Search - Dmitri Hvorostovsky - Russian Songs from the War Years on DVD

The power of beauty

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 05/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dmitri Hvorostovsky is overwhelming in this concert of war era songs, taken mostly from WWII, that Hvorostovsky interprets with such subtle intensity that one doesn't have to know the meaning of the words. The sound alone tells the story, and one finds the tears rolling down one's cheeks from the sheer beauty of it.
Hvorostovsky is one of the greatest baritones in operatic history, and has been Russia's gift to the world, as well as being one of its best ambassadors, bringing Russian music to a wide audience. From the song cycles of Georgi Sviridov, to the rousing folk songs, to the melodic, moving pieces in this concert, finer renditions cannot be found.

Set in the 6,500 seat concert hall of the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow, on April 8, 2003, Hvorostovsky stands in front of the orchestra and chorus in a black suit and open white shirt. The camera often focuses on his expressive face, which occasionally breaks into a smile that would melt the winter snow in Krasnoyarsk, the Siberian city that was his birthplace in 1962. There are occasional views of the tearful audience, and moments when they bring him flowers, which he accepts and places center stage.
Whether one sits and watches this astonishing singer, or just listens to his dark, rich voice, this DVD is a treasure for anyone who likes Russian music, or appreciates the best of all possible voices.

Constantine Orbelian is an award winning pianist and conductor, and has worked extensively with Hvorostovsy. Born in San Francisco, he is the only foreign artist to be awarded the title "Honored Artist of Russia", and here leads the Moscow Chamber Orchestra; also included in this program are the Style of Five Ensemble, the Yale Alumni Chorus, and the Spiritual Revival Choir.
Total running time is 59 minutes. There are no subtitles but the name of the song and composer are briefly put on the screen.
There is a booklet enclosure with short bios and text of the songs in English and transliterated Russian.
The song list: 1: "Soldiers are Coming", 2: "Dark is the Night", 3: "Unexpected Waltz", 4: "The Roads", 5: "On a Nameless Hill", 6: "Somewhere far Away", 7: "Katyusha", 8: "The Hills of Manchuria", 9: "The Sacred Stone", 10: "The Lonely Accordion", 11: "Cranes", 12: "The Last Battle", 13: "My Moscow".
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Absolutely incredible!

M. Bingley | Lincolnshire, England. | 03/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not given to hyperbole, but this DVD truly is incredible. It's taken from a live concert given by Dmitri Hvorosovsky in Russia, and he is in superb voice. Not only that, he's also on top form when it comes to communicating with his audience, and clearly feels deeply and passionately about every one of these songs. As the concert progresses, the audience become almost as much a part of the performance as Hvorostovsky, and the atmosphere is so good that it makes you wish you could have been there. Watching some of the older members of the audience weep brought a lump to my throat. It must have been a night to remember for the rest of your life. If you can only buy one of this brilliant baritone's DVDs, then I'd recommend this one. There aren't any subtitles, but there is a booklet which gives you the words, and to be honest Hvorostovsky is so expressive that you get the feel of them anyway. This is an artist who appears to be going from strength to strength, and this is a DVD which demonstrates that fact brilliantly. Buy it, you won't be disappointed!"

In awe!

Z. Yang | Hockessin, DE USA | 06/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"They are not Tchaikovsky; they are not Verdi; they are not Rachmaninoff; but these Songs of War Years have no short of dramatic power, nor less sentimentality! In his home country, backed by Moscow Chamber Orchestra and Spiritual Revival Choir of Russia, along with Russian folk instrument ensemble "Style of Five", baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky created great sensation in his 2003 Concert from Moscow, in retrospect the years of WWII in Russia. Retrospective the songs are, they reflect part of the culture during the Soviets era. The popularity of the songs even to this day in Russia and the immense effectiveness when sung by Hvorostovsky's deep, intoxicating voice is sensational. There is no caption of the lyrics showing on the screen - you can find the lyrics and their English translations in the booklet that comes with the DVD. But in the end you'd find the caption unnecessary. The sentiments directly come from the heart - through Hvorostovsky's expressive singing, and through the emotions from the audience, many with tears in their eyes. Although sitting in front of TV screen, I was also in tears, as well as in awe!

The content of this DVD is only the second half of the concert - in the first half Hvorostovsky sang Tchaikovsky, Rubinstein, and Leoncavallo. Cutting anything from Hvorostovsky's concert would be regretful, however, what we've seen here is a complete show, with the distinctive colors of its own. The songs from the DVD can be found in Hvorostovsky's CD "Where Are You, My Brothers", which is a studio recording released in 2002.
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Even if u ask me to give more than 5 stars, I would say "yes

Billy | San Diego, CA USA | 11/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have three Dmitri Hvorostovsky's recordings: portrait, verdi arias, and this one, and this one stands out the most to me. He has a very rich, beautiful voice, and you can feel his emotion when his voice comes out. He really feels the music VERY deeply, much more than the verdi works and other arias I think. The music itself is not about beautiful romance or love, fairy tales stories like most opera storylines, it really has a very strong picture of world war II time and Dmitri's singing 100% successfully make these scenes even stronger. It consists of tears, blood, flesh, loves and relationships between family, lovers, friends, etc. For example, the first piece "Soldiers are coming" really have a picture of an army walking through fields to the war, all soldiers are thinking of their families or lovers, and they have a very strong will to defeat the enemies in order to go back home. So do other pieces. Plus Dmitri's stage performance also very good, especially his singing posture, young vocalists I think should learn more from him. The choir is also excellent, they do not let Dmitri "steal all the fun" too. It definitely worth ur money to buy this DVD, and it is a very good way get to know more about Russian music."