Modest Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov

Antonio Pappano conducts the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus in this performance of Mussorgsky's work starring Bryn Terfel as the eponymous character. The Tsar of Russia, Boris Godunov, has reigned well despite his bloody ascent to power in 1598. Now in the Time of the Troubles, with famine decimating much of the country, large swathes of the population are beginning to turn against Godunov and towards his enemies.

When rumours about the return of Dmitry (David Butt Philip), the rightful heir to the throne, reach Godunov, he is dismayed. Having murdered the nine-year-old so that he could ascend to the throne, Godunov begins to be haunted by his past crime in this portrayal of the complete psychological collapse of one of Russia's rulers.