Dmitri Hvorostovsky - Songs and Dances of Death / Gergiev

This is my favorite Dmitri Hvorostovsky CD. Not only he included the famous Russian opera arias for baritone, but he also added the magnificent "Songs and Dances of Death" by Modeste Mussorgsky brilliantly arranged for orchestra by Dmitri Shostakovich. Originally, Mussorgsky composed this terrifying masterpiece for different voices singing each piece, i.e. one for bass, one for tenor, one for contralto. Shostakovich decided to arrange it for orchestra for the Prima Donna of Bolshoi and his good friend Galina Vishnevskaya. He also made the pieces grimmer, so to speak, with his booming rhythmic percussion and "ticking clock" strings. In her book, Galina Vishnevskaya contrasts Shostakovich's terror of death to Mussorgsky's faithful acceptance of it.

Hearing Dmitri sing "Songs and Dances" in his baritone key is somewhat of a revelation. Not having the benefit of soprano's flying vocal pyrotechnics, Dmitri chose to put all the terror he could muster in his singing. On "Trepak" he resorts to folk song's vivacity and in "Field Marchall" he sings the voice of Death with suffocating anger towards the living. The "Serenade" sparkles with warm seductive sound and "Lullaby" sounds as it is sang by two different voices. It is indeed spine-chilling.

The rest of the album is just as impressive. The Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin selections are a part of Russian traditional baritone repertoire; Hvoristovsky approaches them with utmost seriousness and dedication. The Rubinstein and Rachmaninov arias are rare, the ones from "Demon" and "Aleko" used to be sang by basses or bass/baritones, for example Nicolai Ghiaurov and George London. But Dmitri is able to hit the low notes just fine, thereby fending off some critic's preposterous remarks about his lower range. Actually he manages to sound like a lyric basso, which is quite an accomplishment. And the breath control on "Na Vozdushnom Okeane" is nothing short of remarkable. Valery Gergiev brings his trademark intensity and imaginative reading to the music and the Kirov Orchestra is in top shape. Somehow I think that transposing the Mussorgsky selections for the baritone was his idea. Btw, Dmitri's singing idol, the great Fyodor Chaliapin recorded only "Trepak" out of the whole song cycle. Thus Dmitri's is, in a sense, finishing what Chaliapin had started. As always, the Philips sound is wonderful and spacious. The booklet is informative, but a serious listener may want to do some more research. Personally I longed for Cyrillic texts, but the translations are pretty accurate, so that those unfamiliar with Russian could get an overall understanding, which is absolutely essential for this fascinating material.

Having heard only later that Chaliapin is a role model for the young Dmitri Hvorostovsky, I can only hope he keeps admiring his great predecessor's approach. But this man's incredibly suave voice and particular poise will make him quite the individual if he keeps up the good work redefining the Russian aria. The Rimsky-Korsakov and Rubenstein arias are not to be missed.