Bryn Terfel Stars in Boris Godunov at The Royal Opera
Richard Jones’ stark production of Mussorgsky’s opera marks its tenth anniversary at Covent Garden.
Boris Godunov is back on the main stage at The Royal Opera this January, with Sir Bryn Terfel reprising the title role in Richard Jones’ uncompromising production. The revival runs from 29 January to 18 February 2026.
First staged in 2016, Jones’ interpretation pares the opera down to its psychological core. Mussorgsky’s drama follows the final years of Tsar Boris Godunov, a ruler haunted by guilt after the murder of the young heir Dmitry, and slowly undone by paranoia, power and public pressure.
Terfel leads the cast as Boris, a role he has made his own over the past decade. He is joined by Adam Palka as the monk Pimen, Andrii Kymach as Andrei Shchelkalov, Jamez McCorkle as Grigory Otrepiev, John Daszak as Prince Shuisky, Alexander Roslavets as Varlaam and Alasdair Elliott as Missail.
The production is conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, who leads the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus in Mussorgsky’s original 1869 score. Sung in Russian with English surtitles, Boris Godunov remains one of opera’s most searching studies of leadership, ambition and moral collapse.
Boris Godunov, The Royal Opera ©2019 ROH. Photographed by Clive Barda
Cast highlights:
Boris Godunov – Bryn Terfel
Pimen – Adam Palka
Andrei Shchelkalov – Andrii Kymach
Grigory Otrepiev – Jamez McCorkle
Prince Shuisky – John Daszak
Production: Boris Godunov
Venue: The Royal Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Dates: 29 January – 18 February 2026
Stage: Main Stage
Language: Sung in Russian with English surtitles
Tickets: From £12, available at rbo.org.uk
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
