Beloved operatic baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky has died, following a two-and-a-half year battle with brain cancer. His final operatic performance was in December of last year, though he continued to give recitals through at least June. He also made a surprise appearance at the Met’s five-hour 50th anniversary gala in May. At the time of his death, he was 55 years-old.

I saw him only once, at the Met. He wasn’t singing; he passed me getting off of the elevator at a performance of “Rusalka,” starring his friend Renée Fleming. Even in the lobby, his was a striking presence.

There “have been many beautiful voices,” Fleming said, “but none more beautiful than Dmitri’s.”

R.I.P.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/22/arts/music/dmitri-hvorostovsky-dead.html

Hvorostovsky and Fleming in “Eugene Onegin:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8mJsowhByo

PHOTO: The couple during happier times, at a Lyric Opera of Chicago subscriber appreciation concert in 2012