Editing Boris Godunov (opera) (section)

===''Boris Godunov'' and the Imperial Family===
The reports of the antipathy of the Imperial family to Mussorgsky's opera are supported by the following accounts by Platonova and Stasov:

{{blockquote|"During the [premiere], after the scene by the fountain, [[Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia|Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich]], a devoted friend of mine, but by the calumny of the [[Saint Petersburg Conservatory|Conservatory]] members, the sworn enemy of Musorgsky, approached me during the intermission with the following words: 'And you like this music so much that you chose this opera for a benefit performance?' 'I like it, Your Highness,' I answered. 'Then I am going to tell you that this is a shame to all Russia, and not an opera!' he screamed, almost foaming at the mouth, and then turning his back, he stomped away from me."<ref>Orlova (1991: p. 77)</ref>|[[Yuliya Platonova]], letter to Vladimir Stasov}}

{{blockquote|"In the entire audience, I think only Konstantin Nikolayevich was unhappy (he does not like our school, in general) ... it was not so much the fault of the music as that of the libretto, where the 'folk scenes,' the riot, the scene where the police officer beats the people with his stick so that they cry out begging Boris to accept the throne, and so forth, were jarring to some people and infuriated them. There was no end to applause and curtain calls."<ref>Orlova (1991: p. 171)</ref>|Vladimir Stasov, letter to his daughter, 1874}}

{{blockquote|"When the list of operas for the winter was presented to [[Alexander III of Russia|His Majesty the Emperor]], he, with his own hand, was pleased to strike out ''Boris'' with a wavy line in blue pencil."<ref>Emerson, Oldani (1994: p. 107)</ref>|Vladimir Stasov, letter to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, 1888}}