Mussorgsky's last opera dramatizes the conspiracy of Prince Khovansky against Tsar Peter the Great, and the epic ends with the exile, murder and suicide of all the power groups of old Russia. When Musorgsky died in 1881, it was unfinished, and Rimsky-Korsakov completed it; Ravel and Stravinsky made another version for Diaghilev in 1911; in 1959 Shostakovich went back to the original and rediscovered a masterpiece. Caryl Emerson offers a provocative reading of Mussorgsky's achievement. Gerard McBurney relates the non-European inspiration in the score to Mussorgsky's conception of history, while Rosamund Bartlett describes the cultural impetus for his historical vision. Contents: Apocalypse Then, Now, and (for Us) Never: Reflections on Musorgsky's Other Historical Opera, Caryl Emerson; Musorgsky's Music of Time, Gerard McBurney; 'Khovanshchina' in Context, Rosamund Bartlett; Khovanshchina: Libretto by Modest Musorgsky; The Khovansky Affair: English translation by Carol Borah Palca.

Kent Nagano conducts the Bayerisches Staatsorchester in this production of Mussorgsky's opera. Bass Alexander Tsymbalyuk performs the titular role with the rest of the cast featuring Gerhard Siegel, Markus Eiche and Anatoli Kotscherga.

Kent Nagano conducts the Bayerisches Staatsorchester in this production of Mussorgsky's opera. Bass Alexander Tsymbalyuk performs the titular role with the rest of the cast featuring Gerhard Siegel, Markus Eiche and Anatoli Kotscherga.

Valery Gergiev leads the Wiener Philharmoniker in this Russian-themed opening night of the 2012 Salzburg Festival. Alongside performances of Stravinsky's 'Symphony of Psalms' and Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony, Russian tenor Sergei Semishkur gives a passionate interpretation of Mussorgsky's 'Songs and Dances of Death'.

Kent Nagano leads the Bayerisches Staatsorchester in Dmitri Tcherniakov's production of Mussorgsky's opera, recorded live at the Nationaltheater, Munich in 2007. Doris Soffel stars as Marfa, with Anatoly Kotscherga as the religious leader Dosifei, Klaus Florian Vogt as Andrey, and Paata Burchuladze as the charismatic Prince Ivan Khovansky.

Finnish bass Matti Salminen takes the lead role in this production of Mussorgsky's opera performed at Barcelona's Gran Teatre Del Liceu in 2004. Sebastian Weigle conducts, with additional performances by Eric Halfvarson, Anatoly Kotcherga and Philip Langridge.

A study score of the spectacular new setting for wind symphony. Simpson's orchestration is the first one for winds based upon the composer's manuscript instead of the flawed 1886 edition of the piano original. Edited by the eminent American composer of wind music, Alfred Reed.

Italian operatic bass Carlo Colombara performs a selection of his most famous roles including Escamillo from Bizet's 'Carmen', Philippe II from Verdi's 'Don Carlos' and Don Basilio from Rossini's 'Barber of Seville'.

Claudio Abbado conducts the Wiener Staatsoper Orchestra and Chorus in this production of Mussorgsky's opera, recorded in 1989. The cast includes Nicolai Ghiaurov, Vladimir Atlantov and Yuri Marusin.

This famous work has had a chequered performance history, and Professor Laurel E. Fay points out that the interpretation of the opera depends on which edition is used. Robert Oldani introduces the "Boris problem": Pushkin's play was not an obvious choice for a young composer, since it had been banned for forty years, and it is the Russian people, rather than any single character, who is the protagonist. Alex de Jonge examines its uniquely Russian character and notes the unsettling parallels of the history of old Russia with today. Nigel Osborne's comparison of the Rimsky-Korsakov and Mussorgsky versions highlights their individual qualities. Contents: Looking into 'Boris Godunov', Robert W. Oldani; A Historical Introduction, Nicholas John; The Drama and Music of 'Boris', Laurel E. Fay; Around 'Boris Godunov', Alex de Jonge; Boris: prince or peasant?, Nigel Osborne; Boris Godunov: Russian libretto (transliterated), Modest Mussorgsky; Boris Godunov: English translation by David Lloyd-Jones

Gianandrea Noseda leads the orchestra and chorus of the Teatro Regio, Turin in this production of Mussorgsky's opera directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, with Bulgarian bass Orlin Anastassov in the lead role.

The classic arrangement by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble of the complete Pictures required piccolo trumpet, double tonguing and range extremes in all parts. This version has been reduced so a college or even high school ensemble could play it. The movements included here are two Promenades, the Old Castle, Hut on Fowl's Legs (Baba Yaga) and The Great Gate of Kiev.