Composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky Librettist Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky Based On the historical tragedy by Alexander Pushkin and "History of the Russian State" by Nikolai Karamzin Company San Francisco Opera Association Location San Francisco, CA Venue War Memorial Opera House Season 1953 Language Italian Creative/Crew Conductor Tullio Serafin Stage Director(s) Armando Agnini Chorus Director Kurt Herbert Adler Settings designed by Armando Agnini Settings painted by Eugene Dunkel Cast Boris Godunov, Regent of Russia Nicola Rossi-Lemeni Teodoro, his son -- Fyodor Yvonne Chauveau Xenia, his daughter Lois Hartzell Nurse June Wilkins Shuisky Alessio De Paolis Shchelkalov George Cehanovsky Brother Pimen Lorenzo Alvary Dimitri Brian Sullivan Marina Giulietta Simionato Rangoni Cesare Bardelli Varlaam Salvatore Baccaloni Missail Caesar Curzi Innkeeper Janice Moudry Simpleton Lawrence Mason Police Officer Jan Gbur Frontier Guard Desire Ligeti Boyar in Waiting Virginio Assandri Lavitsky Jan Gbur Cherniakovsky George Cehanovsky Boyar Harold White Peasant Sybil Louise Knapp Eloise Farrell Paul Guenter Edward Novi Marina's Lady-in-waiting Sharon Currier Ruth Roehr Annabell Thomson Donna Petersen Solo Dancer(s) Gordon Paxman Show Dates Tue, Sep 29 1953, 8pm Sun, Oct 4 1953, 2pm Time and Place About 1600; Moscow and Lithuanian Frontier Scenes Part I, Scene 1 -- Outside the Novodievichy Monastery near Moscow Scene 2 -- Cathedral Square, Moscow Scene 3 -- Lonely Cell in Monastery of the Miracle at Night, six years later Scene 4 -- Inn on the Lithuanian Frontier Part II, Scene 5 -- Tsar's Apartment in the Kremlin Scene 6 -- Park of Marina's Palace, Poland Part III, Scene 7 -- Forest of Kromy near Moscow Scene 8 -- Duma in the Kremlin Media Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Paul Tracey/San Francisco Opera. Brian Sullivan (Dimitri) Credit Paul Tracey Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Paul Tracey/San Francisco Opera. Giulietta Simionato (Marina) Credit Paul Tracey Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Paul Tracey/San Francisco Opera. Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (Boris) Credit Paul Tracey Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Paul Tracey/San Francisco Opera. Virginio Assandri (Boyar) Credit Paul Tracey Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Skelton Studios/San Francisco Opera. Jan Gbur (Police Officer), Salvatore Baccaloni (Varlaam) Credit Skelton Studios Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Skelton Studios/San Francisco Opera. Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (Boris) Credit Skelton Studios Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Skelton Studios/San Francisco Opera. Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (Boris) Credit Skelton Studios Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Skelton Studios/San Francisco Opera. Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (Boris), Lois Hartzell (Xenia) Credit Skelton Studios Document SFO_PUB_01_SFO_1953_05_compressed.pdf (8.12 MB) Notes To access the full production program, click the PDF link above. --------------------- The Company General Director Gaetano Merola died on August 20th, while conducting Butterfly's "Un bel dì" in San Francisco's Stern Grove. The entire 1953 season was labeled "Gaetano Merola, 1879-1953 -- In Memoriam." Boys selected from the San Francisco Boys Chorus Dancers San Francisco Opera Corps de Ballet
Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Paul Tracey/San Francisco Opera. Brian Sullivan (Dimitri) Credit Paul Tracey
Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Paul Tracey/San Francisco Opera. Giulietta Simionato (Marina) Credit Paul Tracey
Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Paul Tracey/San Francisco Opera. Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (Boris) Credit Paul Tracey
Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Paul Tracey/San Francisco Opera. Virginio Assandri (Boyar) Credit Paul Tracey
Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Skelton Studios/San Francisco Opera. Jan Gbur (Police Officer), Salvatore Baccaloni (Varlaam) Credit Skelton Studios
Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Skelton Studios/San Francisco Opera. Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (Boris) Credit Skelton Studios
Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Skelton Studios/San Francisco Opera. Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (Boris) Credit Skelton Studios
Image Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky. San Francisco Opera, 1953. Photographer: Skelton Studios/San Francisco Opera. Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (Boris), Lois Hartzell (Xenia) Credit Skelton Studios