Boris Godunov-Rejection and Revision

Musorgsky finished writing Boris Godunov in 1869 and submitted it to the Imperial Theater in St. Petersburg. It was rejected solely due to the lack of a prima donna role. The couldn't do an opera without a female role in it. Musorgksy was told that if he could insert one scene with a female character, performance of Boris would be assured.
Musorgsky began work on the revision immediately. However, he went far beyond adding the one scene required. A complete over haul of the opera commenced, including an entire new act (two scenes) featuring the new Polish princess Marina Mniszech, a new scene in the final act, and one of the old final act scenes being cut right out. In addition to all this, the music was revised thoroughly, to bring more of a serious and tragic feel to the opera. These extra revisions likely were motivated by reception of the work at a private performance of the original Boris at the home of Vladimir Stasov. It seems that Musorgsky's own friends could not come to a consensus as to whether it was meant as a comedy or a tragedy. It seems that the opéra dialogué style, a distinct feature of the original Boris, was more suited to a comedic style (like The Marraige) than a serious work. So Musorgsky took a much more melodic and emotional approach to his revision, undoubtedly creating the intended serious tone.
The opera was re-submitted to the theater committee in 1872, and after some delay was accepted and performed and published in 1874.