Dates

10-29 June 2025

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Main Stage

Running time

TBA

Tickets

From € 30

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Power and destruction

Child murder, devious monks and a tsar who falls victim to madness. In his grand choral opera, the Russian composer, Modest Mussorgsky deals with a theme that offers poignant parallels to today’s world: the extremes to which one man’s thirst for power can lead. The director Kirill Serebrennikov incorporates his own experiences in Russia in this highly topical production.

Power and destruction

Boris Godunov (1552–1605) accumulates power with firm determination. But the ghosts of the past catch up with him and he ends up dying mad, abandoned and betrayed by everyone. Meanwhile, the country sinks ever deeper into a mire of corruption, intrigue and coups.

Russia today

Kirill Serebrennikov, multi-talented and equally at home in the worlds of opera, theatre and film, previously surprised Amsterdam audiences with his unconventional interpretation of Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz. Now he returns to present his take on Mussorgsky’s opera about political turmoil and its consequences. In Serebrennikov’s production, parallels with modern-day Russia, which is dominated by high-stake political schemes at the cost of the country’s people, will be clearly drawn. 

Leading the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, acclaimed conductor Vasily Petrenko will make his debut with Dutch National Opera. Also at his disposal is the Chorus of Dutch National Opera in full force and a top-flight cast of singers. Leading bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny, celebrated for his ability to get into the skin of his characters both vocally and in his acting, will be singing Boris Godunov for the first time. 

In other roles, much-loved singers will be returning to Amsterdam, including mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis (previously Ježibaba in Rusalka) as Marina Mnishek, bass Dmitry Ulyanov (previously Prince Galitsky/Khan Konchak in Prince Igor) as Pimen and tenor Najmiddin Mavlyanov (previously Calaf in Turandot) as Grigory.

Performance information

Opera in four acts with prologue

Sung in Russian

Libretto  Based on Pushkin with modifications by Mussorgsky

Musical direction  Vasily Petrenko
Stage director and set designer  Kirill Serebrennikov
Co-director and choreographer  Evgeny Kulagin
Costume designer  Kirill Serebrennikov and Tanya Dolmatovskaya
Lighting designer  Sergey Kucher
Video designer  Yurii Karikh
Dramaturgy  Daniil Orlov

Boris Godunov  Tomasz Konieczny
Xenia  Inna Demenkova
Prince Vasili Ivanovich Shuisky  Ya-Chung Huang
Andrei Schelkalov  Dmitry Cheblykov
Pimen  Dmitry Ulyanov
Grigory  Najmiddin Mavlyanov
Marina Mnishek  Raehann Bryce-Davis
Rangoni  Gevorg Hakobyan
Varlaam  Shenyang

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Chorus of Dutch National Opera
Chorus master  Edward Ananian-Cooper

Nieuw Amsterdams Children’s Chorus (part of Nieuw Vocaal Amsterdam)

Ticket prices

Discover ticket prices for each price category by following the link below.

Ticket prices

We provide discounts tailored for certain groups to ensure our performances are accessible to all. Please visit this page to determine if you qualify for a discount.

Price
category

Standard

CJP | City Pass | 
Youth aged 16 and under

1st

€ 178,00

€ 163,00

2nd

€ 154,00

€ 136,00

3rd

€ 129,00

€ 111,00

4th

€ 98,00

€ 88,00

5th

€ 65,00

€ 57,00

6th

€ 30,00

€ 24,00

Dutch National Opera & Ballet uses a system of dynamic pricing. This means that tickets for popular performances may increase in price as the performance date approaches and more tickets are sold. All prices exclude the booking fee (€ 2 per ticket).

Student discount and student alert

Last-minute deal! When a performance isn’t sold out, students can purchase a ticket online for just € 19 on the day of the performance starting from 13:00.

To stay updated on more offers, sign up for our student alert. This way, you’ll be informed in advance about which performances you can attend for just € 19!

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Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is one of the world’s top orchestras. Ever since it was founded in 1888, the orchestra has worked with leading conductors and soloists. Klaus Mäkelä is the orchestra’s artistic partner and will become its chief conductor in 2027. The orchestra plays about eighty concerts a year in the Concertgebouw and forty in other prestigious venues. It also reaches audiences worldwide with its videos, streams and radio and TV broadcasts. 

Photo: Simon van Boxtel

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

The orchestra has a long tradition of collaboration with Dutch National Opera. Season 2023-2024, the orchestra can be heard in the new production The Shell Trial and in Fidelio, in season 2024-2025 in the new production of Boris Godunov.

The Academy of the Concertgebouw Orchestra trains talented young musicians; Concertgebouw Orchestra Young brings together talents aged 14 to 17 from all over Europe.

Partners Dutch National Opera Studio