Dmitri Aleksandrovich Hvorostovsky (russian: Дми́трий Алекса́ндрович Хворосто́вский, ; 16 October 1962 – 22 November 2017) was a Russian operatic

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

Early life and education

Hvorostovsky was born in

Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Y ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...

during a time when the city was mostly closed to foreigners. An only child, he was raised mostly by his grandmother and a grandfather who, according to Dmitri, was a war veteran suffering from alcoholism. His father, an engineer, and his mother, a gynecologist, both had extremely time-consuming careers and were often only around on the weekends and holidays.

Career

Hvorostovsky came to international prominence in 1989 when he won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, beating local favourite

Bryn Terfel Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, (; born 9 November 1965) (known professionally as Bryn Terfel) is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and '' ...

in the final round. His performance included

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

's " Ombra mai fu" and "Per me giunto...O Carlo ascolta" from

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the ...

's ''

Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...

''. His operatic debut in the West was at the Nice Opera in

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

's '' The Queen of Spades'' (1989). In Italy, he made his debut at

La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (, "The Phoenix") is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especially in the 19th century, La Fenice bec ...

as Eugene Onegin, a success that sealed his reputation, and made his American operatic debut with the

Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria ...

(1993) in ''

La traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on '' La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his ow ...

''. In 1992, he made his debut at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal ...

at Covent Garden as Riccardo in Bellini's ''

I puritani ' (''The Puritans'') is an 1835 opera by Vincenzo Bellini. It was originally written in two acts and later changed to three acts on the advice of Gioachino Rossini, with whom the young composer had become friends. The music was set to a libretto ...

''. He subsequently sang at virtually every major opera house, including the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

(debut 1995), the

Berlin State Opera The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great ...

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

and the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...

. He was especially renowned for his portrayal of the title character in Tchaikovsky's ''

Eugene Onegin ''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Евгений Оне́гин, ромáн в стихáх, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ɐˈnʲeɡʲɪn, r=Yevgeniy Onegin, roman v stikhakh) is ...

''; ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described him as "born to play the role." In 2002, Hvorostovsky performed at the Russian Children's Welfare Society's major fund raiser, the "Petrushka Ball". He was an Honorary Director of the charity. A recital programme of new arrangements of songs from the World War II era, '' Where Are You My Brothers?'', was given in the spring of 2003 in front of an audience of 6,000 at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, and seen on Russian Television by over 90 million viewers. The same programme was performed with the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra for survivors of the

Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad (russian: links=no, translit=Blokada Leningrada, Блокада Ленинграда; german: links=no, Leningrader Blockade; ) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet city of ...

on 16 January 2004. In later years, Hvorostovsky's stage repertoire almost entirely consisted of Verdi operas such as ''

Un ballo in maschera ''Un ballo in maschera'' ''(A Masked Ball)'' is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, '' Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué''. Th ...

'', ''La traviata'' and '' Simon Boccanegra''. In 2009 he appeared in ''

Il trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...

'' in a David McVicar production at the Metropolitan Opera with

Sondra Radvanovsky Sondra Dee Radvanovsky (born 11 April 1969) is an American-Canadian soprano. Specializing in 19th-century Italian opera, Radvanovsky has been called one of the leading Verdi sopranos of her generation. Her signature roles include Elvira in ''Erna ...

Awards and honours

His highest awards in Russia include the Glinka State Prize in 1991 and the

People's Artist of Russia People's Artist of the Russian Federation (russian: Народный артист Российской Федерации, ''Narodnyy artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii''), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the Russian Federation, is an h ...

honorary title in 1995. in 2011 he was one of the recipients of the Opera News award at the Plaza in New York City for distinguished achievement.

Personal life

In 1989, Hvorostovsky married a ballerina, Svetlana. He adopted her daughter Maria, and they had two children, Daniel and Alexandra. They split up in 1999. His second wife was the Swiss soprano Florence Illi of French and Italian descent. They had two children, Nina and Maxim. In June 2015, Hvorostovsky announced that he had been diagnosed with a

brain tumour A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and second ...

and cancelled all his performances through August. Family representatives said that he would be treated at London's cancer hospital

Royal Marsden The Royal Marsden Hospital (RM) is a specialist cancer treatment hospital in London based in Kensington and Chelsea, next to the Royal Brompton Hospital, in Fulham Road with a second site in Belmont, close to Sutton Hospital, High Down and D ...

. In spite of his illness, Hvorostovsky returned to the stage at the Metropolitan Opera in September as Count di Luna in ''Il trovatore'' for a run of three performances opposite

Anna Netrebko Anna Yuryevna Netrebko (russian: Анна Юрьевна Нетребко; born 18 September 1971) is an Austrian operatic soprano with an active international career and performed prominently at the Salzburg Festival, Metropolitan Opera, Vienn ...

. He received strong reviews from both critics and audiences for his performance.

Death

Hvorostovsky died on 22 November 2017 in London of

brain cancer A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and second ...

, which had been diagnosed over two years earlier."Baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky dies aged 55"

Classic FM (UK) Classic FM (styled as CLASSIC M) is one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations and is owned and operated by Global. The station broadcasts classical music and was launched in 1992. Classic FM was the first national cl ...

, 22 November 2017

Recordings

Hvorostovsky made many CD recordings, first with

Valery Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (russian: Вале́рий Абиса́лович Ге́ргиев, ; os, Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери, Gergity Abisaly fyrt Valeri; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conductor and opera company d ...

for

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters is ...

and then with

Constantine Orbelian Constantine Garrievich Orbelian, Jr. ( hy, Կոնստանտին Օրբելյան, russian: Константин Гарриевич Орбелян, born San Francisco, 27 August 1956) is an American conductor and pianist of Armenian and Russian des ...

for

Delos The island of Delos (; el, Δήλος ; Attic: , Doric: ), near Mykonos, near the centre of the Cyclades archipelago, is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. The excavations in the island ar ...

, and a number of his performances were filmed. Recordings of complete operas with Dmitri Hvorostovsky, audio or audio-video, legitimately made (often for broadcast) but ''not necessarily legitimately released:'' * Bellini, ''

'', Domingo/Gruberová/Giordani/Hvorostovsky/Scandiuzzi, 1994, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera * Donizetti, ''La Favorite'', Queler/Larmore/Kunde/Hvorostovsky/Kowaljow, 2001, live in New York, House of Opera * Gounod, ''Faust'', Levine/Isokoski/Jepson/Alagna/Hvorostovsky/Pape, 2005, live in New York, Celestial Audio * Gounod, ''Faust'', Pidò/Gheorghiu/Losier/Grigòlo/Hvorostovsky/Pape, 2011, filmed in London* * Leoncavallo, ''Pagliacci'', Pappano/Gheorghiu/Domingo/Hvorostovsky/Ataneli, 2003, live in London, Premiere Opera * Mascagni, ''Cavalleria rusticana'', Bychkov/Norman/Giacomini/Hvorostovsky, 1990, Philips * Mozart, ''Le nozze di Figaro'', Harnoncourt/Kringlebotn/Röschmann/Graham/Hvorostovsky/Terfel, 1995, DVD filmed in Salzburg, House of Opera * Prokofiev, ''Voyna i mir (War and Peace)'',

Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (russian: Вале́рий Абиса́лович Ге́ргиев, ; os, Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери, Gergity Abisaly fyrt Valeri; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conductor and opera company d ...

/ Netrebko/Livengood/Balashov/Grigorian/Hvorostovsky/ Ramey/Cheek, 2 March 2002, live in New York, House of Opera * Rimsky-Korsakov, ''Tsarskaya nevesta (The Tsar's Bride)'', Gergiev/Shaguch/ Borodina/Akimov/Hvorostovsky, 1998, Philips * Tchaikovsky, '' Evgeny Onegin'', Bychkov/Focile/Borodina/Shicoff/Hvorostovsky/Anisimov, 1992, Philips * Tchaikovsky, ''Evgeny Onegin'', Bychkov/Focile/ Pecková/Shicoff/Hvorostovsky/Anisimov, 1992, DVD filmed in Paris, Premiere Opera * Tchaikovsky, ''Evgeny Onegin'', Gergiev/Fleming/ Zaremba/Vargas/Hvorostovsky/Aleksashkin, 2007, DVD filmed in New York, Decca; also available for streaming in HD at

Met Opera on Demand Metropolitan Opera Live in HD (also known as The Met: Live in HD) is a series of live opera performances transmitted in high-definition video via satellite from the Metropolitan Opera in New York City to select venues, primarily movie theaters, i ...

* Tchaikovsky, ''Evgeny Onegin'', Davis-A/Kuznetsova/Surguladze/ Lopardo/Hvorostovsky/Kowaljow, 2008, live in Chicago, Premiere Opera * Tchaikovsky, ''Iolanta'', Gergiev/ Gorchakova/Grigorian/Hvorostovsky/Aleksashkin, 1994, Philips * Tchaikovsky, ''

Pikovaya dama ''The Queen of Spades'' or ''Pique Dame'', Op. 68 (russian: Пиковая дама, ''Pikovaya dama'' , french: La Dame de Pique) is an opera in three acts (seven scenes) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's broth ...

'', Fedoseyev/Datsko/ Arkhipova/Tarashchenko/Hvorostovsky/Gritziuk, 1990, live in Moscow, MCA * Tchaikovsky, ''Pikovaya dama'', Gergiev/Shevchenko/Gorr/Steblianko/Hvorostovsky/ Leiferkus, 1991, live in Amsterdam, Live Opera Heaven * Tchaikovsky, ''Pikovaya dama'', Ozawa/ Freni/ Forrester/Atlantov/Hvorostovsky/Leiferkus, 1991, live in Boston, RCA * Tchaikovsky, ''Pikovaya dama'', Gergiev/Guleghina/ Rysanek/Grigorian/Hvorostovsky/Putilin, 1995, live in New York, Opera Lovers * Tchaikovsky, ''Pikovaya dama'', Gergiev/Gorchakova/ Söderström/Domingo/Hvorostovsky/Putilin, 1999, DVD filmed in New York, House of Opera; also available for streaming in SD at Met Opera on Demand * Tchaikovsky, ''Pikovaya dama'', Ozawa/Gorchakova/ Gorr/Domingo/Hvorostovsky/Leiferkus, 1999, live in Vienna, House of Opera * Tchaikovsky, ''Pikovaya dama'', Haitink/ Mattila/Barstow/Galusin/Hvorostovsky/Putilin, 2001, live in London, Celestial Audio * Verdi, ''

'', Noseda/Crider/Sala/Blythe/Licitra/Hvorostovsky, 2007, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''Un ballo in maschera'', Noseda/Brown/Sala/

Blythe The name Blythe ( or ) derives from Old English ''bliþe'' ("joyous, kind, cheerful, pleasant"; modern ''blithe''), and further back from Proto-Germanic ''*blithiz'' ("gentle, kind"). People *Blythe (given name), including a list of people named ...

/ Licitra/Hvorostovsky, 2008, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''Un ballo in maschera'', Luisi/ Radvanovsky/ Kim-K/Blythe/Álvarez-M/Hvorostovsky, 2012, video recorded live at the Met in New York, available for streaming in HD at Met Opera on Demand * Verdi, ''Un ballo in maschera'', Levine/Radvanovsky/Stober/Zajick/Beczala/Hvorostovsky, 2015, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''Don Carlos'', Haitink/Gorchakova/Borodina/Margison/Hvorostovsky/Scandiuzzi, 1996, Philips * Verdi, ''Don Carlos'', Gergiev/Villarroel/Zajick/Margison/Hvorostovsky/Ramey, 2002, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''Don Carlos'', Levine/Racette/Borodina/Botha/Hvorostovsky/Pape, 2006, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''Don Carlos'', Maazel/Frittoli/Smirnova/Vargas/Hvorostovsky/Furlanetto-F, 2013, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''Don Carlos'', Nézet-Séguin/ Frittoli/Gubanova/Lee-YH/Hvorostovsky/Furlanetto-F, 2015, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''

Ernani ''Ernani'' is an operatic ''dramma lirico'' in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the 1830 play ''Hernani'' by Victor Hugo. Verdi was commissioned by the Teatro La Fenice in Venice to write ...

'', Armiliato/Meade/de Biasio/Hvorostovsky/Furlanetto-F, 2012, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''Ernani'', Armiliato/Meade/Giordani/Hvorostovsky/Furlanetto-F, 2012, video recorded live at the Met in New York, available for streaming in HD at Met Opera on Demand * Verdi, ''

I masnadieri ''I masnadieri'' (''The Bandits'' or ''The Robbers'') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Andrea Maffei, based on the play ''Die Räuber'' by Friedrich von Schiller. As Verdi became more successful in Italy, he be ...

'', Downes/Delligatti/Farina/Hvorostovsky/Colombara, 1998, live at Baden-Baden, House of Opera * Verdi, ''I masnadieri'', Downes/Delligatti/Farina/Hvorostovsky/Pape, 2002, live in London* * Verdi, ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had co ...

'', Downes/Siurina/Villazón/Hvorostovsky, 2005, live in London, Premiere Opera * Verdi, ''Rigoletto'', Heras Casado/Lungu/Polenzani/Hvorostovsky, 2013, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''Rigoletto'', Heras Casado/Yoncheva/Polenzani/Hvorostovsky, 2013, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''Rigoletto'', Orbelian/Sierra/ Demuro/Hvorostovsky, 2016, Delos * Verdi, ''Simon Boccanegra'', Summers-P/Guryakova/Berti/Hvorostovsky/Aceto, 2006, live in Houston, Live Opera Heaven * Verdi, ''Simon Boccanegra'', Levine/Frittoli/de Biasio/Hvorostovsky/Furlanetto-F, 2011, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''Simon Boccanegra'', Levine/Frittoli/Vargas/Hvorostovsky/Furlanetto-F, 2011, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''Simon Boccanegra'', Orbelian/Frittoli/Secco/Hvorostovsky/Abdrazakov, 2014, Delos * Verdi, ''

'', Mehta/Te Kanawa/Kraus/Hvorostovsky, 1993, Philips * Verdi, ''La traviata'', Gergiev/Fleming/Vargas/Hvorostovsky, 2004, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''La traviata'', Maazel/Ciofi/Saccà/Hvorostovsky, 2004, DVD filmed in Venice, TDK * Verdi, ''La traviata'', Benini/Netrebko/

Kaufmann Kaufmann is a surname with many variants such as Kauffmann, Kaufman, and Kauffman. In German, the name means '' merchant''. It is the cognate of the English ''Chapman'' (which had a similar meaning in the Middle Ages, though it disappeared from ...

/Hvorostovsky, 2008, live in London, Celestial Audio * Verdi, ''La traviata'', Luisi/Dessay/Polenzani/Hvorostovsky, 2012, video recorded live at the Met in New York, available for streaming in HD at Met Opera on Demand * Verdi, ''

'', Rizzi/Villarroel/Naef/

Cura Cura or CURA may refer to: Music * ''Cura'' (album), 2018 Keys N Krates release * Cura (instrument), Turkish musical instrument Organizations * Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (CURA), Ohio State University * Institute on Culture, Rel ...

/Hvorostovsky, 2002, DVD filmed in London, Opus Arte * Verdi, ''Il trovatore'', Luisotti/Radvanovsky/Blythe/Berti/Hvorostovsky, 2009, live in San Francisco, Premiere Opera * Verdi, ''Il trovatore'', Noseda/Radvanovsky/ Zajick/Álvarez-M/Hvorostovsky, 2009, live in New York, Sirius * Verdi, ''Il trovatore'', Rizzi/Radvanovsky/Walewska/

Alagna Alagna ( Lombard: ''Làgna'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southwest of Milan and about west of Pavia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 876 and an area of . ...

/Hvorostovsky, 2009, live in London, Premiere Opera * Verdi, ''Il trovatore'', Armiliato/Radvanovsky/Zajick/Álvarez-M/Hvorostovsky, 2011, DVD filmed in New York, DG; also available for streaming in HD at Met Opera on Demand * Verdi, ''Il trovatore'', Armiliato/ Netrebko/Zajick/Lee-YH/Hvorostovsky, 2015, Oct 3, video recorded live at the Met in New York, available for streaming in HD at Met Opera on Demand, Hvorostovsky's last staged performance in that house ''asterisk'' = label unknown, or recording exists but has not been made commercially available

Light music

Hvorostovsky's interest in Russian and other light classical and traditional song led to several recordings including: * '' I Met You, My Love'' 2002 * '' Where Are You My Brothers?'' 2003 * ''Passione di Napoli'' 2001, Delos

References

External links

Hvorostovsky Foundation

Performances

Operabase Operabase is an online database of opera performances, opera houses and companies, and performers themselves as well as their agents. Found at operabase.com, it was created in 1996 by English software engineer and opera lover Mike Gibb.Edward Sc ...

Dmitri Hvorostovsky Virtual Archive

by Bruce Duffie, 23 September 1993 (at the time of his American Operatic debut in Chicago) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hvorostovsky, Dmitri 1962 births 2017 deaths Musicians from Krasnoyarsk Russian operatic baritones Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class Deaths from brain cancer in England People's Artists of Russia Österreichischer Kammersänger Russian National Music Award winners 20th-century Russian male opera singers 21st-century Russian male opera singers Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery