Met Opera Has Tallied 21 Borises in 273 Performances of Boris Godunov

Summary: Met Opera has tallied 21 Borises in 273 performances of Boris Godunov that span the opera's U.S. premiere in 1913 to recentest performance in 2011.

Adamo Didur in title role for Met Opera's United States premiere of Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov during 1912-1913 season; portrait by Herman Mishkin, Official Photographer of the Metropolitan Opera 1910-1931: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Met Opera has tallied 21 Borises in 273 performances of Boris Godunov that span the opera's United States premiere in 1913 to most recent performance in 2011.

On Wednesday, March 19, 1913, the Metropolitan Opera presented the United States premiere of Boris Godunov by Russian Romantic era composer Modest Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881). The opera, based upon a drama by Russian Romantic era playwright and poet Alexander Pushkin (June 6, 1799-Feb. 10, 1837), was sung in Italian instead of the original Russian. Boris Godunov received four performances in its U.S. premiere season.

Adamo Didur (Dec. 24, 1874-Jan. 7, 1946) created the title role at Met Opera with his appearance in the premiere. The Polish operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Nov. 14, 1908, as Méphistophélès in the opera company's 256th performance of Faust by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893). Met Opera's first Boris sang the title role in 48 performances offered in nine successive seasons, 1912-1913 through 1920-1921. He returned in the 1924-1925 season for his 49th and last Boris impersonation.

Fyodor Chaliapin (Feb. 13, 1873-April 12, 1938) became Met Opera's second Boris in the 1921-1922 season. The Russian operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Nov. 20, 1907, in the title role in the opera company's 15th performance of Mefistofele by Italian composer and librettist Arrigo Boito (Feb. 24, 1842-June 10, 1918). Met Opera's second Boris tallied 38 appearances in the role over the next eight seasons, 1921-1922 through 1928-1929. He numbered as the first Met Opera Boris to sing the role in Russian. The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database (MetOpera Database) noted, for each of his 38 performances, that: "Chaliapin always sang Boris in Russian," even though everyone else observed an Italian libretto.

After a decade's absence from the opera house's active repertoire, Boris Godunov reappeared in the 1938-1939 season with Ezio Pinza (May 18, 1892-May 9, 1957) as Met Opera's third Boris. The Italian operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 1, 1926, as Pontifex Maximus in the opera company's sixth performance of La Vestale by Italian Classical period composer Gaspare Spontini (Nov. 14, 1774-Jan. 24, 1851). Met Opera's third Boris made 25 appearances in the role over five seasons (1938-1939; 1939-1940; 1942-1943; 1943-1944; 1946-1947).

Alexander Kipnis (Feb. 13 [Old Style: Feb. 1], 1891-May 14, 1978) became Met Opera's fourth Boris via his role-sharing with Ezio Pinza in the 1942-1943 season. The Ukrainian, later naturalized (1931) American, operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Jan. 5, 1940, as Gurnemanz in the opera company's 145th performance of Parsifal by German Romantic era composer-librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883). Met Opera's fourth Boris added four performances in the title role to his Met Opera portfolio and numbered as the second Met Opera Boris to sing the role in Russian. MetOpera Database noted, for each of his four performances, that: "Kipnis always sang Boris in Russian," even though everyone else sang in Italian.

After an absence of five seasons (1947-1948 through 1951-1952), Boris Godunov returned in the 1952-1953 season with an English libretto and with George London (born George Burnstein; May 30, 1920-March 24, 1985) as Met Opera's fifth Boris. The American operatic bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Tuesday, Nov. 13, 1951, as Amonasro in the opera company's 530th performance of Aida by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). Met Opera's fifth Boris sang the title role in 18 performances scattered over six seasons (1952-1953; 1953-1954; 1955-1956; 1958-1959; 1960-1961; 1962-1963). George London numbered as the first Met Opera Boris to sing the role in English.

George London shared the title role with Met Opera's next four Borises. Borises six through nine were assigned to Cesare Siepi, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, Jerome Hines and Giorgio Tozzi, respectively.

Cesare Siepi (Feb. 10, 1923-July 5, 2010) became Met Opera's sixth Boris with his appearance in two of the 1952-1953 season's seven performances. The Italian operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 6, 1950, as Philip II in the opera company's 15th performance of Verdi's Don Carlo. Met Opera's sixth Boris made 17 appearances over five seasons (1952-1953; 1953-1954; 1955-1956; 1958-1959; 1960-1961).

Nicola Rossi-Lemeni's (Nov. 6, 1920-March 12, 1991) appearances in two of the 1953-1954 season's nine performances qualified him as Met Opera's seventh Boris. The Italian-Russian operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 16, 1953, as Méphistophélès in the opera company's 499th performance of Faust by 19th-century French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893).

As the third of three Boris role sharers in the 1953-1954 season, Jerome Hines (Nov. 8, 1921-Feb. 4, 2003) assumed the title of Met Opera's eighth Boris. The American operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 21, 1946, as the Officer, to third Boris Ezio Pinza, in the opera company's 105th performance of Boris Godunov. Met Opera's eighth Boris turned in 30 appearances over eight seasons (1953-1954; 1955-1956; 1958-1959; 1960-1961; 1962-1963; 1974-1975; 1975-1976; 1977-1978).

As the fourth of George London's four Boris role sharers, Giorgio Tozzi (Jan. 8, 1923-May 30, 2011) became Met Opera's ninth Boris by singing in four of the 1962-1963 season's 11 performances. The American operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, March 9, 1955, as Alvise in the opera company's 172nd performance of La Gioconda by Italian opera composer Amilcare Ponchielli (Aug. 31, 1834-Jan. 16, 1886).

Eleven seasons of no Boris Godunov performances (1963-1964 through 1973-1974) followed the 1962-1963 season's assignment of Giorgio Tozzi as the ninth Boris. In the 1974-1975 season, the opera appeared, with the original Russian libretto and with Martti Talvela (Feb. 4, 1935-July 22, 1989) as the opera company's 10th Boris. The Finnish operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 7, 1968, as the Grand Inquisitor in the opera company's 74th performance of Verdi's Don Carlo. Met Opera's 10th Boris garnered 39 appearances over five seasons (1974-1975; 1975-1976; 1977-1978; 1982-1983; 1986-1987). He numbered as the third Met Opera Boris to sing the role in Russian and as the first to perform with the original Russian libretto.

John Macurdy (March 18, 1929-May 7, 2020) became Met Opera's 11th Boris by singing in two of the 1977-1978 season's 19 performances. The American operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Dec. 8, 1962, as Tom in the opera company's 83rd performance of Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera.

As the first of Martti Talvela's three 1982-1983 season role sharers, Met Opera's 12th Boris, Aage Haugland (Feb. 1, 1944-Dec. 23, 2000), sang in three of the season's 18 performances. The Danish operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Dec. 13, 1979, as Baron Ochs in the opera company's 269th performance of Der Rosenkavalier by German composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949).

As the second of Martti Talvela's three 1982-1983 season role sharers, Paul Plishka (born Aug. 28, 1941) became Met Opera's 13th Boris. The American operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Sept. 21, 1967, as the Monk in the opera company's 219th performance of Ponchielli's La Gioconda. Met Opera's 13th Boris added eight appearances in the title role over three seasons (1982-1983; 1986-1987; 1990-1991) to his Met Opera portfolio.

As the third of Martti Talvela's three 1982-1983 season role sharers, Sergei Koptchak (Sergej Kopčák; born 1948) became Met Opera's 14th Boris. The Slovak operatic bass-baritone's first Boris impersonation, June 3, 1983, the opera company's 229th performance of the opera, marked his Met Opera debut. He made his second of two Boris appearances June 9, 1983, the opera house's 230th Boris Godunov performance.

After three fallow seasons (1987-1988; 1988-1989; 1989-1990), Boris Godunov opened in the 1990-1991 season with Met Opera's 15th Boris, Paata Burchuladze (born Feb. 12, 1955). The Georgian operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Sept. 25, 1989, as Ramfis in the opera company's 938th performance of Verdi's Aida. Met Opera's 15th Boris contributed seven appearances in the 1990-1991 season.

Nicolai Ghiaurov (Sept. 13, 1929-June 2, 2004) claimed his title as Met Opera's 16th Boris by singing in two of the 1990-1991 season's 12 performances. The Bulgarian operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 8, 1965, as Méphistophélès in the opera company's 589th performance of Gounod's Faust.

Six fallow seasons (1991-1992 through 1996-1997) elapsed before Boris Godunov appeared on Met Opera's stage. The opera opened in the 1997-1998 season with Samuel Ramey (born March 28, 1942) as Met Opera's 17th Boris. The American operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Jan. 19, 1984, as Argante in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Rinaldo by German Baroque composer George Frideric Handel (Feb. 23, 1685-April 14, 1759). Met Opera's 17th Boris confined his six Boris impersonations to the first six of the 1997-1998 season's seven performances.

Vladimir Vaneev (born 1962) became Met Opera's 18th Boris by singing the 1997-1998 season's closing, seventh performance Saturday, Jan. 10, 1998. The MetOpera Database does not indicate a Met Opera debut for the Russian operatic bass-baritone but credits him with one Boris Godunov performance and three appearances as Wotan in Wagner's Die Walküre in the 2004-2005 season.

Five fallow seasons (1998-1999 through 2002-2003) passed before Boris Godunov's next appearance at the Metropolitan Opera. The opera opened in the 2003-2004 season with James Morris (born Jan. 10, 1947) as Met Opera's 19th Boris. The American bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Jan. 7, 1971, as the King in the opera company's 782nd performance of Verdi's Aida. Met Opera's 19th Boris confined singing the title role to the 2003-2004 season's seven performances.

The opera then experienced a dry spell for six seasons (2004-2005 through 2009-2010). Boris Godunov then opened in the 2010-2011 season with René Pape (born Sept. 4, 1964) as Met Opera's 20th Boris. The German operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Dec. 2, 1995, as the Speaker in the opera company's 311th performance of Die Zauberflöte by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791). Met Opera's 20th Boris is credited with the season's nine performances.

Met Opera's 20th Boris, however, shared his ninth performance, St. Patrick's Day, Thursday, March 17, 2011, with Evgeny Nikitin (born Sept. 30, 1973). René Pape sang Act I through Act III scene 1. Evgeny Nikitin became Met Opera's 21st Boris with his appearance in Act III scene 2. The Russian bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002, as Lieutenant Dolokhov in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of War and Peace by Soviet composer, conductor and pianist Sergei Prokofiev (April 23, 1891-March 5, 1953).

After a decade's absence (2011-2012 through 2020-2021), Boris Godunov finds its place on the 2021-2022 season's roster. The opera opens as the season's second opera, with 20th Met Opera Boris René Pape reprising the title role in five performances (Tuesday, Sept. 28; Saturday, Oct. 2; Tuesday, Oct. 5; Saturday, Oct. 9; Thursday, Oct. 14; Sunday, Oct. 17) and in the Feb. 19 Saturday matinee broadcast of the Oct. 9 performance.

Prior to the 2021-2022 season, the opera has accrued 273 performances since its Metropolitan Opera premiere, Wednesday, March 19, 1913. and has featured 21 basses in the title role. Met Opera's first Boris, Adamo Didur, claims first place for most performances with 49 appearances. Met Opera's 10th Boris, Martti Talvela, occupies second place with 39 appearances. Met Opera's second Boris, Fyodor Chaliapin places third with 38 appearances. Met Opera's 11th Boris, Jerome Hines, qualifies for fourth place with 30 appearances. Met Opera's third Boris, Ezio Pinza, places fifth with 25 appearances.

The takeaways for Met Opera's tally of 21 Borises in 273 performances of Boris Godunov are that Met Opera's 20th Boris, René Pape, reprises the title role, from recentest performances in the 2010-2011 season, for the opera's five 2021-2022 season performances; that, although an Italian libretto prevailed for the opera's first 116 performances, second Boris Fyodor Chaliapin and fourth Boris Alexander Kipnis sang the role in Russian; that fifth Boris George London was the first to sing the role in English; that the 171st performance, with 10th Boris Martti Talvela, introduced the original Russian libretto; and that the first five places for most appearances are occupied by first Boris Adamo Didur, 10th Boris Martti Talvela, second Boris Fyodor Chaliapin, 11th Boris Jerome Hines and third Boris Ezio Pinza.

Evgeny Nikitin's spelling Met Opera's 20th Boris, René Pape, in the title role for the last scene (Act III scene 2) of the opera's most recent performance, St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2011, qualified him as Met Opera's 21st Boris; he had sung Rangoni the Jesuit priest in all nine of the 2010-2011 season's performances of Modest Mussorgsky's Alexander Pushkin drama-inspired opera: IMG Artists @IMGArtistsUK, via Twitter April 14, 2020

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Adamo Didur in title role for Met Opera's United States premiere of Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov during 1912-1913 season; portrait by Herman Mishkin, Official Photographer of the Metropolitan Opera 1910-1931: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Didurboris.jpg; via online MetOpera (Metropolitan Opera Family Archives) database @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/BorisGodunovDidur.htm

Evgeny Nikitin's spelling Met Opera's 20th Boris, René Pape, in the title role for the last scene (Act III scene 2) of the opera's most recent performance, St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2011, qualified him as Met Opera's 21st Boris; he had sung Rangoni the Jesuit priest in all nine of the 2010-2011 season's performances of Modest Mussorgsky's Alexander Pushkin drama-inspired opera: IMG Artists @IMGArtistsUK, via Twitter April 14, 2020, @ https://twitter.com/IMGArtistsUK/status/1250071277311873024/photo/1

For further information:

Clark, Peter. "From the Archives: Boris Godunov at the Met." The Metropolitan Opera > Discover > Articles.
Available @ https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/articles/from-the-archives-boris-godunov-at-the-met/

"Debut: Alexander Kipnis." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 127480 Parsifal {145} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 01/5/1940.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=127480

"Debut: Giorgio Tozzi." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 168210 La Gioconda {172} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/9/1955.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=168210

"Debut: Jerome Hines." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 143090 Boris Godunov {105} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/21/1946.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=143090

"Debut: John Macurdy." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 192560 Un Ballo in Maschera {83} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/8/1962.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=192560

"Debut: Martti Talvela, Claudio Abbado." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 216210 Don Carlo {74} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/7/1968.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=216210

"Debut: Nicolai Ghiaurov." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 204410 Faust {589} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/8/1965.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=204410

"Debut: Paata Burchuladze." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 298000 Aida {938} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/25/1989. Opening Night {105} Hugh Southern, General Manager.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=298000

"Debut: Paul Plishka." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 212030 La Gioconda {219} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/21/1967.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=212030

"Debut: Sergei Koptchak." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 272780 Boris Godunov {229} Cleveland Public Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio: 06/3/1983.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=272780

"Debuts: Adamo Didur, Jean Noté, Paolo Ananian, Francesco Spetrino, Jules Speck." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 42000 Faust {256} Academy of Music, New York, Brooklyn: 11/14/1908.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=42000

"Debuts: Agnes Baltsa, Aage Haugland, Ernst Gutstein." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 259840 Der Rosenkavalier {269} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/13/1979.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=259840

"Debuts: Anna Netrebko, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Oleg Balashov, Frank Dellapolla, Sergey Murzaev, Evgeny Nikitin . . ." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 350257 Metropolitan Opera Premiere War and Peace {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/14/2002.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=350257

"Debuts: Anne Girerd, Fyodor Chaliapin, Riccardo Martin, Giuseppe Tecchi, A. Edel." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 40010 New production Mefistofele {15} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/20/1907.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=40010

"Debuts: Delia Rigal, Fedora Barbieri, Cesare Siepi, Lucine Amara, Margeret Webster, Rolf Gérard." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 155000 New production Don Carlo {15} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/6/1950. Telecast. Opening Night {66} Rudolf Bing, General Manager.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=155000

"Debuts: Ezio Pinza, Arthur Mahoney." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 94000 La Vestale {6} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/1/1926. Opening Night {42} Giulio Gatti-Casazza, General Manager.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=94000

"Debuts: George London, Elena Nikolaidi, Janet Collins." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 158000 New production Aida {530} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/13/1951. Opening Night {67} Rudolf Bing, General Manager.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=158000

"Debuts: James Morris, Jacques Cesbron." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 224150 Aida {782} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/7/1971.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=224150

"Debuts: Joan Rodgers, René Pape." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 322610 Die Zauberflöte {311} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 12/2/1995.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=322610

"Debuts: Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, Peter Brook." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 164000 New production Faust {499} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/16/1953. Opening Night {69} Rudolf Bing.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=164000

"Debuts: Samuel Ramey, Mario Bernardi, Frank Corsaro, Mark Negin, Eugene Collins." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 275180 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Rinaldo {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/19/1984.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=275180

IMG Artists @IMGArtistsUK. "Don't Miss Evgeny Nikitin as Rangoni in Boris Godunov in tonight's @MetOpera's Nightly Streams from 7:30 PM EST @IMGAParis https://metopera.org/user-informati. . ." Twitter. April 14, 2020.
Available @ https://twitter.com/IMGArtistsUK/status/1250071277311873024

Marriner, Derdriu. "Kathleen Howard Began, Ended Met Opera Career as Boris Godunov's Nurse." Earth and Space News. Monday, June 21, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/06/kathleen-howard-began-ended-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Kathleen Howard Sang Boris Godunov With Adamo Didur and Fyodor Chaliapin." Earth and Space News. Monday, June 28, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/06/kathleen-howard-sang-boris-godunov-with.html

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Available @ https://www.metopera.org/user-information/Synopses-Archive/boris-godunov/

"United States Premiere Boris Godunov." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 54660 United States Premiere Boris Godunov {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/19/1913.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=54660