Childhood and school years
Dmitry was born in Krasnoyarsk on October 16, 1962 into an intelligent family. His father, Alexander Stepanovich, was a chemical engineer by profession. Mom, Lyudmila Petrovna, worked in a local hospital in the prestigious position of a gynecologist. Dmitry's father loved music, he played the piano, sang, he had an amazing deep baritone, which his son inherited. The family spent the evenings in the living room, where there was a piano. Alexander Stepanovich played and sang, his mother sang along with him, and later his son began to join them. Dad also had a large collection of records with compositions by world opera singers. So little Dima was surrounded by music from an early age. Already at the age of four he began to sing, his first songs were folk compositions and ancient romances. The boy already had idols then:
- Maria Callas;
- Ettore Bastianini;
- Fyodor Chaliapin;
- Tito Gobbi.
Acquaintances of the Hvorostovskys, listening to little Dmitry's singing, jokingly told his parents that their boy would grow up to be a famous singer. Could they then have imagined that these jokes would come true, and that Dima would become not just a singer, but a conqueror of the world opera stage?
Dmitry also began to get acquainted with a musical instrument quite early. His first teacher was his father, who taught his son to play the piano.
At the age of 7, Dima went to a regular secondary school, which was located next to his house. But, feeling that the child was literally drawn to art, the parents decided to send their son to a music school at the same time.
Studying was not easy for Dmitry: he was not distinguished by either good grades or exemplary behavior at school.
Teachers at the music school predicted his future as a pianist. But Hvorostovsky chose a different path for himself.
Students
Having received a certificate of secondary education, Dmitry decided to become a student in the music department of the Krasnoyarsk Pedagogical School named after A. M. Gorky. At the same time, the young man developed a strong passion for rock music, which was fashionable at that time. Moreover, he really wanted to be like rock musicians not only externally, but also internally.
In addition to studying, Dmitry began performing with the Krasnoyarsk musical group “Rainbow” as a soloist and keyboard player. The group had different styles of music; they sang mainly in clubs and restaurants. Hvorostovsky’s behavior hasn’t changed at all since school, he took part in fights and brawls even more, loved to get into trouble, often missed classes at school for a long time, going on sprees with the Rainbow musicians. At one time he wanted to quit school altogether, but he changed his mind and finally received a diploma as a music teacher.
Since 1982, Dmitry continued his studies at the vocal department of the Krasnoyarsk Institute of Arts. Thanks to his parents’ acquaintances and connections, he managed to get into the group of the best teacher, Ekaterina Yofel.
The first priority was to retrain him from choirmaster to soloist. The first two courses were very difficult. Dmitry was irritated by many things, because his character was characterized by hot temper and impatience. But by the third year everything had improved, Hvorostovsky learned to understand his teacher perfectly. He did not miss a single lesson and still remembers with special gratitude all the lessons of Ekaterina Yofel. Dmitry graduated from the institute with honors.
Music career
While a student at the Institute of Arts, Hvorostovsky began performing. At first these were symphony concerts, and then productions at the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater. In 1985, he was enrolled in a theater troupe.
It all started with minor parts, but very soon his unique voice, incredible hard work and talent did their job: Hvorostovsky became the first voice. He performed operas by Gounod and Verdi, Tchaikovsky and Leoncavallo.
In 1986, Hvorostovsky took part in the All-Russian Vocal Competition, where he became a laureate. A few months later he conquered the All-Union competition.
When the time came to receive his diploma, Dmitry had already made a decision for himself - to build his musical career in Europe. He participated in all international vocal competitions. The first such participation in France immediately brought Hvorostovsky the Grand Prix. His European debut took place in Nice at the opera house, and in Toulouse he won. It was 1988.
The following year, 1989, Dmitry went to Wales. In its capital, Cardiff, the British BBC hosted an international vocal festival. For the first time in four years, a representative of Russia appeared on it. Dmitry's favorite roles from the operas of Verdi and Tchaikovsky, performed by him at this competition, captivated everyone without exception. Someone on the jury even compared him to Luciano Pavarotti. The victory was unconditional, the whole world learned about the talented Russian opera singer. Hvorostovsky began to receive invitations to perform on the world's best opera stages:
- Theater Royal Covent Garden in London;
- the New Opera Theater in Moscow;
- State operas in Bavaria, Vienna and Berlin;
- Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg;
- La Scala theater in Milan;
- Lyric Opera of Chicago;
- Metropolitan Opera in New York;
- Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires.
The singer made his debut in America in 1990 with the opera “The Queen of Spades” by Tchaikovsky. His performance immediately created such a sensation that she signed a contract with him to record albums. More than twenty records have been released with solo programs and collections of opera arias performed by Hvorostovsky. And the album “Black Eyes,” where Dmitry sang romances and Russian folk songs, broke all popularity records in Europe and the USA.
Since 1994, Hvorostovsky moved to London, where he bought a five-story mansion; he later became a British citizen.
He never forgot about his homeland. Along with world tours, he performs a lot in Russian cities. In 2004, Dmitry gave a concert on Red Square, accompanied by a symphony orchestra. This performance was broadcast on national television channels.
For his services in the world of art, Dmitry Hvorostovsky was awarded:
- titles of Honorary Citizen of Krasnoyarsk, Kemerovo Region, Krasnoyarsk Territory;
- State Prize of the RSFSR;
- Order of Alexander Nevsky.
Notes
- German National Library, Berlin State Library, Bavarian State Library, Austrian National Library
Record #13010406X // General regulatory control (GND) - 2012-2016. - SNAC (English) - 2010.
- Find a Grave (English) - 1995. - ed. size: 165000000
- Store norske leksikon (book) - 1978.
- Iofel Ekaterina Konstantinovna // Historical Encyclopedia of Siberia: in 3 volumes / Ch. ed. V. A. Lamin. Novosibirsk: Ist. heritage of Siberia, 2009.
- Opera star Dmitri Hvorostovsky told to pay more to ex-wife
- ↑ 1 2 Tamara Khodova.
Opera star and real rocker: Dmitry Hvorostovsky passed away
(unspecified)
. RIA News. Retrieved November 27, 2020. - David Mermelstein “I Have to Fly in Order to Sing”: He settled in London in 1994 and is now a citizen of both Britain and Russia
. - Tatiana Vishnevskaya.
The lyrical universe of Sviridov (interview with pianist M. A. Arkadyev)
(unspecified)
.
Dmitry Hvorostovskyː unofficial site
. Site administration [email protected] Accessed November 24, 2020. - Concert of Hvorostovsky and Cool Deja Vu, tickets for the Hvorostovsky concert, order tickets for the Deja Vu show
- Concert for ten million Dmitry Hvorostovsky and his friends continue to collaborate with Rusfond (Russian). Kommersant (July 15, 2016). Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- Goodbye, friend! The great man Dmitry Hvorostovsky (unspecified)
(November 24, 2017). Retrieved November 24, 2020. - Dmitry Hvorostovsky was diagnosed with a brain tumor, lenta.ru (Retrieved June 25, 2015)
- News about Dmitry's summer performances Archived copy of July 8, 2017 on the Wayback Machine, hvorostovsky.com (Accessed June 25, 2015)
- Gazeta.ru, June 25, 2020. Hvorostovsky will be treated in London
- At the age of 55, People's Artist of Russia, the great opera singer Dmitry Hvorostovsky (unspecified)
. Channel One (November 22, 2017). Retrieved November 24, 2017. - Hvorostovsky performed in Moscow for the first time after treatment
- Hvorostovsky at the opening of the historical stage of the Helikon Opera
- Hvorostovsky canceled his performance in Vienna for the sake of chemotherapy (unspecified)
. Lenta.ru. Retrieved February 19, 2020. - Hvorostovsky about his well-being after chemotherapy (unspecified)
. Days.ru. Retrieved February 19, 2020. - Hvorostovsky refused to debut at the Bolshoi Theater for health reasons (unspecified)
. RIA News. Retrieved February 19, 2020. - Hvorostovsky postponed the concert in Krasnoyarsk due to illness (unspecified)
. Retrieved February 19, 2020. - Hvorostovsky, with an injured shoulder, spoke in his native Krasnoyarsk: “I should have returned!” (undefined)
. Retrieved June 4, 2020. - ↑ 1 2
Dmitry Hvorostovsky died
(unspecified)
. RBC (November 22, 2017). - ↑ 1 2
Dmitry Hvorostovsky died.
(undefined)
. - Malikov announced the death of Hvorostovsky.
- Dmitry Hvorostovsky died
- A close friend of Hvorostovsky about his last days. Poet Liliya Vinogradova was friends with the artist for many years and was with him until the end (Russian), KP
(November 23, 2017). Retrieved November 23, 2020. - Hvorostovsky's family released a statement after his death
- Condolences to the family and friends of Dmitry Hvorostovsky
- Hvorostovsky's ashes were buried at Novodevichy Cemetery
- A capsule with Hvorostovsky's ashes was laid at the base of a future monument in Krasnoyarsk
- News and Events - Diocese of Sourozh (undefined)
. www.sourozh.org. Retrieved February 11, 2020. - Sophia Benois.
Dmitry Hvorostovsky: two women and music. - M.: Algorithm, 2015. - P. 83-91. — 224 p. — ISBN 978-5-4438-1001-0. - Dmitry Hvorostovsky increased the amount of alimony, Komsomolskaya Pravda. (unavailable link)
- Ex-wife demands 12 million rubles from Hvorostovsky for maintenance, Komsomolskaya Pravda
- Straight out of Siberia (English). Los Angelos Times (11 April 2004). Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- Florence Hvorostovskaya: “Dmitry taught me how to make Siberian dumplings,” Trud, 11/19/2009.
- Florence on Instagram: “Today is my son's 15th birthday! Words are not enough to tell you how much I love you and how proud I am of you!! You've grown in such a..." (Russian). Instagram. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
- Export version, “Russian Courier”. (unspecified)
(inaccessible link). Retrieved February 5, 2010. Archived December 1, 2008. - Florence on Instagram: “And today it’s the birthday of my beautiful, talented, sweet, cheeky Nina. Already 11!!! Keep smiling my love. You have the most beautiful..." (Russian). Instagram. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
- Maria Babalova.
There will be no second attempt
(undefined)
. Russian newspaper (May 30, 2016). Retrieved February 19, 2017. - Hvorostovsky posthumously nominated for Grammy
- The name of Hvorostovsky was officially assigned to the Opera and Ballet Theater in Krasnoyarsk - News (Culture) / Sibnovosti.ru (unspecified)
. krsk.sibnovosti.ru. Retrieved March 8, 2020. - The plane “Dmitry Hvorostovsky” arrived in Krasnoyarsk
- Home — State Educational Institution “Prokopyevsk Regional College of Arts named after People’s Artist of the Russian Federation D.A. Hvorostovsky" (undefined)
. www.music-prk.ru. Retrieved March 13, 2020. - Semenov D. A bust of Dmitry Hvorostovsky was installed at the Helikon Opera // Zvezda TV channel, 11/22/2018
- The Helikon Opera honored the memory of Dmitry Hvorostovsky, TASS
(November 21, 2018). Retrieved November 27, 2020. - Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 31, 2020 No. 246 “On assigning names to airports of persons who have special merits to the Fatherland.”
- A monument to opera singer Dmitry Hvorostovsky was erected in Krasnoyarsk (unspecified)
. TASS news agency (September 23, 2019). Retrieved September 23, 2019. - The monument to Dmitry Hvorostovsky was unveiled at the Novodevichy Cemetery TV "Culture" (October 16, 2019).
- https://dejavu-pro.ucoz.ru/publ/1-1-0-36 (inaccessible link since 11/23/2017 [921 days])
- Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR dated April 6, 1990 “On awarding the honorary title “Honored Artist of the RSFSR” to D. A. Hvorostovsky.”
- Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 26, 1991 No. 66 “On the awarding of the 1991 State Prizes of the RSFSR in the field of literature and art”
- Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of August 5, 1995 No. 820 “On awarding state awards of the Russian Federation”
- Honorary citizens of Krasnoyarsk
- A singer, a writer and two veterans of the Great Patriotic War were named “Compatriots of the Year”, IA REGNUM
, IA REGNUM (Moscow, December 9, 2005, 15:46 - REGNUM). Retrieved November 26, 2020. - Aman Tuleyev expressed deep condolences from all Kuzbass residents to the family and friends of the opera singer, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, Honorary Citizen of the Kemerovo Region Dmitry Hvorostovsky (unspecified)
(inaccessible link). Retrieved November 25, 2020. Archived November 24, 2020. - Resolution of the Council of People's Deputies of the Kemerovo Region dated July 14, 2006 No. 1765 “On conferring the title “Honorary Citizen of the Kemerovo Region””
- Dmitry Hvorostovsky received the prestigious Opera News Award
- Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of October 10, 2020 No. 505 “On awarding state awards of the Russian Federation”
- Law of the Krasnoyarsk Territory of October 15, 2020 No. 9-3657 “On conferring the honorary title “Honorary Citizen of the Krasnoyarsk Territory” to Dmitry Alexandrovich Hvorostovsky”
- Astakhov awarded Hvorostovsky the medal “For Merit in the Protection of Children” / KM.RU
- Gramophone Hall of Fame. Gramophone. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 10, 2020 No. 416 “On awarding state awards of the Russian Federation”
- Pavel Astakhov: Dmitry Hvorostovsky had a difficult path to God
- BraVo: an award in the field of classical music was presented in Moscow (Russian), RIA Novosti
(March 11, 2018). Retrieved March 12, 2020.
Personal life
Dmitry met his first wife, dancer from the ballet Svetlana Ivanova, back in the Krasnoyarsk theater. Sveta already had one marriage behind her; she raised her daughter on her own. But this did not bother Dmitry, he fell in love like a boy.
Their romance continued for two years, and in the end Svetlana and her daughter moved to Dmitry’s communal apartment. Soon they got married, and Hvorostovsky adopted Sveta’s daughter from the first barque, Maria. Although many friends dissuaded him from getting married, because Svetlana did not have a very good reputation.
In 1994, the family left for London, where Sveta gave birth to twins Daniel and Alexandra. The children were born in 1996, and literally soon after that, discord began in the family. The wife did not want to learn English, she began to devote much less time to her husband, they began to move away from each other, which led to Dmitry’s passion for alcohol.
The last straw was Svetlana’s betrayal; in 1999, she and Dmitry broke up and two years later they officially filed for divorce. The case was high-profile, Svetlana sued the house, cars, apartment, and annual maintenance of 170 thousand pounds sterling.
After 10 years, she again filed a lawsuit in which she demanded an increase in her annual allowance due to the fact that her ex-husband’s income had become much greater. Svetlana achieved her goal, and the amount of annual maintenance doubled, to 340 thousand pounds sterling.
On December 31, 2020, Svetlana died in London, the children are already quite old, the girl Alexandra is an artist, the boy Daniil plays guitar in a rock band.
Dmitry affectionately calls his second wife Florence Flosha. That's what he told her for the first time when he confessed his love. At that time, she still understood Russian very poorly, although she adored everything connected with Russia, and read the complete works of Dostoevsky and Chekhov in French.
They met in 1999 at rehearsals. Florence is a singer, originally from Geneva, of Italian-Swiss origin, her maiden name is Illy. She liked Dmitry immediately, she made attempts to get closer to him, but he was still married then and behaved like a decent family man.
Divorce from his first wife, constant trials made themselves felt and affected Hvorostovsky’s health: a stomach ulcer developed, a terrible depression began, which the singer again tried to drown out with alcohol.
Florence came to the rescue, she pulled him out of this terrible state. Since 2001, they began to live together, in 2003 Florence gave birth to a son, Maxim, and in 2007, a daughter, Nina.
Florence learns everything Russian from Dmitry, he even taught his wife how to make Siberian dumplings. Very often she accompanies her husband on his tours.
Mitya's love
“He looks like a young Rudolf Nureyev, and sings like Pavel Lisitsian,” wrote English opera critic Alan Blythe after seeing Dmitry Hvorostovsky in 1989 at the Singer of the World competition in Cardiff. This was the highest praise: the defector Nureyev was then considered an exemplary dancer, and the virtuoso Lisitsian, who in 1960 was the first Russian singer after Chaliapin to perform on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, was an exemplary Russian vocalist. The tall and athletic Hvorostovsky - then twenty-six - went on stage in a tailcoat bought on credit, sang Handel and Verdi in the purest Italian - and won. After the first round, he already had a Western professional agent, and the day after the final - a contract with the recording giant Philips. Debuts in London and New York happened within a year. Thus began the most rapid career in classical vocals of the last twenty years. In 1991, having photographed Hvorostovsky in black leather and with the squinting eyes of Marlon Brando, the American magazine People put it this way: a real rock star.
“There are not many such bright artists in modern opera, although now opera has become younger, the singers have become sexy, smart, and media-friendly. Magnificent voice, brilliant technique and acting talent: Dmitry set new standards of performance,” says Anna Netrebko about her colleague and friend. Hvorostovsky sang with her a decade ago in War and Peace at the Metropolitan Opera. And he will become her first Onegin: in April in Vienna, the Russian prima donna will perform her first career Tatyana.
In the English-language press they call it using the definite article, denoting exclusivity: The Russian Baritone. The exemplary Eugene Onegin, Prince Yeletsky from The Queen of Spades, Bolkonsky in War and Peace, Hvorostovsky not only reigns in the Russian repertoire, although he is now addressed less and less: he has long been a world-class Verdi baritone, equally convincing in almost everything spectrum, from the touching comprimario of Germont the Father in La Traviata, Lisitsian’s crowning role, to the tragic Rigoletto and Simon Boccanegra, the main characters of the operas of the same name.
At the same time, Hvorostovsky makes regular and large-scale excursions into other vocal spheres. Performs baroque arias and Russian romances, songs from the repertoire of Mark Bernes and Joseph Kobzon. In Jurmala, at the New Wave, he sang hits specially created for him by Igor Krutoy - he even recorded one video in the spirit of Lady Gaga. On December 8th, Verdi’s golden opera Un ballo in maschera, a new production by the Metropolitan Opera, will be broadcast live in cinemas around the world (in Moscow in 35mm) as part of The Met: Live in HD project. Hvorostovsky will sing the role of Renato, the wounded husband who has become a villain. This is his third premiere in a year at the Metropolitan: Ernani thundered in the winter, La Traviata in the spring. Then, in February, there will be a revival of “Don Carlos” at the same Metropolitan, in April – “Eugene Onegin” with Netrebko, and also concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York, in Munich, and at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow.
“I’m fifty, life for a baritone is just beginning.” And in a personal sense, I think things will get better. I remember both my twenties and my thirties. There were many questions and very few answers. Uncertainty and fear were made up for with rooster-like courage and pathos. Now I'm learning to feel free and enjoy life. Not only to work, but also to enjoy what I do. I never learned this, but now I want to. My appeals to the stage, to light genres, are part of this. I always went my own way, destroyed stereotypes, could be liked or disliked, made mistakes - but these were my mistakes and my victories. Caruso also sang songs written by his contemporaries. The whole question is how to execute them.
At concerts, he openly flirts with the public and partners. Once, while performing Escamillo's verses from Carmen at the Albert Hall, at the finale of the aria he suddenly pulled out from his bosom - not for dramatic effect, but simply to greet the audience - a British flag and began waving it to the beat, while holding a note. Or take his “duels” with conductors, which the singer now talks about laughing:
— Sometimes I sing several phrases in a piece in one breath. It’s hard: hypoxia sets in. And the conductor adjusts the orchestra to my tempo, playing slower and slower. The next moment my eyes are starting to pop out of their sockets from the duration of the notes. There is one conductor who at such moments looks me straight into the eyes from the pit and smiles. And then fine connoisseurs of musical classics like you ask me why I sing so slowly, not according to the score.
Hvorostovsky now also has an open relationship with his appearance. For a shoot for VOGUE, for example, he arrives in a T-shirt with a deep neckline, in which you can see a medallion - a soaring eagle on a chain, on top - a striped denim vest, and red sunglasses ("bought in Tokyo") to crown the look. Hvorostovsky has not worn Zaitsev's tailcoats for a long time. More often he prefers to perform in a French jacket with a stand-up collar or deconstructed soft jackets, instead of a bow tie - an open collar. Or he just goes out to the public in a shirt, like Yves Montand.
“I didn’t like ties at school either.” Once upon a time, when I was so chubby, I dressed in Armani. And now I started to like Ermanno Scervino. Also Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Balmain. The Moscow guys from Freshart made my concert costumes. Why are you smiling? They try to be unlike anyone else, and I support this with both hands. I'm like that myself.
He has rock-hard biceps and a bodybuilder's chest. In the mornings, if there are no performances in the evening, the singer goes to the gym. He squats with dumbbells, does chest presses - he can lift a barbell of one hundred and forty kilograms. Swims well in freestyle.
Does he really not want to go with the flow even in this? It used to be that sports were taboo for singers, and even more so weightlifting: it was harmful to the singing muscles. Why turn into Conan the Barbarian if you are already a sex symbol?!
- Look, I sing the best in the world, right? - Hvorostovsky laughs. - So it’s not harmful to the voice. But seriously, a lot of my younger colleagues in the opera world are now involved in sports. For example, I don’t have a goal to extend my shoulders too much, because, you see, I already have problems with the suit. But this way I feel in good shape. Is it bad when you have a lot of strength and energy! Typically, opera singers lose several kilograms after each performance. And when I sing, I don’t sweat much, even if I’m wearing a heavy stage costume. Muscle mass helps. In “Rigoletto” I walk for three hours and sing half-bent over my hump. Previously, my back hurt after a performance, but now it hurts much less.
The year before last, Hvorostovsky discovered winter swimming.
— After the performance in the winter—well, true, in New York, but still sub-zero temperatures—I swam in the river. And I wasn’t sick at all. It didn't affect my voice at all. As a child, I was a sickly, thin child. As I grew older, I realized that I needed to control both my spirit and my body. In short, control yourself.
He becomes thoughtful when I ask where his strength and desire to fight prejudice come from.
“From childhood,” he answers after a pause.
Hvorostovsky's father was a chemical engineer, loved to sing and accompanied himself on the piano, his mother worked as a gynecologist. At the age of three, Dmitry began to sing along with his father, and at seven he was sent to a music school in piano class. As a teenager, being a big fan of rock, he almost gave up academic studies and became a keyboard player and frontman. They played everything from disco to reggae in restaurants and clubs in Krasnoyarsk.
As befits a rocker, Dmitry was, according to him, too violent. He fought so hard that his nose was broken in several places. He went on a spree. His habits did not change, even when he left Rainbow, entered a music institute, became a soloist at the Krasnoyarsk Theater while still a student, received an apartment from the local regional party committee at the age of twenty, and soon after his victory in Cardiff he moved to Moscow.
— My Moscow apartment in the early nineties was one of the most lively places. Complete strangers came in, whom I didn’t even remember. A complete spree. It was difficult to step away from all this. In the mid-nineties, I was offered in the West to become the face of Stolichnaya vodka, but I refused: I thought it was a shame to advertise it. In general, the parents suffered a lot. All my life I have been proving something to them. Interestingly, this did not go away; on the contrary, it turned into an obsession. Recently, for example, my parents were at my “Simon Boccanegra” in Vienna. I got so sick that day that I wanted to interrupt the performance altogether. During the intermission they persuaded me to continue, so I sang to the end. The parents were dejected, although no one in the audience understood anything: well, he sang and sang. After a few days I recovered and sang my last Simon well. After the performance, my mother came up to me and said: “Yes, Dima, you were rehabilitated for that cough-cough last time!” Do you understand?
Hvorostovsky has not drunk at all for ten years and does not smoke. But he did appear in an advertisement for Italian chocolate Ferrero Rocher. The video was shown in the spring: Hvorostovsky eats candy and belts out Escamillo’s verses. Those with subtle feelings received another reason to prick the singer.
- Yes, I always loved these sweets! - Dmitry explains without a shadow of embarrassment. - I have a sweet tooth.
- Singers are not allowed chocolate! - I’m surprised.
- Again you with your “can’t-is-possible.” You can if you are careful enough.
Demons of past years help him sing the way he sings, says Hvorostovsky. And thanks for raising a sensitive topic:
— I should reread “Goya” by Feuchtwanger. About the devil with whom the artist fights. It is in each of us, and the greater the talent, the greater the devil. In Krasnoyarsk, at the Institute of Art, we had such an assignment - public solitude. We had to do in public what we would do in private. It was unpleasant and difficult, almost impossible. But when my first competitions started, I felt like a king on stage. And until now, before going on stage, I can have doubts, I even feel bad from nerves. But when you step on stage, you are immediately transformed. And when you have already reached this level, how your voice sounds is not the most important thing.
In 1994, Hvorostovsky moved permanently to London and bought a five-story house. Then the singer was married to Svetlana, a corps de ballet dancer, whom he met as a student at the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater. When her husband’s international career began, Svetlana ended hers; in 1996, twins Alexander and Danila were born. In 2001, the couple divorced.
Hvorostovsky has been with his current wife, half-French, half-Italian originally from Geneva, curly brunette Florence Illy Hvorostovsky for fourteen years. We met on stage. Dmitry sang one of his first Don Juans in the Geneva theater, “in the provinces - so that no one would hear or see, as they say, try out.” Mezzo-soprano Illy sang the role of Don Giovanni's girlfriend.
— I saw a girl of incredible beauty. Then I was still trying to save my previous marriage, in general, I kept myself in strong control, very strong,” Hvorostovsky naturally embraces himself with an iron embrace. “And here, by the will of the director, we had to kiss on stage.” And I told her at the rehearsal: “I’m married, two children...” And she: “So what?” Everything was clear from the first moment.
In 2003, the couple had a son, Maxim, and four years later, a daughter, Nina. Hvorostovsky calls his wife Flosha in the Russian manner and now shows them photographs from their last family vacation on the lakes of New York State.
After marrying Dmitry, Florence also left the stage. I ask how she feels about his status as a sex symbol.
— Florence is a very smart woman. I read an interview with some distinguished person. And there was one interesting phrase: “I am at a wonderful age when I no longer have a conflict with testosterone. My whole career has passed under his sign, and now I have cooled down and can only do what my mind allows me to do.” Sooner or later, any conflict with testosterone ends, the male must leave. True, I would like it later.
Doesn't he miss Russia, now wandering around visiting friends, now returning home, which is now in a Victorian mansion in south London?
— There is no nostalgia, I don’t see Russians in London. I have a birch tree in my garden, but there is also a palm tree. I have nostalgia for the times. There is a photograph taken on the Yenisei, when I was visiting Viktor Astafiev in the village of Ovsyanka. What else. My children speak Russian, my wife too, I taught her. It's enough.
And even the best theaters in the country cannot convince him to return his Moscow registration.
— I was a young man, a sophomore, in the Soviet theater, with its repertoire system, where everyone waits for their turn. They are all there like spiders in a jar: the strong devour the weak. Friends become enemies - why do I need this?! I live well as a free artist, I love and respect everyone. I help whoever needs it, I don’t notice my enemies. No one is free to force me or reproach me. I got what I had been striving for all my life. No, I have never lost the feeling that I am loved and desired in my country. It’s just that my creative interests did not belong to Russia. After winning the Glinka competition, even before Cardiff, I received an offer from the Bolshoi Theater to move from Krasnoyarsk, where I was already a soloist, to their trainee troupe. I refused. Alexander Lazarev, the then chief conductor, promised to invite me, but never invited me. After that my hands were untied.
Three days later, Dmitry Hvorostovsky appears on the stage of the Great Hall of the Conservatory - radiant, radiant, in a black tuxedo with wide lapels embroidered with small rhinestones. It's time to start the concert, but the stalls are not full yet, the audience continues to take their seats. Hvorostovsky stands for several minutes, contemplating Moscow, like Bulgakov’s Woland on the Sparrow Hills. And then, without waiting for silence, he begins to sing.
Style: Vadim Galaganov/GQ. Hairstyles: Marina Melentyeva/THE AGENT. Grooming and makeup: Alexey Kuzin. Manicure: Alena Baltysh/THE AGENT. Set design: Natalia Obukhova/AD. Models: Anastasia Belkina, Olga Sukhenko, Alisa Bachurina/BLACK MODEL MANAGEMENT. Photographer's assistant: Denis Avramenko. Stylist assistant: Polina Ladonshchikova. Hairdresser's assistant: Dinara Samigulina. Makeup artist assistant: Yulia Volodzko. Producer: Elena Serova. Producer assistant: Alexandra Tkachenko. The editors thank the Armani Casa store for their assistance in filming.
Subscribe and get one step closer to fashion professionals.
Photo: Danil Golovkin
Illness and return to music
At the beginning of the summer of 2020, reports appeared that doctors diagnosed Dmitry Hvorostovsky with a terrible disease - a brain tumor.
The singer confirmed this and announced a temporary cessation of concert and touring activities due to his upcoming treatment. Dmitry's voice was not damaged, but the disease affected his balance, which was difficult for him to maintain, coordination of movements was impaired, he often felt dizzy, and problems with hearing and vision appeared.
It is very good that the disease was detected at an early stage. Dmitry completed courses of conservative treatment at a London oncology clinic.
In the fall of 2020, in New York at the Metropolitan Opera, Hvorostovsky returned to the world stage, he performed with Anna Netrebko.
It was the opera “Il Trovatore” by Giuseppe Verdi and the role of Count di Luna brilliantly performed by Dmitry. Armfuls of snow-white roses fell at the singer’s feet, as a sign that the world admired the man who defeated brain cancer.
Disease
On June 25, 2020, it became known that Hvorostovsky was temporarily suspending his concert activities until the end of August due to health reasons. A message was published on the official page of the famous opera singer that due to a serious illness, Dmitry is canceling all his performances until the end of August.
Doctors gave Hvorostovsky a terrible diagnosis - a brain tumor. It is not known for certain when exactly the artist found out about his illness, but a week before publication he was forced to cancel his performance at the Vienna Theater. The performer's voice was not damaged, but Hvorostovsky had problems with balance.
Dmitry was determined to defeat the disease.
