Korea Herald

19 Nov. 2003

A Russian opera star with a smoldering stage presence, baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky will give a recital in Seoul next week at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall.

Hvorostovsky is one of the top baritones performing in opera, known not only for his unique timbre and superb technique, which some aficionados have regarded as unparalleled, but a flamboyant stagecraft that has left opera goers either loving him or hating him. A fine voice with a physique to match, Hvorostovsky has also been labeled "opera hunk," an audience favorite and one of the most sought after singers in opera today.

In September, he opened the Metropolitan Opera season singing Germont in Verdi's "La Traviata" and starred opposite soprano Renee Fleming.

His rise to stardom began in Krasnoyarsk, an isolated industrial city in Siberia. He led a gritty childhood, running with street gangs, getting into fights, and developing a taste for vodka and rowdiness, habits that stayed with him until he turned 40 last year. He completed his vocal studies in Krasnoyarsk, won a national singing competition, and left the country for the first time in 1988 as a promising talent representing the Soviet Union.

He burst onto the world stage in 1989 when he out-dueled Welsh baritone, Bryn Terfel, for first prize at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, a highly celebrated vocal event known for its high visibility within and outside the singing world.

Since then, Hvorostovsky has stood alongside Terfel and American Thomas Hampson as one of three preeminent baritones of this generation. But he sings limited number of roles and concerts, and splits his time evenly between opera engagements and solo recitals. Even by opera singer standards, he is notoriously meticulous about the health of his voice and will not take on any roles that will
unduly strain and permanently damage his vocal chords.

His composer of choice has long been Verdi, and his program in Seoul will include signature arias from "Otello," "Ernani," and "Un ballo in maschera." He is also a big proponent of Russian music and will perform pieces by Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, and Rubinstein.

Dmitri Hvorostovsky will perform at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall on Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at 20,000 won. Near Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Subway Line No. 3, Exit 5.

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