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Andrea Bocelli Wiki Information
Andrea Bocelli
, Grande Ufficiale OMRI (born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He has recorded over 20 pop and classical albums, including seven complete operas.
He has sold over 60 million albums worldwide [1], making him the world's best selling tenor, having sold more records than fellow Italian tenor, Luciano Pavarotti [2]. Some of his most popular albums include Romanza
and Sogno
. He sings in many languages including Italian, Spanish, French, English, and German.
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ANDREA BOCELLI TICKETS
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Early life
225px at Lajatico, Tuscany
Bocelli was born in Lajatico, Tuscany, Italy, about 40 km south of Pisa, in 1958, to parents Alessandro and Edi Bocelli, and grew up on the family farm. It was evident at birth that he had problems with his sight, and after visits to many doctors Bocelli was diagnosed with glaucoma. In 1970, at the age of 12, he completely lost his sight after an accident during a soccer game. As a young boy, Bocelli showed a great passion for music. His mother, Edi, has said that music was the only thing that would comfort him. At the age of six he started piano lessons before he also learned to play the flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, harp, guitar and drums.
Bocelli would also spend time singing during his childhood and would later recall that he was "one of those children who would always be asked to sing for my relatives. I don't think one really decides to be a singer - other people decide it for you by their reactions." [3] [4] At the age of 14 he won his first song competition, the Margherita d'Oro in Viareggio with O sole mio
.
[5] After he finished secondary school, in 1980, he studied Law at the University of Pisa. After graduating he spent one year as a court appointed lawyer. To earn money Bocelli performed evenings in piano bars. It was there, in 1987, that he met his future wife, Enrica.
1992-1994
In 1992, Italian rock star Zucchero held auditions for tenors to make a demo tape with him of the song Miserere
from his album of the same name, to send to Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti. After hearing Bocelli on tape, Pavarotti urged Zucchero to use Bocelli instead of him, saying, "Thank you for writing such a wonderful song. Yet you do not need me to sing it. Let Andrea sing Miserere with you, for there is no one finer." [ The demo tape was from Caterina Caselli Sugar, who had discovered Bocelli. She decided to give him a chance. Caselli is the manager and producer of Bocelli.
]
Zucchero eventually persuaded Pavarotti to record the song with him and it became a hit throughout Europe. In Zucchero's European concert tour in 1993, it was Bocelli who accompanied him to sing the duet and he was also given solo sets in the concerts, singing "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's Turandot
.[ [6] Bocelli signed with the Sugar Records music label in Milan after the group's president heard Bocelli sing Miserere and Nessun dorma at a birthday party for Zucchero.
]
In December he entered the preliminary round of the Italian Sanremo Music Festival in the category of Giovani performing both parts of the duet Miserere
. He won the preliminary competition with the highest marks ever recorded in the Newcomers section. On 28 December, he debuted in the classical world in a concert at the Teatro Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia.
In February 1994 he entered the main Sanremo Festival competition with "Il mare calmo della sera", and he won the "Newcomers" section, again with a record score. His debut album, named after the song, was released and immediately entered the Italian Top Ten, going platinum within weeks.
In May he toured with Italian pop singer, Gerardina Trovato.
1995-1997
As winner of the 1994 Newcomers section at the Sanremo Festival, he was invited to return the following year, entering the main competition with Con te partirò
and finished in fourth place.[ [8]
]
The song was included on his album, Bocelli
which was released in Spring and produced by Italian record producers, Mauro Malavasi. The album went on to achieve double platinum sales in Italy. [ His third album, Viaggio Italiano
was released in autumn.][ Bocelli sang Miserere
and Funiculì, Funiculà
with guitarist John Miles.]
In 1996, Bocelli was invited to duet with English soprano Sarah Brightman at the final bout of German IBF World Light-Heavyweight boxing champion Henry Maske. Brightman, a friend of Maske, approached Bocelli after she heard him singing Con te partirò
, whilst she was dining in a restaurant. Changing the title lyric of the song to Time to Say Goodbye
, they re-recorded it as a duet with members of the London Symphony Orchestra and sang it as a farewell for Maske. The single debuted atop the German charts, where it stayed for fourteen weeks. With sales nearing three million copies, and a sextuple platinum award, Time to Say Goodbye
eclipsed the previous best-selling single by more than one million copies.
The same year, Bocelli recorded "Je vis pour elle", the French version of Vivo per lei, as a duet with French singer Hélène Ségara. Released in December 1997, the song became a hit in Belgium (Wallonia) and France, where it reached #1 on the charts. To date, it is the best-selling single for Ségara, and the second for Bocelli, after "Time to Say Goodbye". His 1997 international debut album, Romanza
[ On 3 March he appeared in Hamburg, Germany, with Sarah Brightman to receive the ECHO music award for "Best Single of the Year".]
In August, he appeared at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago in Italy, and then at the World Youth Festival in Paris, where he again sang in the presence of the Pope. In the summer, he gave twenty-two open air concerts in Germany, as well as an indoor concert in Oberhausen on 31 August. In September he performed in concert at the Piazza dei Cavalieri in Pisa for the home video A Night in Tuscany
(Italian: una notte nella Toscana
) with guests Nuccia Focile, Sarah Brighman and Zucchero. On 14 September in Munich, Germany, he received an ECHO Klassik "Best seller of the year" award for his album, Viaggio Italiano
.
Back in Italy in Bologna on 27 September, he yet again sang before the Pope at the International Eucharistic Congress. On 19 October, he sang at the TeleFood benefit concert held in the Vatican City, and organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization to raise awareness about world hunger. On 25 October he received a Bambi award, an annual television and media prize awarded by the German media company Hubert Burda Media, in the Klassik category in Cologne, Germany.
1998-1999
Bocelli made his debut in a major operatic role in 1998 when he played Rodolfo in a production of La bohème
at the Teatro Comunale in Cagliari from 18 February to 25 February. His fifth album Aria - The Opera Album
was released in March. [12]
On 19 April Bocelli entered the United States (USA) market with a concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. followed the next day by a reception at the White House with then USA president Bill Clinton.
In July and August, he toured North and South America. His final concert of the tour at Madison Square Garden was sold out. In September, he received his next Echo Klassik award, this time for "Best selling classical album" with Aria - the opera album
.
At the New Year, he performed two concerts at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. The hotel used Con te partirò
in their advertisements, which again increased his popularity further in the USA.
From 11 April to 24 April, he toured the West coast of North America from San Diego to Vancouver, with a final performance before over 18,000 spectators at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Actress Elizabeth Taylor stood by his side on the stage during the encore, while he sang The Prayer
.
At the invitation of Steven Spielberg, Bocelli sang in Los Angeles on 15 May before Bill Clinton at an event on behalf of the Democratic Party. At the end of May he toured Portugal and Spain and sang with the Portuguese Fado singer Dulce Pontes. On 27 June he took part in the Michael Jackson benefit concert for suffering children in Munich's Olympic Stadium.
From 10 July to 27 August he appeared in a guest role at seven performances of the The Merry Widow
at the Verona Arena in Rome.
On 10 September, together with soprano Daniela Dessi and two Polish singers, he performed at the Great Theatre of Lódz in Poland. From 7 October to 19 November, he made his United States operatic debut in Jules Massenet's Werther
at the Detroit Opera House with the Michigan Opera Theater.
He also performed at Rodeo Drive in Hollywood and gave further concerts in Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago and an appearance on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. Then Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani gave him the Crystal Apple, a gift to celebrated personalities from the City of New York. His seventh album Sacred Arias
, which contains exclusively sacred music, was released worldwide on 8 November, and two weeks later reached first place in the USA Classic Billboard charts, making Bocelli the first vocalist to hold all top three places on the chart, with Aria, the opera album
in second place, and Viaggio Italiano
in third place. The album also included the hymn of the holy year 2000 which was chosen as the official version by the Vatican in October.
Immediately after his return to Italy he sang in Florence at a meeting of the Centre-left Heads of State. Invited by Queen Elizabeth II, he performed at the annual Royal Variety Performance in Birmingham, England on 29 November. On 30 November, his book La musica del silenzio
, an autobiographical novel, was released in Italy.
From 12 December to 21 December he performed six concerts in Barcelona, Strasbourg, Lisbon, Zagreb, Budapest and Messina, directed by Lorin Maazel, some of which were broadcast on local television. He also performed on German television; Wetten, dass..? on 11 December and the José Carreras Gala in Leipzig on 17 December. On 31 December, he finished a marathon twenty-four concerts in thirty days, with a concert at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New York in front of 8,000 people, welcoming in the new millennium.
2000-2002
At the 42nd Grammy Awards on 23 February Bocelli was nominated twice. The Prayer
was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Bocelli performed it with Dion at the ceremony. His "World Tour 2000" started on 31 March. In May his Sacred Arias
album was voted album of the year by listeners of the Classic FM radio station in the UK. His world tour continued from 12 May to 14 May with four concerts in Japan and South Korea. At the end of the UEFA European Football Championship he performed with Valery Gergiev and Renée Fleming at a concert on the River Maas in Rotterdam. On 6 July he performed at the Statue of Liberty in New York and on 17 August he performed in Giuseppi Verdi's Messa da Requiem at the Verona Arena in Rome. His seventh album Verdi
was released on 11 September. In September he also performed three concerts in Australia. He received another Echo Klassik award for "Bestseller of the year" for Sacred Arias
. In November his first complete opera recording, La Bohème
was released. In December he received another award in Germany, the Goldene Europa for classical music. [15]
In January 2001, Bocelli portrayed the main character in Pietro Mascagni's opera, L'amico Fritz
at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona and again performed the tenor part in Verdi's Requiem. On 19 March the Requiem album was released with Bocelli as tenor. From 22 March to 6 April he toured North America accompanied by Cecilia Gasdia and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. On 17 June he performed at the re-opening of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In July he performed two concerts in Dublin with Ana María Martínez and the New Symphony Orchestra. At the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice on 4 October he presented his new album Cieli di Toscana
and was recognised for having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. In October he opened the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sicilian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini in Catania. On 28 October, he sang Franz Schubert's Ellens dritter Gesang
as a representative of the Roman Catholic faith, during a memorial concert at Ground Zero in New York City for the victims of the September 11 attacks there. In November he received the Platinum Europe Award for one million sales of the album Cieli di Toscana
, and at the Italian Music Awards he was given a special award from the Federation of the Italian Music Industry for his merits as an "Ambassador of Italian music in the world". He performed seven more concerts in the USA accompanied by Ana María Martínez and on 23 December, in front of the President of Italy and other guests of honour, he sang the Italian national anthem as well as works of Bellini and Verdi at the traditional Christmas concert in the Italian Senate, which was broadcast live on television for the first time. [16]
In Berlin on 5 February he received a Goldene Kamera award in the "Music & Entertainment" category. On 6 March he received two World Music Awards in Monte Carlo: "World best selling classical artist" and "Best selling Italian artist". On 11 March, he gave a concert for peace at the Basilica di San Marco a Venezia in Venice, accompanied by the orchestra of the Teatro La Fenice and conducted by Lorin Maazel. On 15 March he took part in the opening of Walt Disney Studios Park in Marne-la-Vallée France. On 7 May Bocelli and Tony Renis received a Telegatto Italian Television award for the soundtrack of the series Cuore
. On 23 May he received the 2002 Classical BRIT Award for "Outstanding Contribution to Music". [17] On 27 May he performed at the Villa Madama in Rome in front of USA president George W. Bush and Italian president Silvio Berlusconi. On 28 May he took part in "Pavarotti & Friends" charity concert in Modena in aid of Angola. In June he again toured the USA, then on 26 July and 3 August he portrayed Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly
at the 48th Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago. On 14 October he and Lorin Maazel presented his new album Sentimento
to a worldwide audience. Further presentations took place in Milan and New York, and the album was released on 4 November, selling over two million copies in 40 days. On 24 October he started his Sentimento
tour in Zürich which took in large arenas in several European and North American cities. [18]
2003-2005
In February Bocelli performed Madama Butterfly
in an exclusive Monte Carlo concert, which was attended by Caroline, Princess of Hanover. In March for the first time he appeared as a producer, at the Sanremo Festival, where the young artists Allunati and Jacqueline Ferry sang for his new record label, Clacksong. [19] In May his second complete opera, Tosca
, was released. At a private benefit gala for the Royal National Institute of Blind People Bocelli sang in front of the British Royal Family.
He won the "Favourite Specialist Performer" award at the UK National Music Awards in October 2003. [21] In November he once again toured in the United States, this time accompanied by Ana Maria Martinez, Kallen Esperian and Steven Mercurio. In December he gave his first concert in China and at the end of the month sang Gounod's Ave Maria
at Pavarotti's wedding in Modena.
In Bologna in January he performed as Werther in four performances of the opera of the same name. In April and May he toured Asia again, visiting Manila, Hong Kong and Singapore. And in May he took part in a concert at Circo Massimo in Rome organised by Quincy Jones to launch the "We are the Future" project. In June his third complete opera Il trovatore
was released. In July he played the part of Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca
at the 50th Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago. And he took part in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) global campaign for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. [22]
In September he performed his "Once in a Lifetime" tour in Australia with concerts in Sydney and Melbourne and one concert in Christchurch, New Zealand where he was joined on stage by New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra. [23]
On 15 October he performed at the People Conference Hall in Beijing, China and on 17 October at the Great Hall in Shanghai. [24]
During early 2005 Bocelli was on tour including to Madeira, Hungary, Norway, USA, UK, Italy and Germany. [25] He also appeared in Sesame Street
singing "Time to Say Goodnight" a parody of Time to Say Goodbye
as a lullaby to Elmo. [26] On 21 March he performed on the Music for Asia
benefit concert in Rome, televised on Italia 1, in aid of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake appeal. [27]
In June he performed at the Deutsche Opera in Berlin. On 2 July he performed at the Paris concert as part of the Live 8 event. Also during the second part of the year, he performed in Croatia, Serbia, Italy, the USA, Dubai, Switzerland and finally in Scandinavia.
2006-2007
On 18 February he sang at the Toyota Center in Houston during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2006 All-Star Weekend, and broadcast live on the TNT Cable television network. [28]
On 26 February Bocelli sang "Because We Believe" from his Amore
album in the Carnevale section of the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics which was held in Turin Italy with a worldwide television audience. [29] He also began another tour with a concert at the Piazza di Castello in Turin. [30]
In March he was honoured by the Italian state with a Grande Ufficiale Italian Order of Merit (Grand Officer of the Italian Republic), given to him by then President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi for his worldwide work for his country as a singer. The award was presented to him at the Sanremo Festival where he performed a duet with American singer Christina Aguilera on 4 March.
From 31 March to 2 April he took part in the Maggio Musicale in Florence where he sang the Canto di pace (Canto of peace)
by Marco Tutino [32] and the tenor part from Gioachino Rossini's Messa di Gloria
and in Naples where he took part in Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle.
In June he sang the Italian duet version of "Because We Believe", "Ama, credi e vai", with Gianna Nannini at the "großen Fan Party" at the opening of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Berlin in front of billions of worldwide television viewers.
On 1 July 2007, Bocelli performed "Music of the Night" from Andrew Lloyd-Webber's Phantom of the Opera
, in a special musicals medley during the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium in London, England. [35] Bocelli returned to his home town for a triumphant concert at the newly created Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico on 5 July 2007. Guest appearance by Kenny G, Heather Headley, Lang Lang, Elisa, Sarah Brightman and Laura Pausini. In September he debuted at the Avery Fisher Hall in New York with four concerts. In October the opera album of Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci
with Bocelli singing the role of Canio was released. In November he won the "Best Italian Artist" and "World's Best-selling Classical Artist" awards at the World Music Awards. In December he finished his 2006 tour with more concerts in North America and Europe.
Bocelli and Sarah Brightman's duet version of "Con te partirò" was used in the 2007 film Blades of Glory
, as an ice skating song. K-1 mixed martial arts fighter, Akiyama Yoshihiro started using "Con te partirò" as his ring entrance music. On 8 September Bocelli sang an arrangement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Ave verum corpus
at the funeral of Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Italy.
On 21 October 2007, he sang "Con te partirò" with Katherine Jenkins on the UK television series Strictly Come Dancing
results show, and on 30 October, he sang "The Prayer" with Céline Dion during an ITV Special An Audience with Céline Dion
. The show was broadcast on 23 December. Alongside fellow Italian singer Laura Pausini, he sang Vive Ya
during the 2007 Latin Grammy Awards. The song, originally released in 1997 as a duet in Italian between Bocelli and Italian singer-songwriter Trovatto on Bocelli's Romanza
, was also released in English on his 2007 album, The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere
, as Dare to Live
. The album, Vivere
, sold over 3 million copies.
2008
On 20 January 2008, Boceli received the Italian TV award Telegatto in platinum for Italian music in the world
, in Rome. He sang "La voce del silenzio", which means the voice of quietness, and "Dare to Live" during the ceremony. [36]
To promote the album, he performed "Canto della Terra"
at The Alan Titchmarsh Show on BBC in London on February 1; was interviewed by Fabio Fazio on the Italian talk show Che tempo che fa
on RAI 3 in Italy; and performed "Canto della terra"
, "A te"
and "Besame mucho"
from the album, as well as "My way"
on February 2; and made an appearance on The South Bank Show in London, where he sang the French aria "Pour mon âme" on February 3. Then on February 10, he performed "The Prayer" at the 50th Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles, with Josh Groban in a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti, and sang "Dare to live"
with Heather Headley the following day on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
In April he toured in Asia with performances in Tokyo; Taichung, Taiwan; and Seoul, South Korea. Each concert was attended by more than 15,000 people. [37]
On May 7, 2008, he sang at Steel Aréna in Košice, Slovakia in front of 8,000 people. [38] Then May 13 he sang at the "Teatro delle Muse"
in Ancona Italy, for a charity concert for "Francesca Rava - N.P.H. Italia Onlus", a foundation that helps poor and disabled children around the world.
On 23 May 2008 he sang The Prayer
with Katharine McPhee in a Las Vegas tribute concert for Canadian producer and songwriter David Foster. Bocelli later praised Filipina teen-aged singer Charice, whom he had first heard perform at that concert. [39] [40]
On June 2, 2008 he performed at the Piazza del Duomo, Milan in front of 80,000 people during a concert celebrating the anniversary of the Republic of Italy's formation.
On July 20, he held his third concert at the Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, Bocelli's hometown. The concert was a tribute to the Cinema of Italy. Its performers included Italian composer and musician Nicola Piovani, Italian ballet dancer Roberto Bolle, Israeli singer Noa, and Charice. [41] Then on July 31, he performed at a concert in "Vingis Park"
, Vilnius, Lithuania in front of more than 18,000 people. [42] Australian singer Tina Arena performed two duets with Bocelli, "Canto Della Terra"
and "The Prayer"
, at the closing stages of the concert. [43]
On August 7, 2008, he held a benefit concert at Medjugorje, Bosnia Herzegovina and was accompanied by Czech National Symphony Orchestra.
On September 26, 2008, during the 2008 Veneto Festival, he held a concert in the Church of the Eremitani in Padova, Italy, in front of about a 1000 people. He was accompanied by the I Solisti Veneti orchestra, which was celebrating its 50th birthday, conducted by Claudio Scimone, and by the Wiener Singakademie choir. The concert was a celebration of Giacomo Puccini's 150th birthday. [45]
On October 10 and 11 he performed at Petra, singing Dare to Live
with Laura Pausini, as well as performing E Lucevan le Stelle
from Tosca
. On October 19 he sang "O Surdato 'Nnamurato"
and a duet of "Non Ti Scordar Di Me"
with Cecilia Bartoli, both from the Incanto
album, during the ECHO Awards in Germany, and later presented the soprano with an ECHO award. On October 24, he performed at Piazza del Plebiscito
in Naples, as a tribute to the city, where he celebrated the Italian release of Incanto
. Performing with him were flautist Andrea Griminelli, Italian pop singer Massimo Ranieri and soprano Cecilia Bartoli, with Steven Mercurio conducting the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. [46] On October 31, he performed a solo version of "The Prayer", as well as "Because", a song from Incanto
, live on The Oprah Winfrey Show. [47]
On November 21 and 22, Bocelli was amongst a quartet of soloists (soprano Sabina Cvilak, mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich and bass Alexander Vinogradov) to sing Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, conducted by Plácido Domingo, at the Washington National Opera in Washington, DC. [48] Bocelli sang twice in the piece and later the two famous tenors sang The Pearl Fishers duet which would be the first aria they had ever sang together. [49] On November 25 and 26 he starred along side soprano Verónica Villarroel in an opera in concert of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana at the "Municipal Auditorium"
in San Antonio, Texas.
2009
On the 27 May 2009, Bocelli sang "Il Gladiatore", from the Gladiator soundtrack, followed by the Champions League theme song, which is based on "Zadok the Priest" by Handel, during the opening ceremony of the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final.
Personal life
200px, during his 2008 Asian Tour
.
Bocelli was named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People of 1998. [50]
Bocelli met his first wife Enrica, with whom he had two children, while singing at piano bars early in his career.
Bocelli's father, Sandro Bocelli, died on 30 April 2000. His mother encouraged him to honour his commitments and so he sang for the Pope in Rome on 1 May and immediately returned home for the funeral. At the 5 July performance that was filmed for PBS as American Dream — Andrea Bocelli's Statue of Liberty Concert
, Bocelli dedicated the encore Sogno
to the memory of his father.
In 2006, Bocelli influenced the municipality of his hometown Lajatico to build an outdoor theatre, the "Teatro del Silenzio". [51] Bocelli performed for one night only. One night every July the theatre will be opened for performances. The rest of the time it will be silent.
Since the opening he has sung on July 27, 2006, July 5, 2007, July 20, 2008, and on July 18, 2009.
Reception
Criticism
Despite his worldwide popularity, Bocelli has been dismissed and criticised by classical music critics including Bernard Holland of the New York Times, and Andrew Clement of The Guardian. [52] Some point to his "poor phrasing, uneven tone and lack of technique."
In 1999, the New York Times chief music critic Anthony Tommasini in his review of Bocelli's North American opera debut at the Detroit Opera House in the title role of Massenet's Werther
commented, "The basic color of Mr. Bocelli's voice is warm and pleasant, but he lacks the technique to support and project his sound. His sustained notes wobble. His soft high notes are painfully weak. Inadequate breath control often forces him to clip off notes prematurely at the end of phrases." [53] In December 2000 Tommasini again criticised Bocelli, this time for his La bohème
album
when he claimed that Bocelli "still has trouble with basic things, like breath support" and his voice had been "carefully recorded", "to help it match the trained voices of the other cast members in fullness and presence." [54]
In describing Bocelli's singing, New York Times music critic Bernard Holland noted, "the tone is rasping, thin and, in general, poorly supported. Even the most modest upward movement thins it even more, signalling what appears to be the onset of strangulation. To his credit, Mr Bocelli sings mostly in tune. But his phrasing tends toward carelessness and rhythmic jumble... The diction is not clear."
An audio commentary by Midgette providing a comparison of Bocelli's tone and technique with Luciano Pavarotti's appears below. According to the commentary, Bocelli's tone and technique is not as firm or full as Pavarotti's. And Bocelli's singing of the high note in the passage sounds "squeezed" as opposed to the "ringing" quality Pavarotti achieves when singing the same note in the passage.
His 2007 Avery Fisher Hall performances drew criticism from New York Times music critic Bernard Holland who wrote, "Bocelli is not a very good singer." Holland did also go on to acknowledge that "music critics had no business at Avery Fisher Hall on Wednesday. Mr. Bocelli's every gesture invited warm, resounding approval. Accusing audiences of being gullible won’t wash. The music public can be conned for only a short time, and Mr. Bocelli's success is of reasonably long standing." [58]
Honorifics
- 50px Grand Official of the Order of Merit of the Republic (Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana
) awarded in Rome, in 2006.
Awards
- Winner of the 1994 Newcomers section of the Sanremo Music Festival. [59]
- ECHO music award for "Best Single of the Year", for Time to Say Goodbye
, in 1997.
- ECHO Klassik "Best seller of the year" award for his album, Viaggio Italiano
in 1997.
- Bambi Award in 1997.
- Two World Music Awards, one in the category "Best Italian Singer", and one for "Best Classical Interpretation" in 1998.
- ECHO Klassik, for "Best selling classical album" with Aria - The Opera Album
in 1998.
- ECHO Klassik for "Bestseller of the year" for Sacred Arias
in 2000.
- 2000 Classical BRIT Award for "Album of the year" for Sacred Arias
in 2000.
- Goldene Europa for classical music in 2000.
- Platinum Europe Award for 1 million sales of the album Cieli di Toscana
in 2001.
- Special award from the Federation of the Italian Music Industry for his merits as an "Ambassador of Italian music in the world." at Italian Music Awards in 2001.
- Goldene Kamera award in the "Music & Entertainment" category 2002.
- Two World Music Awards, for "World best selling classical artist" and for "Best selling Italian artist" in 2002.
- Telegatto award for the soundtrack of the series Cuore
in 2002.
- 2002 Classical BRIT Award for "Outstanding Contribution to Music" in 2002.
- Two 2003 Classical BRIT Awards for "Best selling classical album" and "Album of the year" for Sentimento
in 2003.
- "Favourite Specialist Performer" award at the ITV National Music Awards in 2003.
- "Diamond CD" for more than 50 millions albums sold worldwide, in 2004.
- Two World Music Awards for "Best Italian Artist" and "World's Best-selling Classical Artist" in 2006.
- Telegatto award in platinum for Italian music in the world
in 2008. [60]
- Four times Diamond disc for Incanto
, at the Italian talk show Che tempo che fa
, for selling in excess to 1.5 million copies within 4 month, in 2009. [61]
Discography
Albums
- Il Mare Calmo Della Sera
(1994) NL #19 (1996) Re-released GER #40
- Bocelli
(1995) NL #1, (1996) GER #1
- Viaggio Italiano
(1995) GER #15 (1997) International release NL #8, US #153, UK #55, NOR #22 (2003) Re-released UK #24
- Romanza
(1997) US #35, UK #6, NL #1, NOR #1
- Aria, The Opera Album
(1997) US #59, UK #33, NOR #10
- Hymn for the World
(1997)
- Hymn for the World 2
(1998)
- Sogno
(1999) #4 US, #4 UK, #2 NOR
- Sacred Arias
(1999) #22 US, #2 NOR
- Verdi
(2000) #23 US, #2 ITA, #17 UK, #28 NOR
- Requiem (Verdi)
(2001)
- Cieli di Toscana
(2001) #11 US, #3 UK, #3 ITA, #2 NOR
- Sentimento
(2002) #12 US, #7 UK, #13 ITA, #17 NOR
- Andrea
(2004) US #16, UK #19, ITA #6, Dutch #1, NOR #17
- Amore
(2006) US #3, UK #4, NL #1, ITA #2, NOR #3
- The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere
(2007) US #9, UK #4, NOR #3
- Incanto
(2008) World #7, US #8, Hon #2, GREK #4, ITA #5, Pol #5, IR #11, UK #12, Potl #15, NL #15, NOR #15 [62] [63]
Singles
- Il Diavolo e l'Angelo
1991 vinyl, 'B' side "Proprio Tu"
- Time To Say Goodbye (Con Te Partirò)
(Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli) (1996) GER #1, (1997) UK #2 FR #1 Bel #1
- Vivo per lei (je vis pour elle)
(1997) # 1 France #1 Belgium
- Ich Lebe Für Sie
(1997) GER #45
- Canto Della Terra / The Prayer (Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli)
(1999) UK #25
- Ave Maria / Silent Night
(1999) UK #65
- Canto Della Terra / The Prayer (Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli)
(2000) Re-release UK #24
- Melodramma
(2001) GER #95
- Besame Mucho (2006)
- Somos Novios (It's Impossible) (Christina Aguilera & Andrea Bocelli) (2006)
- Con te partirò
(2007) UK#69
- Dare to live (Vivere)
(Laura Pausini & Andrea Bocelli) (2008) ITA#17
- Vive Ya
(Laura Pausini & Andrea Bocelli) (2008)
Operas
- La bohème
(2000)
- Tosca
(2003)
- Il trovatore
(2004)
- Werther
(2005)
- Cavalleria rusticana
(2007) (recorded 2004)
- Pagliacci
(2007)
- Carmen
(2008) (recorded 2005)
CD/DVD packages
- A Night in Tuscany
(1997)
- Christmas Glory from Westminster
(1999)
- Sacred Arias Special Edition
(2000)
- American Dream: Andrea Bocelli's Statue of Liberty Concert
(2000)
- Tuscan Skies (Cieli di Toscana)
(2001)
- The Homecoming
(2001)
- Credo
(2006)
- Under the Desert Sky
(2006)
- Celine Dion These Are Special Times
(2007) (originally aired 1998)
- Vivere Live in Tuscany
(2008)
- Incanto The Documentary
(2008)
See also
- Andrea Bocelli's Teatro del Silenzio
- List of Operatic Pop artists
- List of Easy Listening artists
- List of Adult Contemporary atists
- List of artists under the Decca Records label
- List of best-selling music artists of all times — World's top-selling music artists of all time
References
- The Times: Andrea Bocelli
- The Times: The relationships that make a life: Andrea Bocelli
- Biography
- Chronicle 1958-1991
- Chronicle 1958-1991
- Chronicle 1991-1994
- Bocelli and Chung
- Chronicle 1995-1997
- Andrea Bocelli Online Biography
- http://www.viptickets.com/concerts/andrea_bocelli_tickets.html
- ECHO Klassik 1997 winners
- Chronicle 1998
- People
- Chronicle 1999
- Chronicle 2000
- Chronicle 2001
- Salford singer wins again
- Chronicle 2002
- Chronicle 2003
- Bocelli tops Classical Brits
- Pop Idols dominate music awards
- Chronicle 2004
- Once in a Lifetime Tour
- Asia Tour
- Chronicle 2005
- Parody descriptions
- Asia Tour
- John Legend and Carrie Underwood Set for All-Star Halftime Show
- Chronicle 2006
- 2006 tour (1)
- Pausini, Bocelli e Ramazotti: Onorificenze e serata finale del festival
- FIRENZE – Bocelli e il canto di Pace nato alle Muse
- From `American Idol' to Boston divo
- Dr. Phil and Music Superstars Join Forces for ''JCPENNEY JAM...THE CONCERT FOR AMERICA'S KIDS'' Mega Event to Air on CBS-TV During Back to School
- Concert for Diana Timeline: What's happened minute by minute
- live2008
- live concert2008/1
- live concert2008/2
- Bocelli: "Verdi, il mio canto patriottico nell'Italia della riconciliazione" - Articolo - ilGiornale.it del 28-05-2008
- Charicemania - Charice Pempengco Blog : Andrea Bocelli in a Possible Duet With Charice?
- live concert2008/3
- live concert2008/4
- Impromptu onstage appearance
- Tina joins Andrea bocelli for his Australian Tour
- live concert2008/5
- live concert2008/6
- Live with Faith Hill & David Foster
- Andrea Bocelli and Plácido Domingo together for the first time in Petite Messe Solennelle
- live concert2008/7
- Andrea Bocelli is one of PEOPLE's 50 Most Beautiful of 1998
- Andrea Bocelli: The Story Behind the Voice
- http://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/01/arts/opera-review-a-blind-pop-tenor-takes-on-the-operatic-stage.ht
- OPERA REVIEW; A Blind Pop Tenor Takes On the Operatic Stage
- MUSIC; Bocelli Seeks Legitimacy (And Bucks) In 'Boheme'
- http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/rasping-new-york-critics-verdict-on-bocel
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2004/jul/16/classicalmusicandopera.shopping5
- http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/18/arts/music-high-notes-andrea-bocelli-does-opera-take-2.html
- Spectator-Friendly, and Critic-Proof in a Sea of Approval
- Chronicle 1992 - 1994
- Live
- Home
- Andrea Bocelli - Incanto, norwegiancharts.com
- Andrea Bocelli, Norwegian charts VG-lista
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