly recorded Reizen sections. Golovanov was the conductor again, EXCEPT for the St. Basil Cathedral scene, where for some reason, Nebolisin was the conductor. THAT is what is missing from this set. So if you are truly looking for Boris with Reizen and only Golovanov conducting, this is it. If you want the complete Reizen Boris including the St. Basil scene you probably have to hunt down the Arlecchino issue. Unfortunately that is, if not discontinued, much harder to find and runs to three discs (with some bonus tracks). The sound on THIS transcription is better than the Opera d'oro transcription of the Pirogov originals from 1948 recorded when the rest of the opera was done. Actually it woudl be great if some enterprising soul would combine the two into one set where you could select to play either the Pirogov or Reizen. However sonce they were recorded totally separately, the Reizen substitutions could be on a supplement disc to the original "complete" recording (Act 2 scene 1 was not recorded at all)

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about shortcomings (to discuss with previous review)
On my set the second disc ends by the final of opera - scene 3 (labelled as scene 2). Really scene 1 is absent and scene 2 is labelled as scene 1. Probably original scene 1 has't been recorded at all.

As to recording - I agree with the most of other review - it's excellent all around and has good sound quality.