Today, the Dmitri Hvorostovsky monument’s opening ceremony took place in Krasnoyarsk. The solemn event was attended by the parents of the world-famous singer - Alexander and Lyudmila Hvorostovskys, as well as Dmitri’s widow Florencу and their children - Maxim and Nina, the Governor of the Region Alexander Uss and close friends of the Hvorostovsky family. The monument was put up in a park located in the lower tier of the Krasnoyarsk State Institute of Arts. Last August, a cremation urn with the ashes of an outstanding Siberian vocalist was placed there. The parents and the widow of the artist have chosen the place for the urn and the monument.

The Hvorostovsky monument design project contest announced in 2018. 11 sculptors from all over the country have sent their suggestions on what the monument should be like. The winner of the contest is the project of a group of authors - a sculptor and Honoured Artist of Russia Vladimir Usov and an architect, a member of the Union of Architects of Russia, Associate Professor of the Sculpture Department in the Hvorostovsky Siberian Institute of Arts, Andrei Kasatkin. The family of Dmitri Hvorostovsky had the last word on choosing the draft project.

As Alexander Hvorostovsky said, this particular project portrays the character of his son in the most accurate way. “We fell in love with this Dima’s monument at first sight - this is him, his movement, his charisma. I am so glad that the event we have dreamt about will come true. We express our profound gratitude for this to the Governor of the Region, the Ministry of Culture, friends, relatives. Finally, everything has been done as planned.”

Florence Illi-Hvorostovsky thanked everyone who came to the opening of the monument. “I am grateful to Alexander Uss, Arkady Zinov for this project. Thanks for the help, thanks for the monument. And I am very glad that we were able to come to Krasnoyarsk with my children.”

The head of the Region Alexander Uss also addressed the audience at the opening of the monument. “Today is a special day for us - the Krasnoyarsk Region sets up the monument to its great son, an honourary citizen of the Region Dmitri Alexandrovich Hvorostovsky. He had a unique voice - perhaps one of the best voices of the modern era. And this gift from above along with his personal features, his greatheartedness, strong character and charisma made him a man of the planet, a man of the world. No wonder he was called world-wide Russian, because he displayed the best personal qualities of the representatives of Russia. And yet, he was always proud to be born here in Siberia. He was the Krasnoyarsk one, the Siberian, he loved this land, always thought about it, wherever he performed. I am very grateful to the relatives of Dmitry Alexandrovich - Alexander Stepanovich, Lyudmila Petrovna, Florence for their extraordinary perseverance and decisiveness: thanks to their position this project was realized. Special thanks are due to sculptor Vladimir Usov who put his heart into it and embodied Dmitri in metal as he was.”

The installation of the monument is one of the steps to eternalize the memory of an opera singer from Krasnoyarsk, who has become famous throughout the world. Earlier, his name was assigned to the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre, Children's Music School No. 4 and the Siberian State Institute of Arts. According to the results of a popular vote, the Krasnoyarsk airport was named after Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Besides, the festival named after Dmitri Hvorostovsky will take place in our city. As its part, concerts of world-class stars will be held on the stages of the Grand Concert Hall and the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre between the 16th and 26th of October. The festival will open with the performance of the Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi right on the day of Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s birth. On October 17, one of the best tenors of our time Juan Diego Florez is going to introduce his solo concert in Krasnoyarsk. The full programme of the festival can be found on the website www.cultura24.ru. Tickets can be purchased at the box office of the theatre and the regional philharmonic society, as well as on their official websites.

Photos: Alexander Paniotov / Culture24

Biographical reference:

The world-famous baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky was born in 1962 in Krasnoyarsk. He graduated from the Gorky Krasnoyarsk Pedagogical College and the Krasnoyarsk Institute of Arts, class of Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation, Professor Yekaterina Iofel.

Between 1985 and 1990, he was a soloist of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre. In 1987, he won the first prizes of the Russian Competition of Vocalists and the Glinka Soviet Union Competition. In 1988, Hvorostovsky was awarded the Grand Prix at a competition in Toulouse (France).

His international singing career began in 1989 after he had won the contest Singer of the World (the United Kingdom) and the Best Voice title. In 1991, the singer received the RSFSR State Prize in the field of musical art. He was awarded the honorary title People's Artist of Russia in 1995.

Dmitri Hvorostovsky was an outstanding artist and one of the best baritones of our time. For more than 30 years, his name has been among the biggest names of the Russian and world opera scenes.

While having performed in Krasnoyarsk, the singer was actively engaged in musical and educational activities. His solo performances, lectures, concerts, master classes unexceptionally became the most outstanding events in the cultural life of the Krasnoyarsk Region.

Dmitri Hvorostovsky died on November 22, 2017, after a long illness. According to the last will of the world opera scene legend, his ashes were divided into two equal parts after cremation. On November 28, 2017, the first urn was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. The second one was delivered to Krasnoyarsk and placed at the site of the future monument in the square on the lower tier of the Krasnoyarsk State Institute of Arts on August 24, 2018.