Dmitri Hvorostovsky, operatic baritone, has died from brain cancer at age 55. The operatic world mourns the premature loss of one of its greatest talents. Born in Siberia, Russia, Hvorostovsky would become one of the most in-demand operatic singers of his generation. He will be greatly missed.
The New York Times obituary notes some of his more endearing qualities: prodigious breath control, frosty-haired good looks, and vocal qualities that set him apart from other baritones. In addition to the standard roles for baritones, Hvorostovsky championed art songs by Russian composers and made concert appearances with the world's leading ladies. His Russian soprano counterpart, Anna Netrebko, was a frequent collaborator, as was American diva Renée Fleming.
In 2015, he returned to the Metropolitan Opera to perform in Il Trovatore after being treated for brain cancer. He was greeted by white roses tossed from the orchestra and cheers from the audience. Several fans caught the moment on cell phone:
His final performance at the Metropolitan Opera was a surprise appearance during the 50th Anniversary concert. Having lost his balance due to brain cancer, he could no longer perform operatic roles on stage, but his voice had not lost its epic power and expressiveness:
Bracken Library owns many of his performances in the Music Collection (CDs) and Educational Technology and Resources Collections (DVDs):
Art Songs & Opera Arias
Compact Disc 22919
Sonnets (Art Songs by Shostakovich and Liszt)
Compact Disc 22714
The Bells of Dawn: Russian Sacred and Folk Songs
Compact Disc 22614
In This Moonlit Night: Lieder (by Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky & Taneyev)Compact Disc 22613
Rachmaninov Romances
Compact Disc 21009
Pushkin Romances
Compact Disc 20697
Romances (by Tchaikovsky)
Compact Disc 18588
Heroes and Villains: Great Baritone Arias from Russian, French, Italian and German Operas
Compact Disc 21771Portrait
Compact Disc 18094
Russian Romances: Songs by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff
Compact Disc 13096
Kalinka (Russian folk songs)
Compact Disc 18100
Concerts
Netrebko and Hvorostovsky: Live from Red Square MoscowDVD Video 11397
To Russia With Love
DVD Video 5078
Dmitri Hvorostovsky, baryton, in concert
Renée Fleming & Dmitri Hvorostovsky: A Musical Odyssey in St. Petersburg
Mozart: Don Giovanni: "Don Giovanni / Leporello's Revenge" (Hvorostovsky sings both Leporello and Don Giovanni in this television production)
DVD Video 12643
Rimsky-Korsakov, The Tsar's Bride
Compact Disc 10006
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (St. Petersburg Chamber Choir and L'Orchestre de Paris, 1992)
Compact Disc 8450
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (Metropolitan Opera, 2007)
DVD Video 5489
Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame (Queen of Spades; Tanglewood Festival, 1991)
Compact Disc 3978Verdi: Opera Scenes (2008)
Compact Disc 20626
Verdi: La Traviata (Radiotelevisione Italiana, 2004)
DVD Video 10090
Verdi: Il Trovatore (Covent Garden, 2002)
DVD Video 11363
Verdi: Il Trovatore (Metropolitan Opera, 2011)
DVD Video 10522
