MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated opera star Dmitri Hvorostovsky on his birthday on Monday, calling him one of the most distinguished baritones of modern times.

"Let me heartily congratulate you on your birthday and express my sincere admiration by your talent, the strength of mind and firmness," Putin said in a telegram published on the Kremlin website.

According to Putin, Hvorostovsky’s bright and generous gift, remarkable working efficiency and unlimited respect for the audience allowed him to achieve the international recognition and love of admirers of musical art in the whole world.

Putin stressed that people in Russia have warm and kind feelings to the singer, and wished him good health, optimism and a cheerful attitude.

The internationally acclaimed Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky marks his 55th birthday on Monday.

In 1989, Hvorostovsky was victorious at the International Opera Singers Competition in Cardiff that brought him world fame. He performed at Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and other prestigious opera theaters.

Hvorostovsky performed in the operas The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini, La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi and Iolanta by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

In the summer of 2015, Hvorostovsky was diagnosed with a brain tumor.