Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s Silvio - I Pagliacci: duet with Angela Gheorghiu (2003)

The much missed Dmitri Hvorostovsky (1962-2017) in a role that to me fits his voice like a glove, requiring an elegant, manly and seductive sound as his: Silvio in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci. Though this is clearly the opera of Canio, it is Silvio, i.e. Hvorostovsky who gets the great duet with the soprano - and what a hauntingly passionate duet! Angela Gheorghiu was probably in the best period of her career, with a voice rich in beautiful colors and gifted with a vibrant, expressive sweetness. The other performers are Plácido Domingo (Canio), Lado Ataneli (Tonio) and Daniil Shtoda (Beppe), all under the detailed conducting of Antonio Pappano. Royal Opera House, 2003