From the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Mussorgsky's brooding historical opera in its original four-act version is the first of three Proms concerts this weekend from Valeri Gergiev and his forces from St Petersburg. Based on Pushkin's version of events in Russia, the music portrays the paranoia of Boris Godunov after he is elected Tsar, and the scheming of his enemies. Presented by Donald Macleod.

Mussorgsky Boris Godunov
Kirov Opera Chorus and Orchestra, conductor Valeri Gergiev Parts 1 and 2

8.30 Twenty Minutes: Boris Godunov and the Story of Uglich
Lesley Chamberlain tells the story of the bad bell of Uglich, the Russian town where a murder in May 1591 cast a deep shadow over the life and career of Boris Godunov.
The bell that rang out after the killing was itself exiled to Siberia until 1892.

8.50 Parts 3 and 4