Dmitri Hvorostovsky

**Dmitri Aleksandrovich Hvorostovsky** (Russian: Дми́трий Алекса́ндрович Хворосто́вский, pronounced [xvərɐˈstofskʲɪj]; 16 October 1962 – 22 November 2017) was a Russian operatic baritone.

## Early life and education

Hvorostovsky was born in Krasnoyarsk in Siberia 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. He studied at the Krasnoyarsk School of Arts under Yekaterina Yofel [ru], who, in turn, was brought up by M.N. Rioli-Slovtsova – wife of an outstanding Russian tenor P.I. Slovtsov and made his debut at Krasnoyarsk Opera House, in the role of Marullo in *Rigoletto*.

## Career

Hvorostovsky came to international prominence in 1989 when he won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, beating local favourite Bryn Terfel in the final round. His performance included Handel's "Ombra mai fu" and "Per me giunto...O Carlo ascolta" from Verdi's *Don Carlos*. His international concert recitals began immediately (London debut, 1989; New York 1990).

His operatic debut in the West was at the Nice Opera in Tchaikovsky's *The Queen of Spades* (1989). In Italy, he made his debut at La Fenice as Eugene Onegin, a success that sealed his reputation, and made his American operatic debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago (1993) in *La traviata*. In 1992, he made his debut at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden as Riccardo in Bellini's *I puritani*.

He subsequently sang at virtually every major opera house, including the Metropolitan Opera (debut 1995), the Berlin State Opera, La Scala and the Vienna State Opera. He was especially renowned for his portrayal of the title character in Tchaikovsky's *Eugene Onegin*; *The New York Times* 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 tall man with a striking head of prematurely silver hair, Hvorostovsky achieved international acclaim as an opera performer as well as a concert artist. He was one of *People* magazine's 50 most beautiful people, a rare occurrence for a classical musician. His high, medium-weight voice had the typical liquid timbre of Russian baritones.

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 on 16 January 2004.

In later years, Hvorostovsky's stage repertoire almost entirely consisted of Verdi operas such as *Un ballo in maschera*, *La traviata* and *Simon Boccanegra*. In 2009 he appeared in *Il trovatore* in a David McVicar production at the Metropolitan Opera with Sondra Radvanovsky.

## Awards

Hvorostovsky won First Prizes at both the Glinka Vocal Competition in 1987 and the Toulouse Singing Competition in 1988. Winning the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 1989 brought him international prominence.

His highest awards in Russia include the Glinka State Prize in 1991 and the People's Artist of Russia honorary title in 1995.

## 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. They had two children, Nina and Maxim.

In June 2015, Hvorostovsky announced that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour and cancelled all his performances through August. Family representatives said that he would be treated at London's cancer hospital Royal Marsden. 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. He received strong reviews from both critics and audiences for his performance.

## Death

Hvorostovsky died on 22 November 2017 in London of brain cancer, which had been diagnosed over two years earlier. A service was held in Moscow on 27 November. Hvorostovsky was cremated and some of his ashes were buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, and the rest in his hometown of Krasnoyarsk.

## Recordings

Hvorostovsky made many CD recordings, first with Valery Gergiev for Philips and then with Constantine Orbelian for Delos, 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, *I puritani*, Domingo/Gruberová/Giordani/Hvorostovsky/Scandiuzzi, 1994, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera
* Lieb, *Elmo Saves Christmas*, Mattila/Pulley/Hvorostovsky/Depp, 1996, DVD filmed in New York, Decca; also available for streaming in HD at Met Opera on Demand
* 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/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
* 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*, 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, *Un ballo in maschera*, Noseda/Crider/Sala/Blythe/Licitra/Hvorostovsky, 2007, live in New York, Sirius
* Verdi, *Un ballo in maschera*, Noseda/Brown/Sala/Blythe/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*, 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*, 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*, 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, *La traviata*, 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/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, *Il trovatore*, Rizzi/Villarroel/Naef/Cura/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/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)