Khovanshchina [2 Discs]

Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (Pictures at an Exhibition) died in 1881, at the age of 42 - leaving his opera +Khovanshchina unfinished and unperformed. In time, Dmitri Shostakovich took up the challenge of polishing off the finished work, which constitutes a musical drama about the transformation of Russian society via Peter the Great. In this stage production of +Khovanshchina by the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Stein Winge uses a "modernist" production design to evoke the harsh and uncompromising themes of the original work. Vladimir Ognovenko, Vladimir Galouzine and Robert Brubaker co-star; the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu (under the leadership of musical director Michael Boder) provide accompaniment.