Dmitri Hvorostovsky

& # 160 ; ” … the adult male is wholly hot and,
paradoxically, cold ”

La Scena Musicale –

Vol. 3, No. 8 Juin / June 1998

Dmitri
Hvorostovsky was born in 1962 in Krasnoyarsk, Siberian metropolis. He describes it as
“ an ordinary Russian metropolis ” , likely in a sense that all metropoliss in
Russia are similar to some grade, if they are non Moscow or St.Peterburg.
Unfortunately, it is true due to economical insufficiency in state development
over old ages. I ‘ve ne’er been to Krasnoyarsk, though I am certain it has its ain
comfortss and attractive forces, like Yenisey, one of the greatest Russian river, but
I can surely see his point. Anyway, Dmitri attended music school for kids,
as many Russian childs do, or at least did up to the beginning last old ages ‘
unsure economical state of affairs. Then music high school – the usual manner the
music calling can be established in Russia. Then Krasnoyarsk College of Humanistic disciplines
where he started doting with Ekaterina Konstantinovna Iofel, who was his
vocal instructor for 5 old ages. After graduation he became a soloist of Krasnoyarsk
Opera Theater.

At the age of 25 Dmitri won the
foremost value in all-Russia unit of ammunition of Glinka Memorial singing competition, and so
the first award at USSR degree. In 1988 he won the first award at the Toulouse
Singing Competition, but merely his following triumph, Cardiff, launched his western
calling. Irina Arkhipova, the chair of the Glinka competition jury encouraged
him to come in the 1989 Cardiff “ Singer of the World ” Competition, by
winning which Dmitri left Bryn Terfel behind

with a 2nd topographic point. Bryn
Terfel said after Cardiff: “ I would ne’er take anything off from Dmitri Terfel said after Cardiff: “ I would ne’er take anything off from Dmitri
because he was perfectly antic ” . because he was perfectly antic ” .

“ Absolutely
antic ” is what I foremost think every clip I say something about him to
my friends. But at the same clip equivocal experiencing arises from someplace
indoors. Let me now describe why. Not to take anything from Hvorostovsky ‘s great
endowment and difficult work, which consequences appear as fantastic recordings. But
ambiguity arises from his overdramatising. Listen to “ Dark Eyes ” Cadmium
and read the interlingual renditions – I am non certain that interlingual rendition can truly state the
whole narrative, but for me, who grew up with those vocals, and who really like
“ play from nowhere ” his emotional reading is manner excessively much.
And here is the ground I added epigraph to this short reappraisal: Hvorostovsky
sounds excessively Onegin-ish for common people vocals and love affairs, in a sense of being excessively
cold, detached, even insensible in them. And overdramatising is of no aid to
fell this coldness. But listen to his Onegin – and you will happen the perfect
one of all time lived and likely will of all time populate, non to state that Hvorostovsky is now
merely 38, good, will be in a hebdomad, on October 16th. I would be surprised if he,
even holding such a great voice and endowment, will be given one twenty-four hours a great
acknowledgment for executing, say, Schubert lieder. By stating all this I do non
privation to decrease his great endowment, merely to indicate my low sentiment about one of
my favourite vocalists. Add to it, that I would purchase his recording over 100
others, as I truly do.