Nikolai Gassiev

Stephen Wadsworth’s production of Mussorgsky’s epic masterpiece brilliantly captures the suffering and ambition of the Russian people at a critical time in their nation’s history. René Pape is riveting as the Tsar of the title, giving a commanding and charismatic performance of one of the greatest bass roles in the repertoire—his Boris is dominating, tortured, flawed and utterly unforgettable. The extraordinary cast and the Met Orchestra and Chorus are led by Russian maestro Valery Gergiev, the foremost Mussorgsky interpreter of our time.

The sweeping saga of Alexander Borodin's "Prince Igor" springs to life with the talents of the Kirov Opera and Ballet in this memorable 1998 staging recorded live at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Nikolai Putilin assumes the role of the titular 12th-century royal, who is captured by the Polovtsian nomad Khan Konchak (Vladimir Vaneev) and later escapes, only to see his son fall in love with Konchak's daughter.

Valery Gergiev directs the Kirov Opera and Ballet in this dramatic staging of Tchaikovsky's rarely performed historical opera, based on Pushkin's verse tale of the legendary Cossack chieftain.

A 1998 production staring Anna Netrebko, Larissa Diadkova, Nikolai Gassiev, Aleksander Gergalov in this Kirov Opera & Ballet production of the Prokofiev opera, with Valery Gergiev conducting.