Khovanshchina

sing- a-long Russian

By act one act well

Modest Mussorgsky’s Khovanshchina is the latest in the Welsh National Opera’s Russian series, which ploughs on regardless of the premature exit of their intended director Tugan Sokhiev.

Instead David Pountney returns to the WNO to take the reigns, and on the back of tonight’s performance he can ride home triumphant. So too can Lothar Koenigs, as his conducting of his debut operatic performance with the WNO was spectacular to say the least.

Mussorgsky’s score remained unfinished at the time of his death in 1881. This performance uses the Tchaikovsky finished version with a final chorus added by Stravinsky in 1913. In true Russian style the music is immense and powerful and at times when the full orchestra is accompanied by the full chorus the WMC finally feels filled with sound in a way I have often felt performances have failed to achieve in the past. The effect is intoxicating.

Khovanshchina tells the tale of Russia under Peter the Great complete with a love triangle, a triumvirate of power and a mass suicide pact. The chorus is divided between three distinct groups: Khovansky’s private army, the Streltsy; Golytsin’s liberal remnants of the previous regime; and Dosifei’s cult of Old Believers. The Tsarina is never seen while the story of her succession plays out before us and her representative Shaklovity endeavours to quash the attempts of our three groups. A fictional character Marfa – a clairvoyant gypsy girl – is brought into the fold to facilitate romantic rivalry and mysticism, and to link all the main characters together.

David Pountney’s Khovanshchina had an awesome authenticity to it, with every diorama evoking WWII Russian Communist propaganda. The lighting managed somehow to direct your eyes perfectly to the correct place that they should be as the action played out and the bold costumes helped to alleviate any potential confusion over the many groups of players on the stage at any one time.

The only criticism I would lay at Pountney’s feet is the decision not to have subtitles. Even though the Opera was sung in English, at times, with the grandiose music booming and the emotions of the singers flaring, it became very difficult to pick out what the individuals were saying and thus to follow the plot. I would have preferred to have had the choice to read the lines. Aside from that Khovanshchina was a quite glorious experience.

Harold Shiel