One of those "old shore" moments was the large monastery bell in the scene in the monk's cell. Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov both use the gong. To Shostakovich, this was too elemental and simplistic to be effective dramatically, since this bell showed the atmosphere of the monk's estrangement. "When the bell tolls," Shostakovich reportedly told Solomon Volkov, "it's a reminder that there are powers mightier than man, that you can't escape the judgment of history." Therefore, Shostakovich reorchestrated the bell's tolling by the simultaneous playing of seven instruments—bass clarinet, double bassoon, French horns, gong, harps, piano, and double basses (at an octave). To Shostakovich, this combination of instruments sounded more like a real bell. Shostakovich admitted Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestration was more colorful than his own and used brighter timbres. However, he also felt that Rimsky-Korsakov chopped up the melodic lines too much and, by blending melody and subvoices, may have subverted much of Mussorgsky's intent. Shostakovich also felt that Rimsky-Korsakov did not use the orchestra flexibly enough to follow the characters' mood changes, instead making the orchestra calmer, more balanced. Igor Buketoff (1997) The American conductor Igor Buketoff created a version in which he removed most of Rimsky-Korsakov's additions and reorchestrations, and fleshed out some other parts of Mussorgsky's original orchestration. This version had its first performance in 1997 at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, under Valery Gergiev. Related works Antonín Dvořák: Opera, Dimitrij (1882) Sergei Prokofiev: Incidental music, Boris Godunov (1936) See also Boris Godunov discography References Notes Sources Abraham, G., Essays on Russian and East European Music, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985 Brown, D. Abraham, G., "Mikhail Glinka" and "Modest Musorgsky" in The New Grove: Russian Masters 1, New York: W. W. Norton & Co. (1986) Calvocoressi, M.D., Abraham, G., Mussorgsky, 'Master Musicians' Series, London: J.M.Dent & Sons, Ltd., 1974 Calvocoressi, M.D., Modest Mussorgsky: His Life and Works, London: Rockliff, 1956 Emerson, C., Mussorgsky's Libretti on Historical Themes: From the Two Borises to Khovanshchina, in Reading Opera, eds. Groos, A. & Parker, R., Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1988 Emerson, C., and Oldani, R. W., Modest Musorgsky and Boris Godunov: Myths, Realities, Reconsiderations, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994 Lloyd-Jones, D., Boris Godunov: The Facts and the Problems, Oxford University Press, 1975 (reprinted in the notes to Philips CD 412 281–2) Lloyd-Jones, D., Interview: A Discussion with David Lloyd-Jones on The Sir Arnold Bax Website, 2002 (Accessed 1 March 2009) Maes, Francis, tr.