Dmitri Aleksandrovich Hvorostovsky (Russian: Дми́трий Алекса́ндрович Хворосто́вский, pronounced [xvərɐˈstofskʲɪj]; October 16, 1962 – November 22, 2017) was a Russian opera singer who performed in the baritone range.

Early life and education

Hvorostovsky was born in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. At that time, the city was mostly closed to foreigners. He was an only child. His grandmother and grandfather raised him. His grandfather was a war veteran who had alcoholism, according to Dmitri. His father was an engineer, and his mother was a gynecologist. Both parents had careers that required a lot of time, so they were often only around on weekends and holidays.

Career

In 1989, Hvorostovsky gained international fame after winning the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. He defeated a popular favorite, 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 first Western operatic performance 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 role that helped establish his reputation. He also performed his first American opera role with the Lyric Opera of Chicago (1993) in La traviata. In 1992, he appeared at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden as Riccardo in Bellini's I puritani.

Later, Hvorostovsky performed at nearly every major opera house, including the Metropolitan Opera (debut 1995), the Berlin State Opera, La Scala, and the Vienna State Opera. He was especially known for his performance as the main character in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. The New York Times called him "born to play the role."

In 2002, Hvorostovsky performed at the Russian Children's Welfare Society's "Petrushka Ball," a major fundraising event. He was an Honorary Director of the charity.

In 2003, he performed a recital featuring new arrangements of World War II-era songs titled Where Are You My Brothers? The concert was held at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, drawing an audience of 6,000 people. It was also broadcast on Russian television, reaching over 90 million viewers. The same program was later performed with the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra for survivors of the Siege of Leningrad on January 16, 2004.

In later years, Hvorostovsky focused mostly on Verdi operas, including Un ballo in maschera, La traviata, and Simon Boccanegra. In 2009, he performed in Il trovatore at the Metropolitan Opera in a production by David McVicar, alongside Sondra Radvanovsky.

Awards and honours

His most important awards in Russia include the Glinka State Prize in 1991 and the People's Artist of Russia special title in 1995. In 2011, he was one of the people who received the Opera News award at the Plaza in New York City for outstanding work.

Personal life

In 1989, Hvorostovsky married a ballerina named Svetlana. He adopted her daughter, Maria (also known as Mascha), and they had two children together, Daniel and Alexandra. They divorced in 1999. His second wife was a Swiss soprano named Florence Illi, who had French and Italian heritage. They had two children, Nina and Maxim.

In June 2015, Hvorostovsky announced he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and cancelled all his performances until August. Family members said he would receive treatment at London's Royal Marsden Hospital. Despite his illness, Hvorostovsky returned to the stage in September at the Metropolitan Opera as Count di Luna in Il trovatore for three performances alongside Anna Netrebko. Critics and audiences praised his performance. His ex-wife, Svetlana Hvorostovsky, born in 1959, died from meningitis in 2015 at the age of 56.

Recordings

Dmitri Hvorostovsky recorded many CDs, first with Valery Gergiev for Philips and later with Constantine Orbelian for Delos. Many of his performances were also filmed. Official recordings of complete operas featuring Hvorostovsky, made for broadcasts but not always released commercially, include:

• Bellini, I Puritani, 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, War and Peace, Gergiev/Netrebko/Livengood/Balashov/Grigorian/Hvorostovsky/Ramey/Cheek, 2002, live in New York, House of Opera
• Rimsky-Korsakov, The Tsar’s Bride, Gergiev/Shaguch/Borodina/Akimov/Hvorostovsky, 1998, Philips
• Tchaikovsky, Eugene Onegin, Bychkov/Focile/Borodina/Shicoff/Hvorostovsky/Anisimov, 1992, Philips
• Tchaikovsky, Eugene Onegin, Bychkov/Focile/Pecková/Shicoff/Hvorostovsky/Anisimov, 1992, DVD filmed in Paris, Premiere Opera
• Tchaikovsky, Eugene 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, Eugene Onegin, Davis-A/Kuznetsova/Surguladze/Lopardo/Hvorostovsky/Kowaljow, 2008, live in Chicago, Premiere Opera
• Tchaikovsky, Iolanta, Gergiev/Gorchakova/Grigorian/Hvorostovsky/Aleksashkin, 1994, Philips
• Tchaikovsky, The Queen of Spades, Fedoseyev/Datsko/Arkhipova/Tarashchenko/Hvorostovsky/Gritziuk, 1990, live in Moscow, MCA
• Tchaikovsky, The Queen of Spades, Gergiev/Shevchenko/Gorr/Steblianko/Hvorostovsky/Leiferkus, 1991, live in Amsterdam, Live Opera Heaven
• Tchaikovsky, The Queen of Spades, Ozawa/Freni/Forrester/Atlantov/Hvorostovsky/Leiferkus, 1991, live in Boston, RCA
• Tchaikovsky, The Queen of Spades, Gergiev/Guleghina/Rysanek/Grigorian/Hvorostovsky/Putilin, 1995, live in New York, Opera Lovers
• Tchaikovsky, The Queen of Spades, 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, The Queen of Spades, Ozawa/Gorchakova/Gorr/Domingo/Hvorostovsky/Leiferkus, 1999, live in Vienna, House of Opera
• Tchaikovsky, The Queen of Spades, Haitink/Mattila/Barstow/Galusin/Hvorostovsky/Putilin, 2001, live in London, Celestial Audio
• Verdi, Un Ballo in Maschera, Noseda/Crider/Isokoski/Alagna/Hvorostovsky, 2002, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera
• Verdi, Un Ballo in Maschera, Noseda/Crider/Isokoski/Alagna/Hvorostovsky, 2002, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera
• Verdi, Un Ballo in Maschera, Noseda/Crider/Isokoski/Alagna/Hvorostovsky, 2002, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera
• Verdi, Un Ballo in Maschera, Noseda/Crider/Isokoski/Alagna/Hvorostovsky, 2002, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera
• Verdi, Un Ballo in Maschera, Noseda/Crider/Isokoski/Alagna/Hvorostovsky, 2002, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera
• Verdi, Un Ballo in Maschera, Noseda/Crider/Isokoski/Alagna/Hvorostovsky, 2002, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera
• Verdi, Un Ballo in Maschera, Noseda/Crider/Isokoski/Alagna/Hvorostovsky, 2002, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera
• Verdi, Un Ballo in Maschera, Noseda/Crider/Isokoski/Alagna/Hvorostovsky, 2002, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera
• Verdi, Un Ballo in Maschera, Noseda/Crider/Isokoski/Alagna/Hvorostovsky, 2002, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera
• Verdi, Un Ballo in Maschera, Noseda/Crider/Isokoski/Alagna/Hvorostovsky, 2002, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera
• Verdi, Un Ballo in Maschera, Noseda/Crider/Isokoski/Alagna/Hvorostovsky, 2002, live in Vienna, Premiere