Hvorostovsky looked slightly torn between projecting the crowd-pleasing Pavarottian persona the audience seemed to want, and modeling the gravitas befitting a great Verdi baritone. But even with that awkward tension looming, he still sounded wonderful. His baritone is a rare instrument, immensely smooth and deep, full but agile, and never forced or strained. One quality it lacks is a surface brilliance that he might have otherwise used to electrify this crowd. Instead, he won them over through patient, elegant lyricism. Under Orbelian's lead, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra was a sensitive partner, with a sound that was dark-hued and almost always polished, though the string playing could have used more definition and bite.
Hvorostovsky was freer and more unbuttoned, literally and figuratively, in the second half, which featured several popular Russian songs in orchestral arrangements. But not even the addition of players from the Russian folk ensemble Style of Five could save some of these tunes, in their soupy arrangements, from sounding to the outsider's ear too close to Russian Muzak. Neapolitan songs including "O Sole Mio" and short instrumental works rounded out the formal program.
Of course no one expected to leave without encores, and the performers obliged, beginning with "Dark Eyes," which drew cheers from the opening bars alone. After that, Hvorostovsky shifted the tone by sharing some brief memories of performing in Symphony Hall in 1991. He then gave a beautifully earthy and deeply personal rendition of an unaccompanied folk song called "Nochen'ka" or "Little Night." It was full of majestic arching phrases and dark Russian soul, and by the end, the singer himself seemed to have drifted elsewhere. For the first time, there was a breath of silence between the music and the applause. Could the evening have had more of these transporting moments? Maybe, maybe not. Hvorostovsky moved promptly into heartthrob mode, wading through the orchestra to give kisses to each one of the women. The closing rendition of "Moscow Nights" had his delighted Russian fans singing in their seats.
Jeremy Eichler can be reached at jeichler@globe.com
