★★★★☆ Richard Jones’ eccentric extras focus on Terfel’s tortured Tsar.

Odeon Cinema, Covent Garden, London
March 21, 2016

Australian cinema or opera fans who want to witness an outstanding performance from Bryn Terfel should grab tickets while they can. This is a Boris of Shakespearean proportions with some wonderful singing and masterful acting from Terfel.

The Royal Opera House presents us with Mussorgsky’s original 1889 version of the opera which feels somewhat pared down in contrast to the more flamboyant later rendering enhanced by Rimsky-Korsakov. The original is a more intimate piece and Richard Jones’ production, lean and mean in its approach, helps us focus on the power politics, guilt and madness. This is a drama of personal conscience and it is the inward turmoil of Boris himself that grabs our attention. Be warned, it also plays for just over two hours without an interval.

I wish I could be as enthusiastic about other aspects of the production. Terfel approaches the role in a naturalistic way, however, he is often surrounded by somewhat grotesque figures, especially his fellow Boyars and a Prince Shuisky who brings a touch of comedy more suited...