Mussorgsky - Boris Godunov / Nesterenko, Arkhipova, Piavko, Yaroslavtsev, Sokolov, Khaikin, Bolshoi Opera

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant surprise.
Review: Hopefully, someone more qualified to write a review will also contribute, but as an opera lover, here's my 2 cents. If I had known this was originally filmed in 1978, I would have missed this little treat. The video and audio quality are poor by today's standards, and I was disappointed that there are no subtitles. But, if you can overlook these shortcomings you will find everything you would expect from the Bolshoi Opera. The singing, acting and costumes are spectacular, and there are several brilliant operatic choruses. Definitely worth watching!

Rating:
Summary: A classic performance
Review: I have owned and enjoyed the VHS format of this performance for several years. I gladly would have replaced it with the DVD, but I understand there are no subtitles. That is truly inexcusable since they are there in the VHS. Nevertheless, the performance is grand in every sense of the word. The death scene as done by Nesterenko is absolutely breathtaking. I actually prefer the Mussorgsky version (Kirov/Gergiev) for many reasons, but I am still very happy to own this one.

Rating:
Summary: The legendary 1978 version of Godunov at Bolshoi
Review: The pluses: a) the great interpretation of Boris by Evgeny Nesterenko at his very best; b) the performances of the legendary Irina Arkhipova as Marina and of Alexander Piavko; c) the magnificent chorus and orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre; d) Maestro Boris Khaikin at the podium; e) the colourful settings and the luxurious dresses; f) an overall good camera work, and a fairly good digital transcription of image; g) last, but not least, the very low price. The minuses: a) The quality of sound, although not bad, much below the possibilities of the current digital technology; b) no undertitles at all (a shame in the digital era); c) the booklet, though existing, contains no references to this performance (cast, tracks,etc); d) some viewers may prefer the original Mussorgsky version (the outstanding Kirov-Royal Opera version conducted by Gergiev is available on DVD). The balance: This is the very best and most authentic Rimski version of Boris Godunov. Given the low price, the Rimsky version deserves a place in your collection, even if you have the Kirov version as well. The pluses so largely exceed the minuses, that the DVD deserves 5 stars.