Willem G. Vijvers <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Paul MacKay wrote on Beethoven's birthday:
>
>>I'd like to have some comments on Gergiev's recording of Boris Godounov by
>>Philips.
>
>I have bought this recording, but only sampled it, having not yet found the
>time to compare it to other recordings.  Boris is only boring, when you
>have not done your homework properly (the same applies to some other
>works).

I thought I'd done my homework (although, admittedly, I wasn't aware that
there were 1869 and 1872 versions that were conflated.  I *was* aware that
there was a multiplicity of "Boris" scenes, not all of which were included
in all productions.  And of course, that there was a Rimsky bowdlerization
and a revision by Shostakovich, possibly among others.

I didn't find the opera boring; just a bit excruciating.

Walter (who has just returned from vacation).