Watch Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s Surprise Return to the Met Opera
It was a return to the stage that some feared would never happen again
Video: In surprise appearance, Dmitri Hvorostovksy celebrates the Met at 50
Dmitri Hvorostovsky made a surprise appearance at the Metropolitan Opera’s gala Sunday evening, celebrating the institution’s 50th anniversary at Lincoln Center. Audiences greeted the Siberian baritone with a standing ovation as he took the stage to perform “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata” from Verdi’s Rigoletto.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/08/arts/music/watch-dmitri-hvorostovskys-surprise-return-to-the-met-opera.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Farts&action=click&contentCollection=arts®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=1
The baritone sings “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata” from Verdi’s "Rigoletto," in a surprise performance at the gala to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Met Opera's home at Lincoln Center. By THE METROPOLITAN OPERA on Publish Date May 8, 2017. .
Last year the beloved Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky withdrew from staged opera — including a run of “Eugene Onegin” performances at the Metropolitan Opera — because of a brain tumor. When it opened without him, the soprano Anna Netrebko and the other members of the cast held white roses during their ovations in tribute.
But Mr. Hvorostovsky made a surprise return to the Met on Sunday night, and his performance became the emotional high point of an all-star gala concert — and the payoff of a plan that had been quietly set in motion less than two weeks earlier.
It was Mr. Hvorostovsky’s success at an April 25 concert in Toronto — where he appeared alongside Ms. Netrebko, his longtime friend — that led Peter Gelb, general manager of the Met, to invite him to appear at the company’s gala celebrating its 50 years at Lincoln Center.
“The concert went very well, and a few days later I spoke with him when he was back in London,” Mr. Gelb said. “He told me that his doctors encouraged him to keep singing, and that every day he had been working out physically and singing every day, and he said he really wanted to come to New York and be part of the gala.”
But the two men kept it quiet: Mr. Hvorostovsky’s health has been unpredictable, and he was forced to cancel several recitals this year. “We agreed that we would keep it a surprise,” Mr. Gelb said, “just to make sure that he really was going to be well enough to do it.”
No announcement was made, and Mr. Hvorostovsky’s name was not in the programs, though rumors began to swirl in the gossipy opera world. Mr. Gelb asked his production team to prepare a projection of Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” the opera Mr. Hvorostovsky planned to sing a selection from. The orchestra was not told until a last-minute rehearsal on Sunday afternoon — the loudspeaker that summons singers to the stage did not use his name — but when he strode onto the stage for the run-through they applauded him wildly.
Jessica Phillips, a clarinet player, said that even musicians who were not performing the “Rigoletto” aria crowded into the pit to pay their respects. “The orchestra has a lot of love for him,” she said.
The gala audience was not let in on the secret until Mr. Gelb walked onstage on Sunday to make the announcement in the middle of the concert. “It’s my honor to introduce one of the most wonderful and greatest artists, who has defied all the odds and the gods to be here tonight,” he said.
Mr. Hvorostovsky, 54, strode out, squared his feet and bent over, suggesting Rigoletto, the hunchback jester he was playing. Then he sang a searing, poignant “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata.” When it was over the audience cheered him with a long standing ovation, which continued as he blew kisses to the audience and touched his heart in gratitude.
Nearly two years ago Mr. Hvorostovsky, who has appeared at the Met nearly 200 times since his debut in 1995, announced that he had a brain tumor. Since then he has given some memorable performances, but in December he announced that he was withdrawing from all staged opera performances “for the foreseeable future.”
Mr. Hvorostovsky said that balance problems associated with his illness made appearing in full productions impossible, but that he intended to continue making recordings and giving recitals. Later that month Tass reported that he had been hospitalized with pneumonia, and he canceled several recitals planned for Kaliningrad, Russia; Minsk, Belarus; and the Vienna State Opera. (Mr. Hvorostovsky, who was traveling on Monday, declined an interview request.)
“I had been greatly looking forward to these recitals, and it truly pains me to have to withdraw from them,” he said in a statement in February. “However, right now I must follow doctor’s orders and focus on my recovery.”
But since then he has returned to recitals. Next month a recording of “Russia Cast Adrift,” in which he sings a newly orchestrated version of a song cycle by the Russian composer Georgy Sviridov, will be released on Delos; in October the label plans to release a recording of “Rigoletto” featuring Mr. Hvorostovsky in the title role.
Mr. Hvorostovsky appeared on Sunday at the dinner that followed the gala concert, and on Monday morning, before flying back home to London, he spoke with Mr. Gelb.
“He said to me this morning,” Mr. Gelb recalled, “that the performance last night had given him new life, and hope.”
Dmitiri Hvorostovsky: A 2017 Met Opera Gala Surprise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZtaEInqOos
Dmitri Hvorostovsky's Surprise Performance at the Met Opera 50th Anniversary Gala
http://www.wqxr.org/story/dmitri-hvorostovskys-surprise-performance-met-opera-50th-anniversary-gala/
On Sunday, May 7, the Metropolitan Opera celebrated its 50th year in Lincoln Center. The Anniversary Gala brought some of the opera’s finest voices together in one room as they performed favorites from the past, and sang musical visions of the future.
But it was Baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky who delivered the ultimate surprise, performing “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata” from Verdi’s Rigoletto before an adoring crowd. It was Hvorostovsky's first performance at the Met Opera since being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2015. His illness forced a career hiatus as he sought treatment, though he has returned to the stage for recitals. Most recently, in Toronto this past April, Hvorostovsky performed alongside Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvasoz.
Dmitri Hvorostovsky at the Met Gala photos
https://www.google.hr/search?q=Dmitri+Hvorostovsky+at+the+Met+Gala&client=opera&hs=LXx&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihw9n5qZLUAhWqK8AKHakWCnAQsAQIJA&biw=1745&bih=855
Splendor, Nostalgia and Camp Salute 50 Years of the Met at Lincoln Center
http://observer.com/2017/05/splendor-nostalgia-and-camp-salute-50-years-of-the-met-at-lincoln-center/
Baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky makes a moving surprise appearance at the Metropolitan Opera’s gala.
Dmitri Hvorostovsky delights the Met with a surprise appearance
http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/baritone’s-welcome-return-and-soprano’s-explanation
Hvorostovsky makes surprise appearance at Met Opera gala
http://newsok.com/article/feed/1217659
Metropolitan Opera 50th Anniversary Gala Review: Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s Surprise Return Among Many Highlights in a Memorable Night
http://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-50th-anniversary-gala-review-dmitri-hvorostovskys-surprise-return-among-many-highlights-in-a-memorable-night/
The Emotional Core of the Night
But before I do that I want to highlight possibly the most emotionally riveting moment of the entire evening. Halfway through the first half of the 5-hour gala, general manager Peter Gelb came on stage to deliver a surprise announcement – Dmitri Hvorostovsky would be singing “Cortigiani! Vil Razza!” The audience exploded with passionate applause as the baritone, who has been battling cancer for the last few years, walked onstage. He delivered the opening sections of the aria with a bitter quality, his sound pointed and shrewd. But the second half of the aria, during which Rigoletto begs for clemency showcased Hvorostovsky at his most passionate, his phrasing rising with intensity at each plea. When put into the scope of his own personal plight, this scene and choice of aria really struck an emotional chord. That was undeniably the winner of the emotional moment of the night.
The Russian Soul of Dmitri Hvorostovsky
http://www.wqxr.org/story/russian-soul-dmitri-hvorostovsky/
http://operawire.com/dmitri-hvorostovsky-out-of-danger-after-being-taken-to-hospital-in-st-petersburg-with-pneumonia/
http://granpausa.com/2015/08/01/nada-de-sexo-por-favor-somos-musicos-clasicos/
Photo Dima….
https://i2.wp.com/granpausa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/5ef9b674-7a2b-11e4-_814022j.jpg
Preview THE MET: LIVE IN HD Il Trovatore by Verdi, Anna Dima Duet Part 2
https://vimeo.com/140734084
Dmitri Hvorostovsky curtain call after Il Trovatore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClnJPuljoNw
50th Anniversary Gala
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDYWOc_kQgI
Javier Camarena sings “Pour mon âme!” from Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment” in the Met’s 50th Anniversary Gala. Conductor: Marco Armiliato. May 7, 2017.
“Cortigiani, vil razza dannata”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxi-9-roATM
In a surprise appearance, Dmitri Hvorostovsky sings “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata” from Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in the Met’s 50th Anniversary Gala. Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin. May 7, 2017.
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"Quando le sere al placido"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nx26QTGH3k#t=9.869313
Piotr Beczala sings “Quando le sere al placido” from Verdi's “Luisa Miller" in the Met’s 50th Anniversary Gala. Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin. May 7, 2017
"Che gelida manina"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VPnEcNdZFc#t=4.941354
Joseph Calleja sings “Che gelida manina” from Puccini's “La Bohème” in the Met’s 50th Anniversary Gala. Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin. May 7, 2017
"Si, mi chiamano Mimi"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4_MiIQfNRs
Sonya Yoncheva sings “Si, mi chiamano Mimi” from Puccini's “La Bohème” in the Met’s 50th Anniversary Gala. Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin. May 7, 2017
“Un bel dì”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtG8Eab-wTk
Anna Netrebko sings “Un bel dì” from Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” in the Met’s 50th Anniversary Gala. Conductor: James Levine. May 7, 2017.
"Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7Uel8AA9uA
Elīna Garanča sings “Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix” from Saint-Saën’s “Samson et Dalila” in the Met’s 50th Anniversary Gala. Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin. May 7, 2017
“Bel raggio lusinghier”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYilS01RPgI
Joyce DiDonato sings “Bel raggio lusinghier” from Rossini’s “Semiramide” in the Met’s 50th Anniversary Gala. Conductor: James Levine. May 7, 2017.
“Qual voluttà trascorrere”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_B2LIauU6k
Angela Meade, Michael Fabiano, Günther Groissböck sing “Qual voluttà trascorrere” from Verdi’s “I Lombardi” in the Met’s 50th Anniversary Gala. Conductor: James Levine. Violin solo: David Chan. May 7, 2017.
Placido Domingo Live at the 50th Anniversary MET Gala
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ka81n56oPM
The Legendary Placido Domingo (now at the age of 76) singing the aria "Nemico della Patria" from Andrea Chenier, opening the big 50th Anniversary since the New MET opened (1967)!! He is singing for at the MET for more than 49 years and he is going for more for sure!!!
50th Anniversary Gala: Finale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2nZZq2s6vk
During the finale of the 50th Anniversary Gala—the Act II Finale from "Aida"—the Met paid tribute to some of the great artists who have contributed so much to the company’s success over its first five decades in Lincoln Center. May 7, 2017.
Curtain Call in The Met Opera's 50th Anniversary at Lincoln Center 05.07.17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhSzndFPb3k
Met Gala curtain call (May 7, 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pU_XZaqkro
Met Gala 2017 Stars on the Red Carpet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbIGjUMg3NQ
Met Gala 2017 Stars on the Red Carpet
Thank you!!
MET Gala 2017 Red Carpet Arrivals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKAffOjKBXc
Get an inside look at the Met Gala including all of the red carpet dresses. Watch your favorite celebrities as they pose for photographers in the latest fashions from top designers in this exclusive video from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Fashion’s Biggest Night with the Biggest Stars.
This year's event celebrates the opening of the exhibition Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 4 to September 4, 2017