Khovanshchina Tickets

About the Show:

Khovanshchina is an opera in five acts with music and libretto by Modest Mussorgsky. It is based on true historical events surrounding the rebellions against Peter the Great, who brought Westernizing changes to Russia. Mussorgsky wrote the opera during the 1870s but dies before it was completed. In 1881-2, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov completed and revised Khovanshchina, but because his overhaul was so extreme, Dmitri Shostakovich revised it again in 1959, staying truer to Mussorgsky's original work (the latter version is most often performed today).

Khovanshchina premiered in St. Petersburg on February 21, 1886, in Moscow on November 12, 1897, in Paris and London in 1913, and finally in New York in 1931. Though not as well-known as Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, it has become a recurring piece of several companies, including the Metropolitan Opera. Though the action moves fairly slowly, the characters are robust and believable and there are several awe-inspiring moments for audiences to enjoy. Order your Khovanshchina tickets today to see this underrated work for yourself.

Plot Synopsis:

Prologue: Moscow, Russia, 1682. Domestic political fragmentation is tearing Russia apart. There are three distinct groups engaged in what is essentially an all-out civil war. Tsar Peter and his followers are in support of modernization, which the other two groups oppose. The Streltsy (rowdy, decommissioned former soldiers/guards) are supremely loyal to Prince Ivan Khovansky. The Old Believers are pious ascetics who have left the Russian Orthodox Church because it has accepted the Tsar's changes. To complicate matters further, the latter two groups despise one another (to the advantage of Tsar Peter). Each group stakes a claim to being the "true" Russia and seeks to defend it against its internal threats.

Act I: In Moscow's Red Square, Shaklovity, a nobleman, writes a letter warning Tsar Peter of an attack planned by Prince Ivan Khovansky and the Old Believers. Prince Ivan arrives and makes an impassioned promise to his crowd that he will support the "young Tsars" (Peter's conservative enemies within the royal family). As he and the crowd exit, Ivan's son, Prince Andrey, attempts to assault a German girl named Emma until an Old Believer named Marfa interferes. Suddenly, Ivan enters and claims Emma for himself, causing a fight between father and son that is interrupted by Dosifei, who condemns their un-Christian behavior.

Act II: In his study, the progressive nobleman Prince Golitsyn has his fortune read by Marfa. When she tells him that he is destined to be overthrown, he tells her to leave and orders her to be killed. Prince Ivan barges in complaining that Golitsyn has been thwarting his plans. The two begin to fight and insult one another until Dosifei enters and criticizes both of them: Golitsyn for is modern leanings and Khovansky for his brutish behavior. As Marfa, who has been saved by the Tsar's guards, enters, Shaklovity appears and announces that the Tsar has received word of a staged rebellion and has ordered Khovansky to be arrested.

Act III: In the Streltsy Quarter, south of the Moscow River, Marfa sings of her love of Prince Andrey until Dosifei appears and tells her to pray for relief from her feelings. As they exit, Shaklovity enters, expressing his worry about the fate of Russia and praying for its protection from the Streltsy. He escapes before the Streltsy enter, singing a drinking song. A message arrives announcing that the Tsar's guard has teamed up with invading Hungarian troops and that they have defeated some of their comrades. Prince Ivan pleads for their forgiveness for this appalling loss.

Act IV: In a lavish room in his mansion, Prince Khovansky receives a warning by Golitsyn's servant that he is going to be attacked, but he ignores the message and continues to watch the dance of his servant girls. Shaklovity slips in and swiftly kills him, mocking the servants' song.

In the square in front of the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed (St. Basil's Cathedral), Golitsyn is led into exile as Dosifei laments the success of the Tsar. Marfa offers Andrey sanctuary with the Old Believers. As the Streltsy are led to their deaths, an agent arrives with a message from Tsar Peter, pardoning them.

Act V: The Old Believers have taken refuge in a forest hermitage, and Dosifei is both depressed and determined to make a stand. He asks his brethren to dress in white and light candles, preparing for a glorious, fiery protest. As they enter the monastery, Andrey sings of his lost love for Emma while Marfa reminds him of their love and her promise to stay with him in life or death. A funeral pyre is constructed and set ablaze as a trumpet signals the arrival of the Tsar's forces. At Dosifei's encouragement, the brethren sing a final hymn. As Tsar Peter's soldiers arrive, they submit themselves to the flames.

Run Time:

Approximately 4 hours and 10 minutes

Advisory:

Due to length, format, and some adult themes, recommended for teens and older.

Creative Team:

Composer, Librettist

Modest Mussorgsky