September 22, 2002
My hols: Dmitri Hvorostovsky
When he's feeling low, the baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky hits the
beach
The Sunday Times
The Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, 39, was born in
Siberia. In 1989
he won the prestigious Cardiff Singer of the World competition,
which
propelled him to international stardom. American Elle magazine
once called
him 'the Elvis of opera'. He is singing Francesco in a new
production of
Verdi's I Masnadieri at the Royal Opera House from September 30.
He lives in
London with his second wife, Florence
WHEN I was four, my parents took me away for the very first time,
to Sochi,
the famous Russian resort on the Black Sea coast. It was a
magical time for
me. I've never forgotten the excitement of flying to Moscow and
then
catching a connecting flight down to the south of Russia. Sochi
was really
beautiful - a subtropical paradise where we rented a holiday flat
for a
couple of weeks.
My father was always a great sportsman and he taught me how to
swim. At
first I was very frightened of the water and also of all the
other people in
the sea. But my father was a good teacher. Each time a wave came
and crashed
over me, he gave me confidence, and after only a few lessons I
learnt to
swim like a fish.
Over the past 13 years, Sochi has become quite famous because of
the Open
Russian Film Festival, which takes place there every June. One
day I will go
back to see how the place I first saw from the shoulders of my
father has
changed.
The second holiday we had was when I was seven. We went to the
Crimea, on
another part of the Black Sea. The landscape was different to
Sochi - severe
mountains going directly to the sea, a beautiful lake and a
waterfall. I
loved it, especially the feeling of freedom you get from being
outside
surrounded by nature. We went back a couple more times until I
was a
teenager, so as a holiday destination the area has a special
place in my
heart.
This summer, when there were such devastating floods in the
Crimea, I had no
idea what was happening there because I was away with Florence.
We were on
holiday at the Little Palm Island Resort in the Florida Keys.
It's a small,
luxury hotel - there are only about 20 thatched bungalows - so
there weren't
many people around. I love that in a hotel. It was very romantic
- a
breathtaking setting, with tropical flowers and amazing views of
the ocean.
The food was very good and the whole ambience was perfect for me
to study
new scores. Even on holiday, I always have to take work with me,
especially
if, like this time, I need to work on some translations. I don't
like having
people around me when I'm learning a new language. In our
thatched villa, I
could sing difficult French words without worrying about
neighbours who
might complain about the very peculiar noise.
It was fantastic just to be alone with my wife. I didn't read a
newspaper or
turn on the TV, so I had no idea what was going on in the rest of
the world.
Naturally, when I got home, I was very surprised and saddened to
hear about
the floods in Europe and also in the Crimea. It was such a
tragedy. I called
my parents, who are still living in Siberia. Fortunately, nobody
we know
personally was there during the terrible weather, but just
speaking about it
with them brought back all my memories of holidays there as a
child.
The first summer we lived in England, I took my family to Crete
for two
weeks. We stayed in a hotel, which worked out well, but the best
family
holidays have been when we've taken the children to a Club Med
village. They
have such wonderful supervised activities for them, which means,
of course,
that the parents also have a break. I enjoyed it for myself, too,
because of
the watersports and also because of the food, which is so good.
As I'm easily bored, a few days' break - if it's a success - can
leave me
feeling that I've had a two-week holiday. In California, for
example, when
I'm singing with the San Francisco Opera, I take the car and
drive to the
wine country in the Napa Valley. The fresh country air, rolling
countryside
and world-class restaurants make it an ideal place to recharge my
batteries
between performances. September and October, when the grapes are
being
pressed, are the best times to visit, but spring is also lovely
because the
roads aren't as crowded and the local mustard flowers are all in
bloom.
If work takes me to Los Angeles, I'll always head for the beach
when I have
days off. Last time, I decided on the spur of the moment to go to
Hawaii
instead. I flew to Maui and stayed in a big hotel, which was
crowded and not
really what I wanted. So I rented a car and explored the island.
Although my working schedule is planned up until 2008, I'm often
very
disorganised about making holiday plans and leave everything to
the last
minute, so I shouldn't complain when a hotel turns out not to be
secluded
and private. As long as I travel with an alarm clock, some
pharmacy remedies
for my voice and a photograph of the family, it doesn't really
matter where
I am.
Dmitri Hvorostovsky talked to Sue Fox