The Verdi Project: Simon Boccanegra

Verdi's most political opera gets it right...eventually.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

The digital Doge: Simon Boccanegra as he appears in the video game
Sid Meier's Civilization V: Brave New World. Image © 2010 Firaxis Games.

Not every great opera is a success out of the box. La Traviata is one of those major works that bombed on opening night. But that's nothing compared to the struggles that Simon Boccanegra faced on its long and torturous path into the standard operatic repertory. Verdi's eighteenth opera was a failure at its 1857 premiere. It went through heavy revisions in 1881. Those extensive revisions marked Verdi's first collaboration with librettist and composer Arrigo Boito, with whom he would later create Otello and Falstaff. The title role is one of the pillars of the baritone repertory.

Concert Review: Solemnity Now

The Metropolitan Opera mounts an old-fashioned Verdi Requiem.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

James Levine in his element.
Photo © 2017 The Metropolitan Opera Press Department.

The fifty-one year-old auditorium of the Metropolitan Opera has certain drawbacks. Those became visible on Monday night as the venerable opera company presented the second performance this season of the Messa di Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi. This is a colossal setting of the Latin Mass for the Dead, the standard service for funerals in the Roman Catholic Church until 1970. (Like all the performances this week, this one was dedicated to the memory of the baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky.)

Recordings Review: The Last Laugh

Dmitri Hvorostovsky takes his final curtain in Rigoletto.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Dmitri Hvorostovsky as Rigoletto, a role he sang at the Met and Covent Garden.
Photo by Johan Persson, © Royal Opera of Covent Garden

The death of baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky (from brain cancer, last week) sent an earthquake through the opera world. "Dima", as he was known was a beloved figure, for his velvety instrument and leonine stage appearance. Those qualities made him a star: an ideal leading man (in a few operas) or a bad guy you loved to root for in many others. His final recorded achievement, made earlier this year in Lithuania, is the title role in Verdi's Rigoletto

. He was well suited to play such a complex character, one who is both leading man and villain at once.

Obituary: Dmitri Hvorostovsky (1962-2017)

The great baritone succumbs to cancer.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

His last bow: Dmitri Hvorostovsky on the Met stage in the 2017 50th Anniversary Gala.
Photo by Ken Howard © 2017 The Metropolitan Opera.

There is heartbreaking news in the opera world this morning. It has been announced that Dmitri Hvorostovsky, the leonine baritone whose smooth voice and good looks made him an international superstar has died at the age of 55. An announcement appeared on his Facebook page this morning. It is reproduced here:

“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.”

Dmitri Hvorostovsky is Not Dead

Russian baritone "sleeping peacefully" at home.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Dmitri Hvorostovsky in his most recent appearance at the Met.
Photo by Ken Howard © 2017 The Metropolitan Opera.

Earlier tonight Superconductor posted that the 54 year old Siberian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky had died. Apparently he is not dead, but sleeping peacefully next to his wife Florence at his London home. Earlier today, a Russian news website had reported his death.

Metropolitan Opera Preview: Eugene Onegin

La Netrebko returns opposite two substitute baritones in Tchaikovsky's drama.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Anna Netrebko in the Act I "letter scene" from Eugene Onegin.
Photo by Ken Howard © 2014 The Metropolitan Opera.

Anna Netrebko returns to the role of Tatiana in the production she created in 2013. Her Onegin(s) will be Mariusz Kwiecien and Peter Mattei. They are substituting for Dmitri Hvorostovsky, who has declared himself unable to perform due to cancer treatments.

Hvorostovsky Withdraws from Met Production

The singer has bowed out of the upcoming Eugene Onegin for health reasons.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Singer Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Photo from his website

This morning, baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky announced that he is withdrawing from fully staged opera performances "for the foreseeable future."

Opera Review: The Full (Digital) Verdi

The Met outdoor broadcast series does Il Trovatore.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Passions writ large: Dmitri Hvorostovsky (left) woos Anna Netrebko in Act IV of Il Trovatore.
Photo © 2016 The Metrropolitan Opera.

Not every opera reviewer can see every important revival at the Metropolitan Opera. (It's even harder when that house continues its practice of keeping hard-working bloggers out of its press seats.) A major gap was corrected last night when this writer finally got a chance to see last year's searing revival of Il Trovatore, with Anna Netrebko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Dolora Zajick and Younghoon Lee squaring off in Verdi's most passionate opera. Il Trovatore is a repertory staple, but one that is hard to bring off as a full success. Under the baton of Marco Armiliato, this quartet of singers succeeded.

Concert Review: The White Tiger Returns

Dmitri Hvorostovsky in recital at Carnegie Hall. 
by Paul J. Pelkonen

He'll take Manhattan: Dmitri Hvorostovsky.
Photo by Pavel Antonov for Hvorostovsky.com

On Wednesday night, Dmitri Hvorostovsky returned to Carnegie Hall for a program of Russian songs and lieder by Richard Strauss. On paper, this would seem a normal yearly recital, part of the yearly routine of an international opera star. What is unusual though is that Mr. Hvorostovsky (who last appeared at the Met in Il Trovatore last fall. is in the middle of a long battle against brain cancer. His diagnosis was announced in June of 2015. Since then, he has cancelled performances,  undergone hospitalization and suffered through prolonged, presumably painful treatment.

Opera Review: The Fire This Time

The Metropolitan Opera revives Don Carlo.
 by Paul J. Pelkonen

Bass-off: King Philip (Ferrucio Furlanetto, right) pleads with the Grand Inquisitor (James Morris)
in Act IV of Verdi's Don Carlo. Photo by Ken Howard copyright 2015 The Metropolitan Opera.)

Giuseppe Verdi’s operas conquered his native Italy in the 19th century, He then set his sights on Paris, (the center of the operatic world at the time) as his next goal. Don Carlo (originally: Don Carlos) was his third and final attempt at French grand opera. Verdi adapted a play by Friedrich Schiller into a sprawling five-hour examination of the troubled Spanish royal family in the reign of King Philip II. 

Opera Review: Back to the Tables

The Met revives its "Las Vegas" Rigoletto.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Rigoletto (Dmitri Hvorostovsky, right) explains the facts of life to
Gilda (Irina Lungu) in the Met's revival of Rigoletto. 
Photo by Ken Howard © 2013 The Metropolitan Opera.

Despite a run of strong performances last season and a wave of critical acclaim, the Metropolitan Opera's still-new Michael Mayer production of Rigoletto remains controversial. Mr. Mayer's production updates Verdi's opera to 1960s Las Vegas, transforming the Duke into a Frank Sinatra-type casino entertainer and the titular hunchbacked jester as his opening act: a painfully unfunny insult comic.

Concert Review: His Northern Soul

Dmitri Hvorostovsky in recital at Carnegie Hall.
by Ellen Fishbein

Dmitri Hvorostovsky in New York.
Photo by Pasha Antonov © Hvorostovsky.com

The baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky is known for his theatrical spirit, as seen in Verdi roles on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. But for Wednesday night's Carnegie Hall recital with accompanist Ivari Ilja he allowed a certain sweetness to emerge in this all-Russian program.

Sergei Rachmaninoff's songs glide from grandiosity to the tenderest edges of the musical palette. Drawing inspiration from his chosen composer (and perhaps acknowledging the critiques of his own bombastic style), Mr. Hvorostovsky opened this recital with the composer's “My child, you are beautiful as a flower,” (Op. 8 No. 2), sung with a loving sweetness. The words floated from his lips as if he could sing them in no other way.

Opera Review: Suicide is Painless

Ernani returns at the Met.

Ernani (Roberto de Biasio, l.) and Elvira (Angela Meade)
in Act IV of Verdi's Ernani at the Met.
Photo by Marty Sohl © 2012 The Metropolitan Opera. 

The long Metropolitan Opera season always has one surprisingly good revival among its two-dozen-or-so operas. This year, it's Ernani with a strong cast overcoming the vagaries of this Verdi opera, with its goofy Victor Hugo-inspired story of bandits and honor in 16th century Spain.

Despite being the third of Verdi's early successes, the composer's fifth opera has fallen out of fashion in this young century. That might have to do with the romantic idealism of the libretto, which was the composer's first collaboration with Piave, and deals with a highly romanticized kind of Spanish honor. Everything seems to be settled at knife-point in Ernani, even the hero's life. 

As with Il Trovatore, a good cast can surmount the story's limitations and draw you into this heightened world. At the Monday, Feb. 6 performance, the title role was sung by tenor Roberto de Biasio, a talented young singer who bowed in last year's revival of Simon Boccanegra. Mr. Biasio displayed a ringing top note and more importantly, a pleasing timbre in his sturdy young voice. 

Another veteran of that Boccanegra, Dmitri Hvorovstovsky did not have a strong start, but settled into the role as Carlo, the Spanish King who gets elected Emperor (Charles V) in the third act. Mr. Hvorovstovsky was aided by the set designs here, sweeping staircases that helped project his slightly undersized baritone. He was at his best in Act III, with the opening scena ("Oh de' verd' anni miei") in front of Charlemagne's tomb. Verdi's spartan orchestration in this scene helped.

Rising diva Angela Meade shone as Elvira, a role that was her breakout in 2008 when the Washington State native subbed in for an ailing Sondra Radnovovsky. This is the prototype Verdi leading lady, a strong-willed woman who seems constantly ready to commit suicide. Ms. Meade brought her admirable instrument to the part, meeting the challenging high-and-low notes of the opening "Ernani, inviolame" and  the fiery duets and trios that form the backbone of this score.

As Silva, the revenge-obsessed nobleman (who ends the opera by ordering Ernani to commit suicide--you can't make this stuff up) Ferruccio Furlanetto's long experience in Verdi showed. Here, he was essential to the performance's success, playing an ungrateful, but noble character. Mr. Furlanetto brought his rich, steady bass to this character, singing granite-like low notes as he plotted to first bring down Carlo, and then in the last act, Ernani. 

Although Marco Armiliato is a steady hand in the pit, he does not bring the same level of energy and kinetic drive that is needed for the most successful performances of this opera. But he favored his singers, leading them through the tricky passages and enabling that the translated words of Victor Hugo were audible throughout. The story of Ernani is dated, this performance treated a great early Verdi opera with the respect it deserves.

Opera Review: Simon Boccanegra and the Chamber of Doom

Dmitri Hvorostovsky: The Doge Abides
Photo by Pasha Antonov

The Metropolitan Opera's 2011 revival of Simon Boccanegra continues to be plagued by illness. For Monday's performance, it was conductor James Levine who was down with a bug. He was replaced in the pit by Met assistant conductor John Keenan, who had previously assisted Mr. Levine with preparing the score. Mr. Keenan was aided by a strong cast, anchored by the suave Doge of Dmitri Hvorostovsky and the forza della natura bass singing of Ferruccio Furlanetto.

The role of Boccanegra is a stretch for Mr. Hvorostovsky, and it taxes the outer limits of his instrument. He was strong in the Prelude, facing off with Mr. Furlanetto in a duel of extended bass notes at the end of their first duet. The handsome Russian baritone sang with warm, creamy tone in crucial father-daughter duet, floating a gorgeous "Figlia!" above the stave. But when it came to the Council Chamber scene, the very heart of this opera, Mr. Hvorostovsky seemed overwhelmed.


Giancarlo del Monaco's giant, Renaissance-inspired set is the showpiece of this production, but the bane of baritones. The Doge's throne is at the very rear of this vast, square-ceilinged chamber, which looks good on TV but is less than ideal for singing. For Simon's royal address to reach the audience, the voice must traverse fifty feet of faux marble and then punch over the orchestral brass and percussion at crucial moments. Mr. Hvorostovsky has a velvet glove of a voice, but it lacked the iron fist within it needed for this crucial scene.

In this performance, it was the more intimate second act that was the highlight: a fascinating essay in family dynamics and power politics that are at the core of the story. The Act II duet with tenor Ramon Vargas was thrilling as only great Verdi can be. And the final trio of that act, where the two political antagonists are forcibly separated by the Doge's daughter Amelia (Barbara Frittoli) was the evening's most thrilling passage. For her part, Ms. Frittoli made a strong contribution to the cast, with a pleasing soprano voice that develops an audible vibrato when above mezzo forte.

Mr. Furlanetto's portrayal of the embittered Fieschi ranks next to his King Philip in Don Carlo, seen earlier this season. Singing with a rich tone laced with heartbreak, the bass brought tragic weight to "Il lacerato spirito." In the later acts, his Fieschi was less a father figure than an implacable spirit of vengeance, cutting through ensembles as a stern reminder of the political forces that dogged the Doge. His final duet with Mr. Hvorostovsky, coming right before the death scene, rang with warmth and forgiveness.

This cast boasts another fine bass: Nicola Alaimo in the role of the villainous Paolo. This character gets some of the opera's best music--a narrative passage in the Prologue, the Curse Scene, and his snarling Act II aria where he plots Boccanegra's death. Also, tenor Ramon Vargas, (recovered from his illness at the prima) sang his first Gabriele of the season, an ardent performance. This Mexican tenor's sweet, lyric voice is a little light for the part, but he held his own with Mr. Hvorostovsky and Ms. Frittoli, singing two passionate duets with the soprano.

Although Mr. Levine's golden touch with Verdi was missed, Mr. Keenan led a solid, competent performance, marred only by odd slow-downs in tempo and the occasional bad note during the brass tuttis at the end of the Council Chamber Scene.