Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky is one of the most visible and admired classical stars of our time. When he isn’t acknowledging a chorus of bravos after singing in an opera with one of the world’s most renowned divas, he is commanding a stage in a recital that evokes raves and standing ovations. The man from Siberia wears his silver mane like a crown, whether he is conveying the passionate romanticism of Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky or interpreting the elegant Italian repertory like a compatriot of Verdi.

Direct from New York’s Metropolitan Opera, where he has been starring as Rodrigo in a production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo,” he arrives at the Kennedy Center to sing some of his favorite recital pieces under the auspices of the Washington Performing Arts Society. He is accompanied by his pianist of choice, Ivari Ilja, who regularly joins him onstage and in the recording studio.