Farewell, Hvorostovsky

Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Photo: Pavel Antonov

Tragic news on St Cecilia's Day: the Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky has died at the age of 55 after a long battle with a brain tumour. His office has issued a statement saying that the singer "died peacefully", "surrounded by family", adding: "May the warmth of his voice and his spirit always be with us."

Goodnight to this glorious artist. Cancer is a scourge that robs us prematurely of too many of our best and dearest beings. It has now taken another gem away.

Here is some film of Hvorostovsky's surprise appearance at a gala at the Met in New York in January, singing an extract from Rigoletto.