Russian opera superstar – dubbed the 'Elvis of opera' – died in London today morning, aged 55 after a long illness.
The singer had been receiving treatment at London’s Royal Marsden Hospital for a malignant brain tumor.
The announcement was made via his official Facebook page: “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.”
Hvorostovsky cancelled all performances after the tumor seriously affected his sense of balance. He made a final appearance in a recital at the Russian ambassador’s residence in London, when he sang arias by Borodin, Glinka, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov.
Tall, with a shock of prematurely silver hair, Hvorostovsky was lauded around the world, as well as being listed as one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people – a rarity for a classical musician. Elle magazine described him as the ‘Elvis of opera’.
Born in Siberia on October 16, 1962, Hvorostovsky sang in a heavy metal before making his debut at the Krasnoyarsk Opera House, in Verdi’s Rigoletto. He went on to win First Prize at both the Russian Glinka Competition in 1987 and the Toulouse Singing Competition in 1988.
Hvorostovsky came to international prominence in 1989 when he won the Cardiff Singer of the World competition, controversially beating local favorite Bryn Terfel in the final round. Hvorostovsky’s performance included Handel's ‘Ombra mai fu’ and an extrat from Verdi's Don Carlos.
His operatic debut in the West was also in 1989 at the Nice Opera in The Queen of Spades (1989). He debuted at La Fenice, Venice, as Eugene Onegin, a success that sealed his reputation, and made his American operatic debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in La traviata in 1993.
The baritone went on to sing at virtually every major opera house, including the Met, the Royal Opera House and La Scala Milan. He became especially renowned for his portrayal of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, a role which The New York Times said he was “born to play.” In recent years his stage repertoire consisted almost entirely of Verdi operas such as Un ballo in maschera, La traviata and Simon Boccanegra.
