Customer Reviews

Dmitri Hvorostovsky

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Rene Pape has said that tenors have "ruined the landscape" for the other voices. If that is so then Dmitri Hvorostovsky is rapidly restoring the baritone area! This is one of his eary CD's-he set a high standard for himself and lives up to it. Here he does beautiful, touching and fun baritone arias from Verdi, Rossini and of course Tchaikovsky's especially beautiful "Yevgany Onegin" with cool precision, never sacrificing accuracy for emotion. A perfect technition. But my favorites are the Russian folk songs where he gives us a taste of his passion and fire and a hint of maddness! He is not afraid to let us hear him sweat! You detect an ache or throb in his voice. I love how he tosses off the last note of "Karabejniki" makes me smile every time! I also love the delicate, complex beauty of the Ossipov Russian Folk Orchestra.

This review is totally influenced by the fact I got to hear Dmitri in recital (you know you have been sung to!) He is a consumate professional-handsome, poised, bringing the audience along to warm to him. After a particularily arduous Verdi aria, he leaned back against the piano in mock exhaustion and blew his hair off his forehead. The audience was his!

Also recommended is "Credo", his disc of Russian sacred music where he affirms that "beauty will save the world". Amen.

This compilation runs the gamut of many styles, from Donizetti to folk songs, recorded between '90 and '94, and sung by this extraordinary and versatile Siberian baritone. Though it doesn't include some of his finest work, the songs with solo piano accompaniment...my favorite being "Russian Romances" with music by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.

You've probably heard "Largo al Factotum" one too many times, and here it is again. It's kind of a yardstick for a singers technique, and he passes with flying colors. The folk songs ! You've probably heard "Ochi Chornyje" ("Dark Eyes") a million times too...but who can get enough of it ? And here it's sung with unbridled passion. The arias from "Eugene Onegin" and "Pique Dame" are a glory, the "Di Provenza il Mar" incredibly smooth, and the CD ends with a lovely "O Carlo, Ascolta".

There's a golden honey tone to his magnificent voice that makes one able to pick it out after 2 or 3 notes when heard at random. Once you're a Dmitri fan (doesn't take long), you'll want CDs that aren't as mixed in style, and this is one that you'll play the least...but it's a good intro to the voice and artistry of the one and only Dmitri...one of the greats of this or any other era.

This exserts from various CDs that previously released came out in 97'. This collection includes the most favorite Hvorostovsky repertories. If you are starter as his fan, this is a good introduction for you. You can taste his great flexibility and beautiful, high artistic quality of his voice. Who else could handle Verdi, Bell Cantos, Tchaikovsky and Russian traditional folks so well. And he can do whole lot more. He has good deal of recital discography, I recomend those individual recital CDs. Dmitri Hvorostovsky is one of the best and most appreciated baritone now. He'll take you to Heaven while you listening to him.

The first song you should play on this album is "Dark Eyes." Hvorostovsky sings it like a man being driven insane. I think I would buy the album just to hear that piece. After playing it a half dozen times, I moved on to the Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and the terrific "Figaro" -- all outstanding, sung with feeling and wonderful shading. The other Italian pieces are good too, I'm just not sure they're the best choices as some of them are rather staid set pieces. After a lifetime of tenors, I am hooked on Hvorostovsky!

Dmitri Hvorostovsky's incredible operatic singing is highlighted in this CD with solos from many operas, all of them sung in his very expressive baritone voice. The three orchestras (Philharmonia, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Kirov - St. Petersburg, and Ossipov Russian folk) provide a wonderful background for Mr. Hvorostovsky's singing.
For those who enjoy listening to famous arias by the most famous baritone of our times, this is a CD worthy of your consideration.