A Life For The Tsar – Bolshoi Opera DVD – Alexander Lomonosov , Marina Mescheriakova

A 17th Century tale of how a peasant gave his life to save the Tsar for the Russian people. After the Russian Revolution the Communist regime renamed the opera Ivan Susanin after the main character and altered the libretto in order to emphasise how Susanin delivered Russia from attack from the Polish enemy. The original title and libretto have now been restored. In this production by The Bolshoi Opera filmed in 1992 Russian bass Egveny Nesterenko magnificently sings the dramatic role of Ivan Susanin the tragic hero who leads the Polish enemy on a false path in their search for the Tsar and so allowing the Tsar to escape. The cast also includes Marina Mescheriakova as Susanin’s daughter Antonida Alexander Lomonosov as her fiance Sobinin and Elena Zaremba as Susanin’s son Vanja. The conductor is Alexander Lazarev.