The Bells of Dawn Dmitri Hvorostovsky

• 1Khvalite imya Gospodne (Praise the Name of the Lord)03:35
• 2Blazhen muzh (Blessed is the Man) in Op. 44, No. 203:26
• 3Sovet Prevechnyj (The pre-eternal counsel)02:45
• 4Hear My Prayer (Da ispravitsya molitva moya)07:14
• 5From my Youth02:43
• 6The Wise Thief (Razboynika blagorazumnago)02:24
• 7Symbol of Faith (Simvol veri)05:34
• 8Metelitsa (Snowstorm)02:35
• 9Ne veljat Mashe (They Don't Let Masha)03:36
• 10There Is Not One Path Through the Field (Ne odna vo pole dorozhka)03:24
• 11The Lonely Coach Bell (Odnozvuchno gremit kolokol'chik)04:30
• Traditional
• 12Farewell, My Joy (Proshchay, radost')03:16
• Traditional
• 13The Fog Has Fallen Onto the Field (Uzh kak pal tuman)03:42
• Elizaveta Shashina (1805–1903)
• 14I Walk My Path Alone (Vïkhozhu odin ya na dorogu)04:54
• Traditional
• 15Oh, Night (Akh tï, nochen’ka)04:27
• Georgy Vasil'yevich Sviridov (1915-1998)
• 16The Bells of Dawn (Zoryu b’yut)05:09
• Total Runtime01:03:14

Info for The Bells of Dawn

This is Ondine’s third release with the Russian star baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and is devoted to sacred works by Russian composers and Russian folk songs. Hvorostovsky is recognized as one of the leading baritones of today and is an international presence in famous opera houses throughout the world.

The title song of the album, Georgy Sviridov’s Bells of Dawn, is an atmospheric work creating an otherworldly and remote landscape. The music for this disc has been especially chosen to entice the listener into the beauty of traditional Russian music as well as the skill and craft of contemporary composers in maintaining this tradition for the future.

Hvorostovsky is accompanied by the prestigious Russian Grand Choir ‘Masters of Choral Singing’, a choir which showcases the best traditions of Russian choral singing, under the direction of Lev Kontorovich.

Dmitri Hvorostovsky, baritone
The Grand Choir 'Masters of Choral Singing'
Lev Kontorovich, conductor

Recorded at Moscow State Conservatory P. I. Tchaikovsky, 23, 25, 26, 29-30 June & 2 July, 2012
Recording Producer: Vladimir Kopcov
Sound Engineers: Dmitrij Kovyzhenko, Aleksej Meshhanov
Mixing: Ruslana Oreshnikova
Final Mixing & Mastering: Enno Mäemets, Editroom Oy, Helsinki
Executive Producer: Reijo Kiilunen

Dmitri Hvorostovsky
was born and studied in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. In 1989, he won the prestigious Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. From the start, audiences were bowled over by his cultivated voice, innate sense of musical line and natural legato. After his Western operatic debut at the Nice Opera in Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame, his career exploded to take in regular engagements at the world’s major opera houses and appearances at renowned international festivals, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the Paris Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, the Salzburg Festival, the Teatro alla Scala Milan, the Vienna State Opera, and the Chicago Lyric Opera.

A celebrated recitalist in demand in every corner of the globe — from the Far East to the Middle East, from Australia to South America — Hvorostovsky has appeared at such venues as Wigmore Hall, London; Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh; Carnegie Hall, New York; the Teatro alla Scala, Milan; the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, Moscow; the Liceu, Barcelona; the Suntory Hall, Tokyo; and the Musikverein, Vienna. The singer regularly performs in concert with top orchestras like the New York Philharmonic and the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and conductors, including James Levine, Bernard Haitink, Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Yuri Termikanov and Valery Gergiev.

Dmitri retains a strong musical and personal contact with Russia. He became the first opera singer to give a solo concert with orchestra and chorus on Red Square in Moscow; this concert was televised in over 25 countries. Dmitri has gone on to sing a number of prestigious concerts in Moscow as a part of his own special series, ‘Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Friends.’ He has invited such celebrated artists as Renée Fleming, Sumi Jo and Sondra Radvonosky. In 2005 he gave an historic tour throughout the cities of Russia at the invitation of President Putin, singing to crowds of hundreds of thousands of people to commemorate the soldiers of the Second World War. Dmitri now tours the cities of Russia and Eastern Europe on an annual basis.

Constantine Orbelian, Conductor
The brilliant pianist and conductor Constantine Orbelian is the first American ever to become music director of an ensemble in Russia. His appointment in 1991 as Music Director of the celebrated Moscow Chamber Orchestra was a breakthrough event, and came in the midst of Orbelian's successful career as a concert pianist. In September, 2000, Orbelian was named Permanent Guest Conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic, putting him in a unique leadership position with not only Moscow's outstanding chamber orchestra but also its most illustrious symphony orchestra. In January, 2004 President Putin awarded Orbelian the coveted title 'Honored Artist of Russia,' a title never before bestowed on a non-Russian citizen.

Booklet for The Bells of Dawn