Ti prav, Borya!!

I never really credited the management of the Kiev Opera House for their satirical wit, but they played a blinder by staging Mussorgsky's ''Boris Godunov'' on the evening of the Ukrainian election weekend.

True, the production was unable to to feature Chaliapin (left) in the title role - but what a spot-on opening! The impoverished, starving and freezing people are beaten by knout-wielding policemen into the centre of the city to 'beg' Boris to please be their tsar. Admittedly the Orange Revolution by comparison was fully voluntary. But sure enough by the end of the opera the people are heartily sick of Victor, er, I mean Boris, and would rather have any old pretender in his place.

Historical note: after the death of Boris in 1605 , his son Fyodor was murdered after a brief reign to be succeeded by the pretender Dmitry. In less than a year, Dmitry himself was murdered and succeeded by Boris's courtier Prince Shuisky under the name of Vasily IV. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.