Boris Christoff as Boris Godunov

[@ОльгаГофман-о8у]

Поразительно как все сошлось в одном человеке - уникальные вокальные данные, фактура, актерский талант. Впервые услышала его голос у друзей, это была магнитофонная запись. Он исполнял произведения Чеснокова - "Да исправится молитва моя"... Жертва вечерняя...Я не знала кто это, но более красивого и проникновенного исполнения, я никогда не слышала.

[@panchetodorov5739]

Борис Христов е великолепния бас на 20 столетие и остава ненадминат и безсмъртен! Похвала за този великан на българската нация!

[@Beth29252]

An incredibly moving performance and Christoff is just magnificent. He shows a powerful voice with pianissimos that are as magical as when he is singing louder, and an outstanding acting ability. The boy playing the tsarovich deserves credit too, he responds very well to Christoff throughout. I own on video an outstanding documentary featuring the likes of Caruso, Chaliapin and Schipa and this scene featured with Christoff always stands out. Also hear his Ella gammai mammo, which is so poignant.

[@berserkur7]

Thank you so much for posting this! This is vintage Christoff at his best in one of his signature roles. Christoff had it all. A great voice, great musicality, great acting skills and a pianissimo to die for!

[@radames5855]

Avevo già visto questo video molti anni fa...è fantastico!!! Una prova di canto e recitazione sbalorditiva!!!!! Grande grande grande.

[@JeanetteNeagu]

I saw him in Chicago in the 1958 as Boris. The experience was overwhelming. I have never seen a Boris of that stature since and I have seen many, many Boris productions. He totally embodied the role. There was one Russian Boris I saw on film that had that same unique combination of singing and acting skills. He was Alexander Pirogov. I would have loved to see him in person. Jeanette

[@babsclark8572]

My all time favourite.

[@qklq42]

I saw this opera some 20 years ago in a very little town in the Neteherlands, called Doetinchem. Never heard of it ? Yet it was one of the finest opera-experiances I ever had. It was a performance of the Tartarian-opera-society. Never heard anything like this. My wife and me had one of the greatest evenings of our live.... Hans NL

[@doberman921]

What a perfomance ....absolute brilliant.

[@Rephrat]

i played this scene with him ! in concert form,in Rotterdam 1984[con. James Conlon]

[@cantorandopera]

Christoff's voice has a unique timbre. I find it compelling. He is a great artist and it is a shame that he hardly sang in the USA. The beauty of this clip (the audio) is unbearably touching. The acticing matches the vocalization so what you have here is perfection.

[@Johnny1206]

He´s so moving in this role ! i love his voice and his interpretations make me cry, always !

[@christinesanchez1726]

j'adore !!!! Merci beaucoup ! !!

[@francesca7564]

SPLENDIDE, GRAND ...

[@evewiemer]

Gänsehaut pur !!!

[@ShawDAMAN]

Wow. his soft singing before and around the 3:00 mark is exquisite.

[@ApostolMilenkov]

the GREATEST!!!

[@mradkova]

I agree completely with amilirco! How is it possible for somebody to call this perfection - an overacting?!! Godunov is dying, torn by remorses and deep pain; he is going completely mad, for God's sake. What kind of artistic measure dorje1975 is looking for.... No matter what kind of accent a Bulgarian performer has, when singing in Russian, this embodiment of Boris Christoff is a pure magic, a real Revelation to me!

[@CzarDodon]

So what we have is someone who does not appreciate a singer who is widely recognised as one of the finest singers of the twentieth century.... well that's their problem!

[@doberman921]

Applause....bravissima. !!!!!!!!

[@sorbino9]

Спасибо за обсуждения, я что-нибудь учил и не только новые русскые слова. Сейчас поеду смотреть a staging of the St Matthew Passion at Glyndebourne, наверно Вам было бы интересно.

[@SlavKulikov]

outstanding!

[@banker571]

Respect!

[@duefoscari]

Maybe Chaljapin was better or not. It doesn't matter to me. I love Chaljapin and I love Christoff too. This is a great peformance of a great role in a great opera. Thank you so much Mr. Christoff !

[@Blackair17]

he made me cry

[@straborn]

спасибо

[@dorje1975]

Вот я тут выложил ролик Йона Викерса в роли Фиделио: человек играет в полную мощь, так, что у тебя слёзы на глазах проступают. Но играет не только жизненно - красиво.

[@opera60]

The only real sucessor to Chaliapin,wish I could have seen him live!

[@sorbino9]

лучше чем Jerome Hines ;-) Вот и настоящий актер! For me this is the best Boris. I can only imagine that Chaliapin could challenge the power of this interpretation. Light years away from all the hamming going on in the other performances posted on KZbin.

[@Spiritakis]

I remember well the first time I saw that video. I was completely shocked by Boris' stage presence and his dramatic strength. But I can't say I found any overacting. Had it been another voice, perhaps such acting would have been inappropriate. But here it is a perfect supplement to an incomparable voice (and interpretation). And in my opinion the result is matchless. What I see is a complete immersion in the character of the dying tzar, tortured till death by remorse.

[@CzarDodon]

A Russian I once met said he sang wonderfully but with "a terrible Bulgarian accent", I can't tell. He certainly had a strong accent in Italian but that never got in the way of his interpretation and his singing is so refined. I find him superbe here. I would love to know what our friends are writing here in Russian or Bulgarian...in cyrillic, understanding the language they must have more insight

[@alfredbernasek6761]

TRAUMHAFT SCHÖN

[@amlirco]

Unikalnost kachestva net nedostatok. Uniqueness is a quality not a shortcoming.

[@sfkcbf]

Is it possible that the audience, farther away and not up close like the camera, would not see his acting as overdramatic? I read the opposite criticisms of Janowitz, the finest soprano I have heard; and the same, "too stiff", was said of Farinelli, perhaps the greatest voice of all.

[@dorje1975]

А тот же Шаляпин был категорически против отождествления певца со своим героем. И говорил дочери, что его метод прямо противоположен тому, чему учит Станиславский. Что надо использовать фантазию, а не отождествляться.

[@dorje1975]

А Хайнеса я тоже хвалил за вокал, а не за игру. Я его напару с Джозефом Шором считаю великими вокалистами, но отнюдь не артистами. Достаточно послушать "Лесной царь" в исполнении Хайнеса - а потом поставить Фишера-Дискау. :)

[@berserkur7]

WHAT???!!! What about Chaliapin. The greatest Boris of them all! He was Russian.

[@duefoscari]

This comment is far better than my own one would have been !

[@dorje1975]

Вокал прекрасен (хотя голосовой материал поменьше, чем у Хайнеса), игра ужасна. Мы с другом давние фэны Христова, и в своё время было серьёзным разочарованием - увидеть его видео. Переигрывает по-страшному. Я вот уверен, что у Шаляпина было всё в порядке с учвством меры.

[@sorbino9]

Hmmm, "unnatural", well maybe. But what he portrays is a man in an extremity of physical and psychological agony. That's not a pretty sight; watching a representation of near-madness should be a bit ugly in my opinion, if it is done truthfully. But I shall check out Yuri Vikersa, thanks for the tip. Но, первый раз что видел Христоф в этом видео у меня слёзы на глазах проступали тоже!

[@nbrakalova]

НЕНАДМИНАТО! UNSURPASSED!

[@dorje1975]

But his playing... Too much... :) I prefer to hear him without video. :)

[@ТодорТомов]

Тук думите не могат....!

[@amlirco]

Absolutely. This seems like some form of masochism: to post a video that evidently don't like. Or it was to show how badly sings Christoff... However, the poster is the only one that believes it's truth.

[@sorbino9]

I don't agree. Sure, the gestures are big but it's not overacting. He's completely in the role, in which he's dying, for heaven's sake, and overwhelmed with conflicting emotions! Maybe you'd prefer a method actor staring into the distance and twitching the corner of his mouth occasionally. Everything he does fits the words and the drama; if the raw, emotional connection here makes you uncomfortable then don't watch opera, take up stamp-collecting or something!

[@abracadabranque]

Peu convaincant.Pas assez intériorisé.Seuls les pianissimi sont comme toujours remarquables.Quelques très beaux accents rappelant ceux de Chaliapine mais débouchant souvent sur une surenchère pathétique.En somme,une interprétation manquant d'humilité pour paraître parfaitement sincère.

[@sorbino9]

Touché! But describing the performance as appalling "ужасно" struck me as pretty barbed too! Isn't using the imagination the same thing as identifying with the hero? And as for "artistic taste", that smacks of conservatism. How many great artists were criticized for breaking the boundaries of so-called taste? Rather Christoff than the restrained and boring, stock-gesturing performers such as Hines; it's him I can listen to but not watch!

[@amlirco]

As Bulgarian I could hardly give definitive point about his accent but I would never say it's terrible. This is a buster. Further, the poster of this video, dorje 1975, tries to make some verbal exercises on the interpretation and sense of measure of the immortal bass that is Christoff, mentioning among others words like dissapointing, awfully overacted, etc. Judge for yourself.

[@dorje1975]

Ой, как резко: не нравится - не слушайте оперу! Чисто русский максимализм. :) Да, Христов живёт в роли, не спорю. Если бы он не был талантливым, темпераментным артистом, то и голос не звучал бы так насыщенно и эмоционально. Но чувства меры, артистического вкуса у него, увы, нет.

[@dorje1975]

Что касается вкуса, то дело не в консервативности, а в естественном чувстве гармонии, соразмерности. То, что здесь делает Христов, неестественно и потому некрасиво.