Think colossal. Modest Mussorgsky’s 1869 opera, “Boris Godunov,” puts the grand in grand opera as it opens San Diego Opera’s 2007 season this month. During the coronation scene, there are upwards of 150 people ” principals, choristers and supernumeraries ” on the Civic Theatre stage.
A protégé of Czar Ivan the Terrible, Boris was czar of Russia from 1598 to 1605. He was not Mr. Nice Guy. In order to usurp power, he murdered Ivan’s heirs apparent, Czar Feodor I, for whom he acted as regent, and then Feodor’s 7-year-old brother, Dmitri. When the ghost of the slain Dmitri visits Boris, he goes bonkers and sings a mad scene worthy of Lucia di Lammermoor. Having asked God’s forgiveness, he dies in the arms of his own son.
Russian dramatist Alexander Pushkin used these historical events for a play in 1825, and Mussorgsky based his opera libretto on the play. The original version in seven scenes as orchestrated by Mussorgsky is performed in San Diego under the baton of Valery Ryvkin and staged by Lotfi Mansouri.
Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto headlines the cast in the title role, which he recently performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the opera premiered. He was the first Italian to sing Boris there.
San Diego Opera buffs fondly recall Furlanetto for previous appearances as King Philip II in Giuseppe Verdi’s “Don Carlo,” Mephistopheles in Charles Gounod’s “Faust,” and the title role of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” He made his company debut in Verdi’s “Oberto” in 1985, and in 2009 he will return to sing the Man of La Mancha in Jules Massenet’s “Don Quixote.”
In a recent interview, Furlanetto recalled that his debut as Boris took place at Rome Opera in 1999. It was a traditional production, an experience he said prepared him for something more shocking, namely the one conducted by Valery Gergiev at Mariinsky and La Scala.
Beginning with the text, Furlanetto worked long and hard to integrate both czar and the Russian soul into his voice and body. He was rewarded during the dress rehearsal in St. Petersburg.
“I will never forget the sincere applause that exploded from chorus and orchestra after the clock scene,” he said. “Unforgettable!”
He intends to return to Russia to sing Boris at Moscow’s Bolshoi Opera, saying, “It will be the final coronation of my career.”
“Boris Godunov” also features two company debuts, that of Ukrainian bass Vitalij Kowaljow and Russian bass Mikhail Svetlov. They are joined by American tenors Jay Hunter Morris, Joseph Frank, Allen Glassman and Doug Jones, mezzo-soprano Judith Christin and contralto Martha Jane Howe.
Those who wish to get a preview of Mussorgsky’s magnificent and opulent score may visit www.sdopera.com and click on “Boris Godunov.” Performances take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, and Tuesday, Jan. 30, 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4. Tickets range from $27 to $182 and may be purchased at the Civic Theatre box office, 202 C St., through the Web site or by calling (619) 533-7000.