Khovanshchina. Opera in six scenes. Modest Mussorgsky. Tuesday, March 6, 2012, 7:00 11:10 pm

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1 Modest Mussorgsky Khovanshchina CONDUCTOR Kirill Petrenko PRODUCTION August Everding SET DESIGNER Ming Cho Lee Opera in six scenes Libretto by the composer Orchestrated by Dmitri Shostakovich, final scene by Igor Stravinsky Tuesday, March 6, 2012, 7:00 11:10 pm COSTUME DESIGNER John Conklin LIGHTING DESIGNER Gil Wechsler CHOREOGRAPHER Benjamin Millepied STAGE DIRECTOR Peter McClintock GENERAL MANAGER Peter Gelb The production of Khovanshchina was made possible by a generous gift from the Lila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace Fund for Lincoln Center, established by the founders of The Reader s Digest Association, Inc. The revival of this production was made possible by a gift from The Dr. M. Lee Pearce Foundation. MUSIC DIRECTOR James Levine PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR Fabio Luisi

2 Season The 35th Metropolitan Opera performance of Modest Mussorgsky s Khovanshchina conductor Kirill Petrenko cast in order of appearance This performance is being broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SiriusXM channel 74. Kouzka, a streltsy sentry Mark Schowalter First Strelets Paul Corona Second Strelets Jeffrey Wells A Public Scribe John Easterlin Shaklovity, a boyar George Gagnidze Prince Ivan Khovansky, leader of the streltsy, an Old Believer Anatoli Kotscherga Emma, a young girl from the German quarter Wendy Bryn Harmer * Prince Andrei Khovansky, son of Ivan Khovansky Misha Didyk Marfa, Andrei s fiancée, an Old Believer Olga Borodina Dosifei, spiritual leader of the Old Believers Ildar Abdrazakov Prince Vasily Golitsyn, a statesman Vladimir Galouzine Varsonofiev, emissary of Prince Golitsyn David Crawford Susanna Maria Gavrilova Servant of Prince Golitsyn Jeffrey Mosher Streshnev, herald of the Tsar s Guard Michael Todd Simpson Tuesday, March 6, 2012, 7:00 11:10 pm

3 Winnie Klotz/Metropolitan Opera A scene from Mussorgsky s Khovanshchina Chorus Master Donald Palumbo Musical Preparation Yelena Kurdina, Carol Isaac, Irina Soboleva, and Natalia Katyukova Assistant to Maestro Petrenko Pavel Smelkov Assistant Stage Directors Yefim Maizel and Tomer Zvulun Stage Band Conductor Jeffrey Goldberg Prompter Yelena Kurdina Met Titles Sonya Haddad Russian Transliteration Yelena Kurdina Associate Set Designer Christopher Barreca Assistant Set Designers Richard Butler and Elizabeth Doyle Scenery, properties and electrical props constructed and painted by Messmore & Damon, Inc.; Hudson Scenic Studios; and Metropolitan Opera Shops Costumes executed by Metropolitan Opera Costume Department Wigs by Metropolitan Opera Wig Department Performed by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc., publisher and copyright owner. Yamaha is the official piano of the Metropolitan Opera. Latecomers will not be admitted during the performance. * Graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program Visit metopera.org This performance is made possible in part by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts. Before the performance begins, please switch off cell phones and other electronic devices. Met Titles To activate, press the red button to the right of the screen in front of your seat and follow the instructions provided. To turn off the display, press the red button once again. If you have questions please ask an usher at intermission.

4 Synopsis Moscow, late 17th century scene 1 The Red Square Intermission (AT APPROXIMATELY 7:50 PM) scene 2 Prince Golitsyn s palace scene 3 The Streltsy Quarter outside Ivan Khovansky s house Intermission (AT APPROXIMATELY 9:40 PM) scene 4 Ivan Khovansky s house scene 5 The Red Square scene 6 Hermitage in the woods 34 The death of the young Tsar Fyodor III has left Russia with a crisis of succession. Supported by Prince Ivan Khovansky, commander of the streltsy guards, Fyodor s sickly brother Ivan and his half-brother Peter (later the Great), both still in their teens, have been installed as joint rulers, with their older sister Sophia acting as regent. Sophia has allied herself with Prince Vasily Golitsyn, a powerful courtier and liberal politician, who is also her lover. Scene 1 At dawn on the Red Square, a patrol of streltsy boasts of their exploits during the previous night. The boyar Shaklovity dictates an anonymous letter to a public scribe, warning Tsar Peter of a rebellion headed by Ivan Khovansky and his son Andrei. A group of visitors to Moscow arrives to discover newly posted proclamations and asks the scribe to read them. On hearing the account of the streltsy s murder and pillaging, the people lament the state of poor Mother Russia. Ivan Khovansky arrives with his streltsy guard, denouncing unpatriotic tendencies and promising to fight the enemies of the people. When the crowd has dispersed, Andrei Khovansky enters chasing a German girl, Emma, and trying to force himself on her. She is saved by the appearance of Marfa, Andrei s former fiancée and a member of the Old Believers, a radical religious minority. Ivan Khovansky returns and, when he notices Emma, demands her for himself and orders the streltsy to take her to his palace. Father and son quarrel until Dosifei, leader of the Old Believers, intervenes and gives Emma into Marfa s care. The Khovanskys leave with their men, while Dosifei prays for God s help and protection. Scene 2 In his study, Vasily Golitsyn reads a letter from Tsarevna Sophia, wondering if he can still trust her. He has summoned Marfa to tell his fortune, and she prophesizes

5 betrayal, disgrace, poverty, and exile. Horrified, Golitsyn orders an attendant to have her drowned. As he reflects on the end of his hopes for Russia, Ivan Khovansky arrives and accuses Golitsyn of weakening the power of the nobles. The two men argue, and only the appearance of Dosifei prevents physical violence. Dosifei appeals to them to join forces with him restore tradition and the old ways. Suddenly Marfa rushes in: she has been saved from the murder attempt by the tsar s guard, whose presence alarms Khovansky, Golitsyn, and Dosifei. Shaklovity barges in and announces that Tsar Peter has received news of an attempt on his throne thanks to Shaklovity s own denunciation and has vowed to put an end to what he has called Khovanshchina the Khovansky intrigue. Scene 3 A procession of Old Believers passes through the streltsy quarter, singing and praying. Marfa remains behind. She cannot forget Andrei and blames him for betraying their love. Susanna, another Old Believer, denounces Marfa s sins and accuses her of witchcraft. Dosifei silences the women and comforts Marfa, leading her away. Shaklovity enters, reflecting on Russia s unhappy history and begging God to end the country s suffering. He withdraws as the streltsy assemble, boisterously proclaiming their fighting and drinking skills. The frightened scribe reports that foreign mercenaries, aided by the tsar s guard, have attacked the streltsy nearby. The streltsy call on Ivan Khovansky for help, but the prince tells them that they must submit to Tsar Peter s will. Terrified, the streltsy pray for deliverance. Scene 4 In his residence, Ivan Khovansky, who feels his power waning, can find no solace and orders his serfs to sing for him. A messenger from Golitsyn arrives to tell Khovansky that his life is in danger, but he ignores the warning and calls for his Persian slaves to dance. Shaklovity interrupts, claiming to bring a message from the tsarevna, who wishes to see Khovansky. The serving girls hail Khovansky as the white swan while he is being dressed. As he is about to leave, he is killed. Scene 5 On Tsar Peter s orders, Golitsyn is being taken into exile, watched by the crowd in the Red Square. Dosifei mourns Golitsyn s downfall and the murder of Khovansky. When he learns from Marfa that the Old Believers are to be killed by decree of the Imperial Council, both realize that the time has come for self-immolation and martyrdom. Dosifei urges Marfa to take care of Andrei and convert him to the faith. Andrei arrives and at first refuses Marfa s appeals, but when he sees the streltsy being led to their execution he leaves with her, terrified. The tsar s herald announces that Peter has pardoned the streltsy. Scene 6 The Old Believers assemble at a hermitage in the woods, resolved to die together rather than surrender. Dosifei laments the lost cause of ancient Russia and tells his followers they will find salvation in death. Marfa comforts the desperate Andrei, and the Old Believers set fire to themselves. Visit metopera.org 35

6 In Focus Modest Mussorgsky Khovanshchina Premiere: St. Petersburg, Kononov Auditorium, 1886 First professional performance: Mariinsky Theatre, 1911 Called a national music drama by its composer librettist, Khovanshchina is an epic, sweeping vision of Russia at a historic turning point: the rebellion of the streltsy, the imperial militia, in the late 17th century. The opera was left unfinished at the composer s premature death in 1881 and exists in several editions. The score was completed and orchestrated by composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who made significant changes to correct what were seen as the shortcomings of Mussorgsky s highly personal style. Maurice Ravel and Igor Stravinsky adapted this version for Sergei Diaghilev s 1913 production in Paris. In the 1950s, Dmitri Shostakovich prepared a new orchestration that aimed to stay closer to the composer s intentions, which is the one commonly performed today. Khovanshchina depicts three competing ideologies or factions in simplified terms, the military, the state, and the church vying for control of Russia. Father and son Khovansky are the leaders of the streltsy, whose formerly high chivalric ideals have devolved into lawlessness and depravity. (The opera s title, which roughly translates as Khovansky Affair or Khovansky Intrigue, refers to their scheming against the young Tsar Peter, later the Great. ) Prince Golitsyn represents the intelligence as well as the ruthlessness of the Westerninfluenced modern world. The powerful religious minority of the Old Believers is embodied by the character of Dosifei, a stern and reactionary yet impressive personality. Above and between these groups stands the figure of the teenaged tsar, not seen in the opera though clearly the historical force behind the drama. But history is merely a point of departure for Mussorgsky, not his main purpose. Instead, the story, as the composer tells it, focuses on the true protagonist, Russia herself, embodied by the chorus and by the character of Marfa, one of opera s most enigmatic and intriguing figures. The Creators Modest Mussorgsky ( ) was a Russian composer famous for seeking an authentic national voice in his music. He is chiefly remembered for the operas Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina, the tone poem Night on Bald Mountain, the piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition (orchestrated by Ravel), and a number of songs. His output was hindered by the alcoholism that contributed to his early death. The writer and critic Vladimir Stasov ( ), a key figure in the 36

7 explosion of Russian arts and letters in the late 19th century, aided Mussorgsky in compiling the libretto from historical sources. The Setting The action takes place in and around Moscow at the time of the streltsy revolts of the late 1600s. Some details of the libretto point specifically to the years 1682 and (Mussorgsky conflated some events for dramatic purposes.) The first and fourth scenes are set in the Red Square in front of St. Basil s Cathedral, one of the most indelible locations in Russian history. The Music Mussorgsky s score masterfully contrasts a group of diverse individuals with the vast canvas of the Russian people, depicted in the magnificent choral scenes. Emotional highlights include Dosifei s prayer in the final scene and the poignant prophecy of the nobleman Shaklovity in Scene 3. Some of the most arresting music is sung by Marfa, who has a place in several of the political and religious communities in the story and yet remains an elusive character: her famous divination monologue as she foretells Prince Golitsyn s fortune in the second scene reveals her mystical side, while she expresses her feelings of deep personal loss in the aria about her love for Andrei Khovansky in Scene 3. Throughout the opera, a strain of lamentation pervades much of Marfa s music, reflecting her character s function as a representative of a suffering nation. The choral writing encompasses the full emotional and dramatic spectrum from the rousing to the intimate, from the boisterous to the noble. Opportunities for instrumental tone painting include the stirring sunrise music (complete with morning bells) of the prelude, the ballet of the Persian slaves in Scene 3, and the solemn processional that accompanies Prince Golitsyn s downfall. Khovanshchina at the Met The opera was first performed at the Met in 1950, with a largely American cast singing in English, led by Lawrence Tibbett as Ivan Khovansky, Brian Sullivan as Andrei, Risë Stevens as Marfa, and Jerome Hines as Dosifei. Emil Cooper conducted Rimsky-Korsakov s version of the score. The director was Dino Yannopoulos, and noted Russian-Lithuanian artist Mstislav Dobuzhinsky created the design. After only four performances, the opera fell out of the repertoire until the 1985 premiere of the current production, directed by August Everding, with sets by Ming Cho Lee and costumes by John Conklin. Neeme Järvi conducted the Shostakovich version, sung in Russian by an international cast headed by Aage Haugland, Helga Dernesch (in her Met debut), Dénes Gulyás, Wieslaw Ochman, and Martti Talvela. Other notable appearances in revivals of this production have included Vladimir Popov as Andrei ( ), Paul Plishka as Dosifei, Donald McIntyre as Shaklovity (both 1988), Paata Burchuladze as Ivan Khovansky, and Dolora Zajick as Marfa (both 1999). The six performances of the 1999 run were conducted by Valery Gergiev. Visit metopera.org 37

8 COVENT GARDEN PRODUCTION PHOTO: BILL COOPER season Anna Netrebko in Manon The Metropolitan Opera is grateful to Toll Brothers for its generous support of the season.

9 Program Note Few composers have left behind a more frustratingly chaotic jumble of works-in-progress than Modest Mussorgsky frustrating because of the genius that burns through in what he did manage to achieve in his brief life span of 42 years. Khovanshchina occupied Mussorgsky on and off during his final decade. Yet even in the manuscript s incomplete and, for the most part, unorchestrated state, the composer was able to convey a gripping operatic vision of the seismic forces at work in history. The ambition behind this national music drama has nothing in common with the blockbuster thrills of history-asspectacle made fashionable in the West by French grand opera. Khovanshchina, like its better-known predecessor, Boris Godunov (a work for which the composer actually completed two versions), reflects an attitude Mussorgsky formulated when he was just beginning to map out his new opera: The past in the present: that is my task. Born into a land-owning family but destitute by the time he died of the effects of alcoholism, Mussorgsky came of age during tumultuous times. The reforms Alexander II set in motion in the 1860s (chief among them emancipation of the serfs) brought questions of Russia s destiny into sharp focus. What role Russian artists should play likewise became a hotly debated issue. Mussorgsky is often identified as one of a small circle of pioneering composers who attempted an answer by rejecting Western conventions in favor of what they perceived as autonomous, authentically Russian models. But even within this context he stands out as a genuine maverick, arguably the most innovative of the bunch especially in his wildly original operas. Mussorgsky evolved a rough-hewn but compelling musical language that in Khovanshchina fuses an instinct for dramatic gesture and psychological realism with highly stylized evocations of an archaic past. Vladimir Stasov, Mussorgsky s mentor and friend and a domineering personality, suggested the opera s topic in the wake of the festivities marking Peter the Great s bicentennial in Later he collaborated with the composer to develop a detailed scenario. It seemed to me that the struggle between old and new Russia, the passing of the scene from the first and the birth of the second, Stasov later recalled, would be rich soil for drama and opera. Specifically, he pointed to the period of violent instability in the 1680s, when various factions struggled among themselves during the uneasy years of succession before Peter the Great gained full power as tsar. The opera s title derives from the historical Prince Ivan Khovansky, one of the main players in this time of conspiracy and uprising. He temporarily allied himself with the tsar s sister, the regent Sophia, but was later executed on her orders. In the libretto, the phrase Khovanshchina (best rendered into English as Khovansky Intrigue ) describes the coup Khovansky is allegedly plotting to bring his own family to the throne; here it becomes shorthand linking together 39

10 Program Note CONTINUED what, historically, involved several separate episodes. Parallel to these secular power struggles, the opera weaves in the story of the new regime s persecution of the Old Believers, a radical sect that had broken with the state-supported Orthodox Church over recent reforms. Both Khovansky and the schismatics are the symbols par excellence of the old Russia. A staunch leftist, Stasov (anticipating official Soviet attitudes toward Khovanshchina) wanted to see a tidy affirmation of progress represented by the victory of the new. For Mussorgsky, the evidence of history was more complex and contradictory. Paper, books have gone forward we haven t moved, he wrote to Stasov. So long as the people cannot verify with their own eyes what is being cooked out of them, as long as they do not themselves will what is or is not to be cooked out of them till then, we haven t moved! This pessimistic sense of inertia, of human nature being imprisoned in patterns, lies at the heart of the opera Mussorgsky began to envision. As with Boris Godunov, the composer crafted his own libretto for Khovanshchina. But Pushkin s Shakespeare-inspired drama had provided a ready source he could adapt for Boris, which is set a century earlier than Khovanshchina and concerns another period of political upheaval in Russia. For the later opera, Mussorgsky compiled a text of his own from diverse sources, even using historical documents, which he laid out into six separate scenes. Instead of working from a previously completed text, Mussorgsky constructed the libretto as part of his process of composition, scene by scene. Two of these scenes were left incomplete: the second (its ending is noticeably abrupt) and, most tantalizingly, the finale. Meanwhile, a strict code of censorship made it impossible to show any member of the Romanov line onstage. Peter and Sophia exert their power throughout the opera but remain unseen presences, while the characters we do see represent a mixture of historical, semi-historical, and completely fictional personages. The sense of history as impasse, of the endless cycle of false hope and disappointment that Mussorgsky described, underlies the faceoff between Ivan Khovansky and Vasily Golitsyn. The latter, erotically and ideologically linked to Sophia, promotes modernization but is exiled in a Machiavellian power play. Mussorgsky juxtaposes their clashing worldviews in a scene of remarkably innovative musical dramaturgy (which is echoed, incidentally, by the Nixon Mao confrontation in Nixon in China). Dosifei, the leader of the Old Believers, suddenly enters in his recurrent role of peaceful mediator. His spiritual authority is conveyed through long, arching phrases of chant that function as a pillar of Khovanshchina s sound world. Yet Dosifei is as helplessly adrift as everyone else facing the upheavals of history. The only solution he can offer is the fanatic s: a blind attempt to transcend history itself, by encouraging his coreligionists to their mass suicide. 40

11 The boyar Shaklovity, who aligns himself with the winning power, remains especially mysterious. The composer described him as an archswindler with a degree of affected importance, a certain grandeur to his bloodthirsty nature. He embodies the contradictions of the man of action; the other characters are essentially given to reaction. It may be for this reason that Mussorgsky spotlights Shaklovity in a striking monologue that offers his own variant on the opera s ever-present theme: the lament over Russia s condition. Marfa, though, arguably inspires Mussorgsky s most far-reaching portrayal. She bridges every single one of the realms, secular and religious, that are separated in Khovanshchina. Her love for Prince Andrei, Khovansky s ridiculous, weak-willed son, is not a contradiction but a corollary of her religious passion: Love as you have always loved, says Dosifei to comfort Marfa, and all that you have suffered will itself pass. Everyone thinks they are doing what is right for Russia and thinks they are alert to the dangers threatening her yet no central vision is established to resolve their dissension. The mode of prayer is a kind of common denominator in Khovanshchina, but its dominant tone is one of pessimistic resignation. Even the chorus, which has such a prominent presence, shifts from one to another of the segmented groups it voices (the Muscovites, the thuggish streltsy militiamen, or the Old Believers). The chorus cannot encompass the people in the way it does, say, in Verdi s Nabucco. Mussorgsky ingeniously underscores the dilemma of fragmentation through his technique of rudely jarring contrasts, signaled from the very beginning of the opera: A beautiful instrumental prelude evokes the dawning promise of the day, which is then immediately squandered in the opening scene by the streltsy s litany of wanton violence. The art of transition musically and dramatically seems to be exactly what Mussorgsky wishes to avoid. The guise in which Khovanshchina first became known was in the completion prepared by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who fully orchestrated the shortscore manuscript for piano and voices and composed his own ending to the fragmentary final scene, while also significantly cutting other sections and even characters. Shostakovich started the task afresh when he prepared the score for a film version of the opera in the late 1950s. He attempted in his orchestration to convey something of the edge and rawness of Mussorgsky s authentic voice, though he did fall back on and even intensify Rimsky s solution to the missing ending, with its musical references to the unseen Peter the Great to seal a message of victorious progress. But Khovanshchina s afterlife includes an intriguing alternative, now nearly a century old. For the Paris premiere of the opera that he intended to produce, Sergei Diaghilev commissioned his hot new composer, Igor Stravinsky, to orchestrate the sections Rimsky had cut out from the start and to revisit 41

12 Program Note CONTINUED some of his other choices: most notably, in the final scene of the Old Believers self-immolation. Stravinsky was preoccupied just then with finishing The Rite of Spring a work inspired by yet another vision of ancient Russia and had to call in help from Maurice Ravel. For the final scene he decided to replace Rimsky s bombastic brass calls with a choral chant found in Mussorgsky s manuscript. Stravinsky develops this in tandem with other themes heard earlier in the opera, ending with a slow fade that is overwhelming in performance. The current Met revival represents the first time the company has used the Stravinsky ending in its total of 32 performances of Khovanshchina prior to this season. Set at night, this finale answers the opening dawn with a darkness that is swallowed by infinite silence. Thomas May 42 Visit metopera.org

13 The Cast Kirill Petrenko conductor (omsk, russia) this season Khovanshchina at the Met, Tristan und Isolde at the Ruhrtriennale Festival, and orchestral engagements with the Orchestre de Paris, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Berlin Staatskapelle. met appearances Ariadne auf Naxos, The Merry Widow (debut, 2003) and Die Zauberflöte. career highlights He was the general music director of Berlin s Komische Oper from 2002 to 2007 and takes that same position with Munich s Bavarian State Opera beginning in September of He has led Tristan und Isolde and a cycle of operas based on works by Pushkin (Eugene Onegin, Mazeppa, and The Queen of Spades) at the Lyon Opera; Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Die Walküre in Dresden; The Queen of Spades in Florence and Barcelona; Madama Butterfly, Erwartung, and Bluebeard s Castle at Covent Garden; Don Giovanni at Paris s Bastille Opera; Jen ufa in Munich; Khovanshchina and Palestrina in Frankfurt; and Die Zauberflöte, Rigoletto, and Ariadne auf Naxos at the Vienna State Opera. Olga Borodina mezzo-soprano (st. petersburg, russia) this season Marfa in Khovanshchina at the Met, Marina in Boris Godunov with St. Petersburg s Mariinsky Theatre, and a recital tour in Europe. met appearances Marguerite in La Damnation de Faust, the title role of Carmen, Amneris in Aida, Marina (debut, 1997), Dalila in Samson et Dalila, Paulina in The Queen of Spades, Isabella in L Italiana in Algeri, Angelina in La Cenerentola, Laura in La Gioconda, and the Princess in Adriana Lecouvreur. career highlights Dalila for her 1992 European debut at Covent Garden (where she has also sung Marfa in Khovanshchina, Angelina, and Marina), Marina with the Vienna State Opera and for her 1997 Salzburg Festival debut (returning in 1999, 2001, and 2003), the Princess and Dalila at La Scala, Carmen and Eboli in Don Carlo for the Paris Opera, and Dalila and Isabella with the Washington National Opera and San Francisco Opera. 43

14 The Cast CONTINUED Ildar Abdrazakov bass (ufa, russia) this season Henry VIII in Anna Bolena and Dosifei in Khovanshchina at the Met, the Verdi Requiem with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival, Mustafà in L Italiana in Algeri with the Vienna State Opera, the Four Villains in Les Contes d Hoffmann at La Scala, and the title role of Attila in Rome. met appearances The Four Villains, Méphistophélès in La Damnation de Faust and Faust, Attila, Masetto in Don Giovanni (debut, 2004), Alidoro in La Cenerentola, Escamillo in Carmen, Mustafà, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Leporello in Don Giovanni. career highlights Recent performances include Moïse in Moïse et Pharon in Rome, Procida in I Vespri Siciliani in Turin, Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Covent Garden, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro with Washington National Opera, Banquo in Macbeth at La Scala, and Walter in Luisa Miller with the Paris Opera. Misha Didyk tenor (khmelnytskyi, ukraine) this season Andrei Khovansky in Khovanshchina for his debut at the Met, Filka Morozov in From the House of the Dead with the Vienna State Opera, and Manrico in Il Trovatore at Brussels s La Monnaie. career highlights In the United States he has sung Werther, the Duke in Rigoletto, and Tebaldo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi with the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Rodolfo in La Bohème and the Duke with New York City Opera, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Rodolfo with Opera Pacific, and Hermann in The Queen of Spades, Charles VII in The Maid of Orleans, des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, and Ruggiero in La Rondine with the San Francisco Opera. Elsewhere he has sung Hermann at La Scala and in Lyon, des Grieux with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Alexei in The Gambler at La Scala and the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Grigory in Boris Godunov in Madrid, Sergei in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the Vienna State Opera, Alfredo in La Traviata at St. Petersburg s Mariinsky Theatre, and Percy in Anna Bolena with the Finnish National Opera. 44

15 George Gagnidze baritone (tiflis, republic of georgia) this season Scarpia in Tosca, Shaklovity in Khovanshchina, and the title role of Macbeth at the Met; Scarpia at La Scala; and the title role of Nabucco at the Vienna State Opera. met appearances Scarpia and the title role of Rigoletto (debut, 2009). career highlights Recent performances include Macbeth at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Rigoletto at Los Angeles Opera and Parma s Verdi Festival, Miller in Luisa Miller in Valencia, and Germont in La Traviata at La Scala. He has also been heard at the Weimar Opera House (where he has been an ensemble member since the season) as Jochanaan in Salome, Rodrigo in Don Carlo, Miller, Nabucco, and in the title role of Guillaume Tell. He made his operatic debut in 1996 at the Tbilisi Opera House as Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera. Vladimir Galouzine tenor (roubtsovsk, russia) this season Vasily Golitsyn in Khovanshchina at the Met, Canio in Pagliacci with the Paris Opera and St. Petersburg s Mariinsky Theatre, Hermann in The Queen of Spades with the Paris Opera, and Calàf in Turandot with the Mariinsky Theatre. met appearances Alexei in The Gambler, Sergei in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (debut, 1994), Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Dimitry in Boris Godunov, Hermann, Canio, Otello, and Calàf. career highlights He has sung Hermann at Covent Garden, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Vienna State Opera, and in Amsterdam and Paris; Canio in Chicago and Houston; Calàf at Paris s Bastille Opera, Madrid s Teatro Real, and the Orange Festival; Otello in Brussels, Budapest, and with the Vienna State Opera; des Grieux in Manon Lescaut in Chicago; Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Vienna State Opera and Covent Garden; Alexei at La Scala; and Pinkerton in Stuttgart and Cologne. 45

16 The Cast CONTINUED Anatoli Kotscherga bass (winnitza, ukraine) this season Ivan Khovansky in Khovanshchina for his debut at the Met. career highlights He made his international debut as Ivan Khovansky at the Vienna State Opera in 1989 and since that time has sung the title role of Boris Godunov at the Salzburg Festival and the Vienna State Opera, the title role of Falstaff and Banquo in Macbeth at Munich s Bavarian State Opera, the Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlo and Falstaff at the Salzburg Festival, Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Field Marshal Kutuzov in War and Peace at the Paris Opera, Kochubey in Mazeppa at La Scala, Boris Godunov in Vienna, the Commendatore in Don Giovanni in Barcelona and at the Ruhrtriennale Festival, and Ivan Khovansky at the Paris Opera, Vienna State Opera, and Brussels s La Monnaie. 46 Visit metopera.org