I saw this production live in San Francisco back in 2008. It uses the same sets and costumes from a production that was presented in Geneva, Switzerland back in the 1990's, also starring Samuel Ramey.
Ramey's voice may have lost some of its elegance and beauty over the years and may be beset by a slow vibrato, but his performance in the San Francisco production was nothing short of brilliant. His vocal performance actually improved as the performance went on. It was his acting ability, however, that truly made his performance remarkable. His Boris is a troubled man, beset by nightmares and guilt, but still a man who is trying to rule as best he can and who cares deeply for his small son. Indeed, the scene where Boris shows his son a map of the world and delineates all that the son will eventually inherit, is one of the best in the production. I had recently heard Ferruccio Furlanetto live in this same role. Furlanetto is a world class singer who is also one of the very best actors working in opera today. To my surprise, I found that Ramey's acting performance as Boris Godunov surpassed even that of Furlanetto.
The other performances are quite good with Vitalij Kowaljow as Pimen warranting special mention. Also there is a quite remarkable performance by Andrew Bidlack as the Simpleton. The viewer picks out Bidlack immediately as a performer whose career will bear watching in the coming years.
The sets, costumes, and lighting were all well done and in keeping with the tone of the opera. This is a film well worth the notice of devoted opera fans.
Ramey's voice may have lost some of its elegance and beauty over the years and may be beset by a slow vibrato, but his performance in the San Francisco production was nothing short of brilliant. His vocal performance actually improved as the performance went on. It was his acting ability, however, that truly made his performance remarkable. His Boris is a troubled man, beset by nightmares and guilt, but still a man who is trying to rule as best he can and who cares deeply for his small son. Indeed, the scene where Boris shows his son a map of the world and delineates all that the son will eventually inherit, is one of the best in the production. I had recently heard Ferruccio Furlanetto live in this same role. Furlanetto is a world class singer who is also one of the very best actors working in opera today. To my surprise, I found that Ramey's acting performance as Boris Godunov surpassed even that of Furlanetto.
The other performances are quite good with Vitalij Kowaljow as Pimen warranting special mention. Also there is a quite remarkable performance by Andrew Bidlack as the Simpleton. The viewer picks out Bidlack immediately as a performer whose career will bear watching in the coming years.
The sets, costumes, and lighting were all well done and in keeping with the tone of the opera. This is a film well worth the notice of devoted opera fans.
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