Modest Mussorgsky sought to create a national school of Russian music, free from western influences. His most notable work, Boris Godunov, was initially brutally rejected by the board of the Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg in 1871. However, it went on to become one of the most popular works in the Russian repertoire. On today's episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, lecturer Jane Marsh explores the history and highlights of this operatic work.