Powerful final: Mussorgskis Chowanschtschina conquers Salzburg!

Powerful final: Mussorgskis Chowanschtschina conquers Salzburg!

Salzburg, Österreich - On April 18, 2025, the unfinished opera "Chowanschtschina" by Modest Mussorgski will be performed as part of the Salzburg Easter Festival. The staging is presented under the direction of Simon McBurney and with the musical direction of ESA-Pecka Salonen. This production aims to stay as close as possible to the original from Mussorgski, although the composer could not complete his work through the Moscow Strelizen uprising from 1682. The best -known performance version comes from Dmitri Schostakovitsch, but Salzburg takes on the challenge of filling the gaps through electronic sounds of Tuomas Norvio and creating a connection of reconstruction, interpretation and new creation.

The most prominent figures of the opera are Iwan Chowanskij, the Prince Golitzyn, the sectarian old believers, represented by Dossifej, and Marfa in the central role. The staging of McBurney is characterized by an impressive stage design by Rebecca Ringst, which creates threatening rooms with sliding walls. The performance opens with a threatening background noise and an animated video projection, while the choir, consisting of the Bachchor Salzburg and the Slovak Philharmonic Choir, impresses the audience with its strong presence.

performance and performance

The ensemble around Nadezhda Karyazina as Marfa convinced with its strong, even vocal sound and was awarded the Herbert von Karajan Prize. Vitalij Kowaljow as Iwan Chowanskij, Daniel Okulitch as Golitzyn and Ain Anger as Dossifej showed all strong performances. Despite some acoustic problems in the stage space, the performance was experienced as impressive. The audience reacted with great cheers, which illustrated the long-lasting applause of directing and music art.

While Salons are known to the cool, factual conductive, which is perceived as too dominant in Salzburg, the question arises whether this harms the emotional depth in contrast to other productions, such as the one in Geneva. There, the opera, under the direction of Calixto Bieito, is presented as a darker and immediate, which makes the wearing of Russia appear in a different light. The productions in Salzburg and Geneva represent different approaches that are shown in the representations of power and history.

a reflection on Russian history

Mussorgski's "Chowanschtschina" is considered one of his most politically explosive works and is often seen as an opera of the hour that reflects the continuum of Russian history. Salzburg production in particular takes into account an additional manuscript page that affects the last scene between Marfa and Andrei Chowanski, which gives the performance a special touch.

The musical performance of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra is generally described as professional, although it lacks emotional weight. Gerard McBurney's adjustments in the orchestra accompaniment have ensured a modern perspective, but could interrupt the flow of the work. In contrast, the production in Geneva is valued for its better transition and intonation setting and perceived as an emotional sensitive.

Overall, the Salzburg performance reflects the historical and cultural depth of Mussorgski's work, while at the same time directing the focus on the timeless story of power and belief. The linking of historical topics with contemporary approaches remains a central concern and leads to persistent discussions about the political relevance and artistic interpretation of the opera.