La Scala remembers Dmitri Hvorostovsky who has died at 55

Teatro alla Scala has learnt with profound sorrow of the loss, after a long illness, of the baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky.

Born in Krasnoyarsk in 1962, Hvorostovsky was one of the most esteemed voices and one of the most charismatic interpreters of the last decades in a repertoire ranging from Verdi to Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky.

At La Scala he debuted in 1992 with a recital entirely dedicated to Russian composers. He returned in 1993 as Silvio in Pagliacci, conducted by Riccardo Muti, and in 2005 as Prince Yeletsky in the Queen of Spades directed by Yuri Temirkanov.

The world of music loses with him one of his most beloved and respected figures.

Hvorostovsky was born in Siberia, and sang in a heavy metal band before training as a classical singer and eventually winning the opera section of BBC's Cardiff Singer of the World in 1989 which launched his international career. He was diagnosed with brain cancer two-and-a-half years ago.

Dmitri Hvorostovsky, La Scala recital 23 November 1992, photo by Lelli e Masotti

Dmitri Hvorostovsky, La Scala recital 23 November 1992, photo by Lelli e Masotti

A message was posted on his Facebook page, which said:

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.

KRASNOYARSK, SIBERIA, 16 OCTOBER 1962 — LONDON, ENGLAND, 22 NOVEMBER 2017

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.