Search - Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Constantine Orbelian, Philharmonia of Russia :: Heroes and Villains

Dmitri's Most Lavish Offering

Z. Yang | Hockessin, DE USA | 12/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is no doubt Dmitri Hvorostovsky is at his best in his latest release of opera arias - a most lavish gathering of the widest range, most popular, and probably the hardest-to-sing baritone arias in operas. If more than a decade ago Hvorostovsky impressed the audience and the judges at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition with the distinctive lyric quality of his voice and the sheer beauty of his impeccable singing, then today this voice, with uncommonly rich tone, has become much more powerful and dramatic. Over the years what haven't changed are his amazing vocal range, thrilling top-notes, and that particularly high standard singing, characterized by the best legato singing one can find - the best ability to phrase a legato line that can break one's heart or make one cry.

In four languages, the fifteen arias in this album offer a variety of roles - mostly new to his operatic repertoire - with masterful interpretation. I was not very familiar with Anton Rubintein's operatic work before, but I have become very interested in them after I heard the three beautifully rendered arias in this album. The Italian repertoires couldn't be any better. With such virile timbre, Hvorostovsky's powerful delivery of Scarpia's "Te deum" in Pucinni's Tosca proves that he'd make a convincingly villainous, and yet very sexy Scarpia. Personally I find the French repertoire in this album most exciting! He's sung Valentin in Gounod's Faust on stage, but it's his first time to record Valentin's famous aria. The tone of the voice and the quality of the singing is beyond excellence. Bizet's Toreador Song is probably one of the most popular arias, and people probably have heard too much of it. With his charisma naturally infiltrated into the singing, Hvorostovsky's version will simply knock your socks off! And of course, there is Thomas' Hamlet! Hvorostovsky's vocal acting, dramatized by a gasping breath, brilliantly conveys the wild emotional state of Shakespeare's hero in The Drinking Song. I hope to see him singing Hamlet in an opera production someday."

Mixed feelings...

Abel | Hong Kong | 02/15/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This latest album of Mr Hvorostovsky has been long awaited for.

In this diverse collection of what would most probably be the most demanding in the baritone repertoire, DH's vocal ambitions are self-evident.

For the listener, the focus is - how far, or rather, how well, has his ambition been realised?

There are roughly 4 groups of arias/scenes, ranging from Russian to German, Italian and French.

DH is well-known for his Russian and Italian repertoire. He has proven, on numerous occasions, that he is adept at those, especially the former. As for the latter, until recently, he has concentrated on the lighter roles. In the more recent years, he has dipped into the heavier and more dramatic Italian baritone repertoire.

As a dedicated DH fan, I would not hesitate to claim that the first part of this album is sheer marvel. While we may not have heard him singing Wagner, his Wolfram's aria from Tanhausser seems to suit him very well.

As for the Italian ones, they are very good, but it would be a bit over-stating to say that DH is able to surpass predecessors in this genre such as Pietro Cappucilli. In my own subjective opinion, his timbre has more of Fischer-Dieskau's dark alluring qualities than Cappucilli's smoky Italianate flavour.

The French arias are admittedly a bit uneven. Much as I admire DH's beautiful singing, I could not help feeling that in these tracks, neither his top register nor the low register resound with his usual well-known sparkle.

One wonders if at this stage of DH's great career, it really pays for him to venture into the unknown areas?"