Dmitri Hvorostovsky Interviewed For Closing Of Istanbul Opera Festival

The Russian baritone is a rock star in the world of opera.

Daily Sabah: How were you first introduced to and became involved with opera?
Dmitri Hvorostovsky: I grew up in a family that always appreciated classic music. My father is a chemical engineer who has studied piano since he was a child and has continued to play piano till now. When he was in his 20s he began taking singing lessons. My mother has a very beautiful natural high soprano. I've listen to classical and opera music literally since I was born. After studying at music school as a pianist, I moved on and rebelled as a rock singer in my teens, but always had a special love and appreciation for opera. Soon I realized that my voice is way too rich and bright for rock and pop, and my father suggested I should go and study at choral music college, where I went and quickly developed an enormous passion for opera singing. At college I studied piano, conducting, choral singing and took singing lessons three to four times a week with Galina Astanina. After three years I auditioned for Ekaterina Yoffel's class at the Krasnoyarsk Academy of Arts. After studying for five years I graduated as an opera and chamber music singer. In the second year, I became the youngest soloist at the Krasnoyarsk State Opera Theater.

Read the full interview here.

Istanbul Opera Festival Advertising Catches Media Attention

"Posters for next month’s İstanbul International Opera Festival have been gracing billboards across the city since the beginning of this week. The city’s historic venues -- including Yıldız Palace, Topkapı Palace, the Rumeli Fortress and the Aya İrini Museum -- will be home to 18 opera performances from July 1 to 21 for the second edition of the İstanbul Opera Festival, launched last year as part of the city’s tenure in 2010 as a European Capital of Culture. In one of the festival’s much-talked about posters, model/actress Sedef Avcı is seen getting in a cab at the gate of the Yıldız Palace while in another, actor Yetkin Dikinciler, as Sultan Mehmet II, converses with young people in Tophane. Another poster shows baritone Kenan Dağaşan in the role of Sultan Murat IV as he points to a target for the riot police in Beyoğlu’s Tünel quarter. Other posters depict singer/actress Zuhal Olcay as she poses for a street artist in Salacak, and actor Selçuk Yöntem captured by paparazzi as he exits the Adile Sultan Palace with a young woman next to him. The festival’s posters feature scenes from present-day İstanbul, everyday people, characters from opera pieces and celebrities. Yekta Kara, the artistic director of the İstanbul Opera Festival and chief director of the State Opera and Ballet General Directorate (DOBGM), tells us why.
Q: What’s the story behind these colorful, lively and different posters?
A: People are in a constant rush, it’s difficult to catch their attention. That’s why we used diverse elements together in the posters. There are four elements: the opera characters, the city of İstanbul, the people and celebrities. Eight artists posed for the posters and the photographs were taken by Mehmet Turgut."

Read the full interview by clicking here. See all of the ads and a schedule of performances for the festival after the jump.