Dmitri Hvorostovsky at the Met

With his robust baritone, charismatic stage presence, and trademark white hair, Dmitri Hvorostovsky was a favorite of Met audiences from his 1995 debut in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades to his tragic death in 2017 due to brain cancer. Appearing in nearly 200 performances in a wide range of repertoire, Hvorostovsky was one of his generation’s greatest interpreters of the works of Giuseppe Verdi, giving powerful portrayals as Count di Luna in Il Trovatore, Germont in La Traviata, Anckarström in Un Ballo in Maschera, Rodrigo in Don Carlo, and the title roles of Rigoletto and Simon Boccanegra, among others. His career with the company also included memorable performances as Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Valentin in Gounod’s Faust, and the title character of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, arguably his best beloved Met role. He gave his final appearance as a surprise special guest at the 50 Years at Lincoln Center Gala, singing Rigoletto’s stirring aria “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata.