Boris Goldovsky; Noted Opera Commentator

Boris Goldovsky, an opera teacher and conductor known to radio listeners for his commentary on Saturday afternoon broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera, has died.

Goldovsky died Feb. 15 at his home in Brookline, Mass. He was 92 and had been in ill health.

For nearly half a century, Goldovsky explained meanings and backgrounds of Metropolitan Opera productions. Speaking between acts to a radio audience, Goldovsky also interviewed performers, answered opera trivia and played excerpts of opera scores on the piano.

Goldovsky also was an early proponent of translating operas into English so audiences might better understand them, which angered purists opposed to what has now become standard practice.

“He felt that audiences, in order to enjoy the dramatic aspect, had to understand what was going on,” said his nephew, Thomas Wolf. “He was maligned for that.”

But Wolf added, “He got the last laugh when the Met put translations on the back of seats.”

Born in Moscow, Goldovsky’s mother was noted violinist Lea Luboshutz and his uncle was pianist Pierre Luboshutz. A prominent pianist, Goldovsky made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic at 13.

After graduating from the Lizst Academy in Budapest, Goldovsky moved to Philadelphia in 1930, where he studied and taught at the Curtis Institute of Music.

After working with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Institute of Music in the 1930s, Goldovsky joined the staff of the New England Conservatory of Music in 1942.

He later founded the New England Opera Theater, later known as the Goldovsky Opera Theater.

He wrote several books, including “Accents on Opera,” “Bringing Opera to Life” and “My Road to Opera.”

He is survived by his wife, Margaret Goldovsky; a daughter, Marina Stefenescu of New York; a sister, Irene Wolf of Philadelphia; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.