Dmitri Aleksandrovich Hvorostovsky (Russian: Дмитрий Александрович Хворостовский) is the Cary Grant of opera, as he just gets better looking every year. He arguably has the most beautiful mane of white hair ever to grace a human (eat your heart out Gwyneth Jones). Fortunately, he has a voice as beautiful as he looks. His legato is flawless and he can spin out a line after line of Verdi or Tchaikovsky effortlessly. If his looks don't melt you, his voice will.
Born on October 16, 1962 in Siberia, he studied at the Krasnoyarsk School of Arts. Hvorostovsky went on to win a series of vocal competitions, culminating with a victory over Bryn Terfel (not on this website) in 1989 at the Cardiff BBC Singer of the World competition.
His portrayals in Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades and Eugene Onegin have won him international acclaim. He is also a noted recitalist who can exude sexiness and flirt with an entire audience while singing obscure Russian music.
Nicknames: Dreamy Hvorostovsky and the Siberian Hunky
[All pictures from www.hvorostovsky.com]
He's god. And that's a nice appreciation too.
ReplyDeleteWow, it's old home week here. Just found this site I recognize some of your commenters (hi sfmike!) who are/were fellow supernumeraries at SFO.
ReplyDeleteSince I have an unnatural fixation on Dreamy Dimi, had to comment here just to agree with everything you said, in (Queen of) Spades. AND the man is very, very charismatic and charming in person. Met him years after appearing as a super with him in Don Giovanni and mentioned our prior crossing of paths. He grasped my hand, gazed into my eyes, and said, "Oh yes, I remember you! What fun that was!" Of course, it was total fiction, but I have relived that moment in my dreams more often than I care to admit. It's a great stock answer, as it covers everything from the minimal accquaintance we actually shared to a torrid affair. I'm hoping anyone who overheard the comment believes it was the latter.
::drool:: Yes, he's incredibly good-looking!
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