Muszorgszkij: Hovanscsina - A Budapesti Tavaszi Fesztivál nyitókoncertje / BTF 2019

Prince Ivan Khovansky, head of the Streltsy: Evgeny Stavinsky

Andrey Khovansky, his son: Misha Didyk

Prince Vasily Golitsin: Mikhail Gubsky

Fyodor Shaklovity, boyar: Rassul Zharmagambetov

Dosifey, head of the old believers: Alexander Markeev

Marfa, young widow, old believer: Elena Maximova

Emma, young German girl: Anna Shapovalova

Scrivener: Norbert Ernst

Susanna, old maid: Éva Bátori

Kuzka, strelets: Zoltán Megyesi

1st strelets: Sándor Egri

Varsonofyev, a retainer of Golitsin / 2nd strelets: László Szvétek 

Messenger: János Alagi

Streshnev, boyar: Róbert Rezsnyák

Featuring: Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Choir (choirmaster: Zoltán Pad) and Children’s Choir (choirmaster: Soma Dinyés), Honvéd Male Choir (choirmaster: Kálmán Strausz)

Conductor: János Kovács

Khovanshchina, Mussorgsky’s second, and last completed, opera is usually presented in one of two forms: either as arranged and edited by Rimsky-Korsakov, or in Shostakovich’s version, available since 1958. The Hungarian Radio Art Groups present the work in János Bojti’s reconstruction, in a version faithful to the composer’s original intentions.

“The ad hoc needs of opera houses led to the birth of countless versions of Khovanshchina, because the dramaturges and conductors at the theatres usually treated the pieces of the repertoire with considerable liberty, especially in the case of works that do not have a firm, authorized form. This was why I considered it a task of paramount importance to create a reconstructed version of Khovanshchina,” wrote János Bojti about his work, whose premiere has been long overdue.

“The keyword of this work is reconstruction. For me, the point of the mission was to record the work without any amendments, by collecting all available sources and information, in a form as close to the composer’s concept as possible.”