Metropolitan Opera Archives

New York - Jerome Hines, in his 29th season with the Metropolitan Opera and one of the hit new productions from last season, "Boris Godunov," made the Met's second night of the season one of operatic splendor.

Hines, who had sung Boris at the Met years ago in the old production, really does have the voice for the part. It's dramatic, colored with emotion, rich and it's a low bass, so that Hines never has to strain for the very low notes.

Hines, like Martti Talvela, the Finnish bass who sang at the season premiere last season, is well over 6 feet tall and that's a definite plus in this role. Hines began his characterization as a man more aesthetic than neurotic so that his later madness was startling. His singing before his death was moving and his fall down the flight of stairs from the throne was very dramatic.

This production was well conceived and staged Tuesday night. It is long; in this production many cuts usually made are performed. The orchestration used is, in most part, the original by the composer, Modest Moussorgsky; it isn't the lush orchestration previously used by the Met, but a listener quickly adapts to it.

The order in which scenes are performed also isn't the same in all presentations. The Met's ends with the Kromy Forest scene and the Simpleton, alone, lamenting Russia's uncertain fate. It's very effective - and so was the Bolshoi Opera's version seen here this summer, which ends with Boris's death.

Polish conductor Kazimierz Kord was leading "Boris" for the first time at the Met and doing well. The large-scale scenery, combining visual elements of realism and stylization, as in the castle garden with the broad stone stairway and hanging squares of green, meaning tree leaves, was by Ming Cho Lee. August Everding directed.

William Lewis, who isn't usually mentioned in lists of the Met's first-rank tenors, certainly sounded as though he belongs there, as he sang the Pretender. His was a strong, purposeful delivery with much vocal beauty. Other especially impressive performances were turned in by Klara Barlow as Marina, Andrea Velis as the Simpleton, Arthur Thompson as Shchelkalov and Paul Offenkranz as Boris' young son.

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