The rotating lights atop the London Coliseum, home of English National Opera. Photo courtesy ENO

Boris Godunov - English National Opera

When: 10 Nov 2008 (various dates)

Where: London Coliseum

Opening Hours: 7.30pm; 15 & 29 Nov 6.30pm

Director Tim Albery and English National Opera's music director Edward Gardner team up for this new production of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov at the London Coliseum, with Peter Rose in the title role.

For many, the quintessential Russian opera Boris Godunov tells the tale of Boris' coronation as Tsar of Russia (autumn 1598) in front of the Kremlin in Moscow and the troubled aftermath.

Godunov's place on the throne was not through direct lineage, but his sister had been the wife of the previous Tsar, Fyodor, who had produced no heir. In any case, Godunov had been the power behind the throne for over a decade. Yet, Pushkin (Mussorgsky's source) followed Karamzin's History of the Russian State in making Boris the holder of a guilty secret, that seven years earlier he had had the only other potential claimant to the throne - young Prince Dmitry - murdered. The opera follows the unfolding tragedy when a pretender claims to be Dmitry.

There are three versions of the opera. After Mussorgsky's original (1869) seven-scene scheme was rejected by the censors, it was only with his expanded second version (1872) that the opera was staged (although withdrawn after 25 performances). The opera eventually became known in Rimsky-Korsakov's well-meaning but bastardised versions of 1896 and then 1908 and only very recently has fashion sought out Mussorgsky's originals. Tim Albery has chosen the 1869 version, sung in David Lloyd-Jones' translation.

Alongside Peter Rose, who sings the title role for the first time, are John Graham-Hall (Prince Shuisky), David Stephenson (Andrei Shchelkalov), Brindley Sherrat (Pimen), Jonathan Veira (Variaam), Charles Johnston (Nikitch) and Robert Murray (the Simpleton).

With Edward Gardner now into his second season as music director, English National Opera has once again got into its musical stride, balancing popular and innovative productions that, this season, range from Handel to John Adams.