The Baltic Sea Festival 2024 opens with Mussorgsky’s opera Khovanshchina. It is the story of a turbulent time in Russian history, based on real events not unlike what goes on in Russia today: lethal political infighting and power struggles. Power hungry revolutionaries are eliminated, one by one, until a winning hegemon emerges, later known as Peter the Great. Mussorgsky’s magnificent music is performed by soloists, a large choir, and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. The evening begins with an introduction by the opera’s director, Gerard McBurney.