Tag Archives: Dmitri Hvorostovsky

Simon Boccanegra – The Council Chamber Scene

Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra was first performed in 1857. It achieved a very modest success. Verdi thought about revising it for many years. With Arrigo Boito as his librettist, he finished a major overhaul of the work in 1881. Boito’s work on the revised libretto was a test drive for his suitability as Verdi’s collaborator on…


Read the full entry

Recording of the Week – Hvorostovsky as Rigoletto

Dmitri Hvorostovsky did not record the Verdi baritone’s summa, Rigoletto, until 2016 – a year after he was diagnosed with brain cancer. This recording was released by Delos near the end of last year shortly before the singer’s death. Rigoletto was not at the core of the great baritone’s repertoire. Of his 182 performances at…


Read the full entry

Dmitri Hvorostovsky – Arias and Duets

The great Russian baritone died on Nov 22, 2017, two and a half years after announcing that he was suffering from a brain tumor. He was born in 1962 and escaped a difficult environment by virtue of his singing ability. The Siberian singer was clearly the best Italian style baritone of his era. His voice…


Read the full entry

Dmitri Hvorostovsky – RIP

The great Russian baritone died yesterday at a hospice near London. He announced he had a brain tumor in 2105. Hvorostovsky made a surprise appearance at the Met Gala last May celebrating 50 years at its Lincoln Center House. The NY Times has a fine obituary here. A video of his last appearance at the…


Read the full entry

Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s 50th Birthday

The Russian baritone was born 50 years ago today in Krasnoyarsk Siberia. To mark the occasion here are some pictures of the singer taken by Robert Cahen. Here’s the baritone aria from Gounod’s Faust to complement the photos. Hvorostovsky – Avant de quitter ces lieux


Read the full entry