Dmitri Hvorostovsky
(c) Pavel Antonov
The Russian singer Dmitri Hvoroistovsky died this morning at the age of 55. The announcement was made via his official Facebook page. « On behalf of the Hvorostovsky family, it is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Dmitri Hvorostovsky – beloved operatic baritone, husband, father, son, and friend – at age 55. After a two-and-a-half-year battle with brain cancer, he died peacefully this morning, November 22, surrounded by family near his home in London, UK. May the warmth of his voice and his spirit always be with us. »
Born in 1962, Hvorostovsky sang in a heavy metal before making his debut at the Krasnoyarsk Opera House, in Verdi’s Rigoletto. He won First Prize at both the Russian Glinka Competition in 1987 and the Toulouse Singing Competition in 1988.
In 1989 he won the Cardiff Singer of the World competition. His operatic debut in the West was also in 1989 at the Nice Opera in ‘The Queen of Spades’. After that, the baritone went on to sing at most of the major opera houses, including the Met, the Royal Opera House and La Scala Milan.
