Composer of the Week - Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839-1881) - Episode 4

Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Modest Mussorgsky. He concentrates on two works from Mussorgsky's last decade - his final song cycle, Songs and Dances of Death, in which the grim reaper visits a varied cast of human characters in a variety of guises, always with the same end result; and his opera Khovanshchina, left unfinished at his own death in 1881. Songs and Dances of Death (1875-7) Aage Haugland (bass) Paul Rosenbaum (piano) Point PCD 5088 Trs 1-4 Joshua - also known as Jesus Navin (1874-7) Elena Zaremba (mezzo-soprano) Berlin Philharmonic Prague Philharmonic Chorus Claudio Abbado (conductor) DG 445 238-2 Tr 5 Khovanschina (1872-80) - Act 4, Sc 1 (live recording) Ivan Khovansky ...... Aage Haugland A Confidant of Golitsyn ...... Bojidar Nikolov Shaklovity ...... Anatolij Kotscherga Concert Chorus of the Vienna State Opera Slovak Philharmonic Choir, Bratislava Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera Claudio Abbado (conductor) DG 429 758-2, CD 3 Trs 1-3 Khovanschina - close of Act 5 (live recording) Dosifei ...... Paata Burchuladze Andrei Khovansky ...... Vladimir Atlantov Marfa ...... Marjana Lipovsek Concert Chorus of the Vienna State Opera Slovak Philharmonic Choir, Bratislava Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera Claudio Abbado (conductor) DG 429 758-2 CD 3 Trs 9, 10.