The libretto is based on the tragedy “Boris Godunov” by Alexander Pushkin, but the composer also used a number of historiographical articles and “The History of the Russian State” by Nikolay Karamzin. Mussorgsky completed the first edition of the opera in 1869 and the second, in 1872. The premiere of the opera took place on January 27, 1874, at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.
Living water, source of living water: this gives us possibility and power to be cleansed physically or spiritually. The myth about a living water that can heal, resurrect or grant immortality was common in beliefs and folklore of ancient peoples. But the Bible uses it in another sense. On the one hand, it is a real physical substance: the flowing water is living water that stays fresh and doesn't decompose. On the other hand, thanks to these qualities and as a material without which human existence is impossible, it gains a wide metaphorical meaning and becomes a symbol of highest spiritual values.
