THE TSAR'S BRIDE Simonov (Bolshoi 1983) (DVD)

Composed in 1898, The Tsar's Bride was Rimsky-Korsakov’s tenth opera. Based on the true story of an ill-fated peasant bride of Tsar Ivan (Ivan the Terrible), the opera was composed in a traditional musical style, filled with lush “cantilena” melodies, intended by the composer as a response to the ubiquitous influence of Wagner. This 1983 Bolshoi Opera production features a magnificent cast under the direction of Yuri Simonov. Sung in Russian, with optional subtitles in English, French, and Russian.
Color, 158 minutes, 4:3, All regions

THE TSAR'S BRIDE
Opera in Four Acts
Music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Libretto by Il’ya Tyumenev, after the play by Lev Mey

Cast:
Vasiliy Stepanovich Sobakin - Alexander Vedernikov
Marfa - Lydia Kovaleva
Grigory Gryaznoy - Yuri Grigoriev
Malyuta Skuratov - Boris Morozov
Ivan Sergeyevich Likov - Evgeny Shapin
Lyubasha - Nina Terentieva
Yelisey Bomelius, the Tsar’s Physician - Konstantin Pustovoi
Domna Ivanovna Saburova, a merchant woman - Larissa Yurchenko
Dunyasha, her daughter, and Marfa's girlfriend - Marina Shutova
Petrovna, the Sobakins' Housekeeper - Nina Grigorieva
The Tsar's Stoker - Vladislav Pashinsky
A Maiden - Nina Larionova
A Young Lad - Nikolai Vasiliev

Orchestra and Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre
Yuri Simonov, conductor
Live performance, 1983

Stage Director: Oleg Moralev
Production Design: Fedor Fedorovsky and Nonna Fedorovskaya
Director for Television: Alexander Barannikov