René Pape Added Boris Godunov to His Met Opera Portfolio Oct. 11, 2010

Summary: René Pape added Boris Godunov to his Met Opera portfolio Oct. 11, 2010, in the 2010-2011 season's new production of Mussorgsky's historical opera.

German operatic baritone René Pape added the title role of Boris Godunov to his Met Opera portfolio in the 2010-2011 season's new production of Mussorgsky's historical opera and reprises the role in the 2021-2022 season's first revival: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Dec. 18, 2020

René Pape added Boris Godunov to his Met Opera portfolio Oct. 11, 2010, in the 2010-2011 season's debut of Stephen Wadsworth's new production of Modest Mussorgsky's historical opera.

The United States premiere of Boris Godunov by Russian Romantic era composer Modest Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881) took place Wednesday, March 19, 1913, at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House. The tsarist opera received four performances (premiere; Friday, March 28; Monday, April 7; Saturday, April 19) in the 1912-1913 season. All four performances were sung in Italian instead of the original Russian.

Met Opera's third new production of Boris Godunov debuted Monday, Oct. 11, 2010, in the opera's 265th performance at the opera house. The new production received nine performances in the 2010-2011 season. After the premiere, the second through ninth, closing performances were offered Friday, Oct. 15; Monday, Oct. 18; Saturday, Oct. 23; Monday, Oct. 25; Saturday, Oct. 30; Wednesday, March 9; Saturday, March 12; and St. Patrick's Day, Thursday, March 17.

Stephen Wadsworth (born April 3, 1953, as Stephen Wadsworth Zinsser) directed the 2010-2011 season's new production of Boris Godunov. The American opera and theater director had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004, in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Rodelinda by German-British baroque composer George Frideric Handel (Feb. 23, 1685-April 14, 1759).

Stephen Wadsworth's production team comprised Ferdinand Wögerbauer, set designer; Moidele Bickel, costume designer; Duane Schuler, lighting designer; and Apostolia Tsolaki, choreographer. The production's set designer, costume designer and choreographer made their Met Opera debuts in the new production's opening performance Monday, Oct. 11. Duane Schuler had made his Met Opera debut Monday, March 21, 1994, in the opera house's 268th performance of Otello by 19th-century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Valery Gergiev (born May 2, 1953) conducted Stephen Wadsworth's new production of Boris Godunov. The Ossetian Russian conductor's Met Opera debut coincided with that of lighting designer Duane Schuler's in the opera house's 268th performance of Verdi's Otello.

The new production's title role was sung by René Pape (born Sept. 4, 1964). The German operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Dec. 2, 1995, as the Speaker in the opera house's 311th performance of Die Zauberflöte by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

René Pape is credited with appearing in the title role in the 2010-2011 season's nine performances. The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database (MetOpera Database) credits him with singing Boris in Act I through Act III scene 1 in the new production's ninth, closing performance, St. Patrick's Day, March 17.

René Pape shared the title role with Evgeny Nikitin in the St. Patrick's Day performance. Evgeny Nikitin is credited with singing the title role in Act III scene 2 in the ninth, closing performance, in addition to singing his regular role of Rangoni the Jesuit. 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).

The new production's ninth, closing performance numbered as the opera house's 273rd performance of Boris Godunov. Ten seasons (2011-2012 through 2020-2021) passed without a revival of Stephen Wadsworth's production.

The drought of non-revival has ended with the appearance of Stephen Wadsworth's production on the 2021-2022 season's roster. The production's first revival receives five performances in the 2021-2022 season. The revival opens Tuesday, Sept. 28. The revival's second through fifth, closing performances are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 2; Tuesday, Oct. 5; Saturday, Oct. 9; Thursday, Oct. 14; and Sunday, Oct. 17. The Saturday, Oct. 9, performance will be featured as the Feb. 19, 2022, Saturday matinee broadcast.

René Pape reprises the title role for the 2021-2022 season's first revival. His reprisal adds six Boris performances to his Met Opera portfolio, with five autumn performances and one winter Saturday matinee broadcast.

The takeaways for René Pape's Oct. 11, 2010, addition of Boris Godunov to his Met Opera portfolio are that the German operatic bass sang in all nine performance's of the opera's Stephen Wadsworth-directed new production in the 2010-2011 season; and that he reprises the title role in the production's first revival in the 2021-2022 season.

German operatic baritone René Pape first sang the title role of Boris Godunov in the 2010-2011 season's new production of Mussorgsky's historical opera; he reprises the title role in the 2021-2022 season's first revival of Stephen Wadsworth's new production: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, Facebook May 19, 2021

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

German operatic baritone René Pape added the title role of Boris Godunov to his Met Opera portfolio in the 2010-2011 season's new production of Mussorgsky's historical opera and reprises the role in the 2021-2022 season's first revival: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Dec. 18, 2020, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10164665143405533

German operatic baritone René Pape first sang the title role of Boris Godunov in the 2010-2011 season's new production of Mussorgsky's historical opera; he reprises the title role in the 2021-2022 season's first revival of Stephen Wadsworth's new production: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, Facebook May 19, 2021, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10165286404155533/

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/

"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: 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: Mikhail Svetlov, Andrew Oakden, Ferdinand Wõgerbauer, Moidele Bickel, Apostolia Tsolaki." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353590 New Production Boris Godunov {265} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/11/2010. Sirius and XM Broadcast live Streamed at metopera.org.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353590

"Debuts: Valery Gergiev, Duane Schuler." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351014 New Production Otello {268} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/21/1994.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351014

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

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera Has Tallied 21 Borises in 273 Performances of Boris Godunov." Earth and Space News. Monday, Sept. 20, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/09/met-opera-has-tallied-21-borises-in-273.html

The Metropolitan Opera. "Synopsis: Boris Godunov." The Metropolitan Opera > 2021–22 Season > Boris Godunov.
Available @ https://www.metopera.org/user-information/Synopses-Archive/boris-godunov/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Mussorgsky’s most popular opera, Boris Godunov covers the turbulent interregnum period of early 17th-century Russia, when the title tsar, his son, and a Polish pretender to the throne all jockey for power. The resulting opera is nothing short of magnificent: a colossal vehicle for a star bass with King Lear-level acting chops, an exceptional ensemble cast, and a bejeweled coronation scene. In tonight’s free Nightly Met Opera Stream, see René Pape take on the title role in a stirring 2010 Live in HD transmission—available starting at 7:30PM ET until tomorrow, December 19, at 6:30PM ET. . . . Photo by Ken Howard / Met Opera." Facebook. Dec. 18, 2020.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10164665143405533

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Widely considered the composer’s masterpiece, Mussorgsky’s historical opera Boris Godunov is nothing short of magnificent: a colossal vehicle for a commanding bass with King Lear–level acting chops, an exceptional ensemble cast, and a bejeweled, blazing coronation scene. In tonight’s free Nightly Met Opera Stream, see René Pape sing the title role—the 2010 Live in HD transmission is available starting at 7:30PM ET until tomorrow, May 20, at 6:30PM ET. . . ." Facebook. May 19, 2021.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10165286404155533/

"New Production: Boris Godunov." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353590 New Production Boris Godunov {265} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/11/2010. Sirius and XM Broadcast live Streamed at metopera.org.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353590

"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