In the years between 1682 and 1687, Moscow becomes the scene of political chaos, in which Peter the Great finally takes power and is appointed the new tsar. The most diverse parties fight brutal battles for the throne: fanatical sectarians, so-called "Old Believers," the Strelitzes, the historical bodyguard of the tsars, anarchist lone wolves and convinced supporters of Peter.
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Staatsoper unter den Linden - Innenansicht
The real protagonist of the opera, however, is the people. In the draft for his five-act opera "Khovanshchina" ("The Khovansky Affair"), Modest Mussorgsky was not interested in retracing political events in detail, but in depicting "the past in the present" in a massive collage of historical documents - a kind of meditation on history using the means of opera. The plan became virulent when the 200th anniversary celebrations in honor of Peter the Great took place in 1872. The controversial question of the shape of modern Russia was ignited by this ruler figure.
