Bryn Terfel and Antonio Pappano on what makes Boris Godunov a masterpiece (The Royal Opera) 

This short film featuring interviews with Bryn Terfel, who sings the title role in the Russian opera, and Music Director of The Royal Opera House Antonio Pappano. The film also shows footage of the opera in rehearsal, with Susanna Stranders accompanying on the piano. Find out more: www.roh.org.uk/....
The psychological acuity with which he depicts the tsar’s power and vulnerability makes great demands on the singer-actor, nowhere more so than in the acclaimed soliloquy ‘I have attained the highest power’. Musorgsky’s subtle handling of different genres results in a particularly crucial role for the chorus as the Russian people, from their manipulation at Boris’s coronation to their credulous enthusiasm for the Pretender. The opera’s highly individualistic approach to drama and declamation, and the towering central role for the title character, have ensured its position as one of the great works in the repertory.