To put himself through law school in the 1980s, the iconic singer Andrea Bocelli played at piano bars in Pisa, Italy. Despite already being quite the music prodigy — he started singing as early as six — he worked for a few years as a lawyer by day and sent his demo tapes wherever he could. It was during his piano bar days that he developed a love for American musicals.
“I realised that singing Cheek to Cheek (performed by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the 1935 film Top Hat) turned on a smile on the faces of my parents because it was ‘their song’, the song that was the accomplice of their great love story,” he says.
Music from movies have since been a great love for the tenor, who got his big break after his duet with the late great Luciano Pavarotti in 1992. They are also the theme of his 15th album, Cinema, and his ongoing world tour, which lands at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island on April 22.
“The project Cinema represents a desire, or better a dream I have been pursuing for years,” the Frank Sinatra fan explains.
Bocelli, who went completely blind at the age of 12, last performed in the UAE in Abu Dhabi in 2013. Before he returns to the country, he spoke to Gulf News tabloid! about returning to this part of the world, the everlasting appeal of music in movies, and Ariana Grande.
Hello Andrea, welcome back to the UAE. Tell us a little bit about the show you’re bringing to Dubai this time.
Thank you; it is always a great pleasure to get back to this wonderful land, where you can breathe the future. The ‘fil rouge’ [common thread] of my next concert will be once again love. The first part will be dedicated to Opera repertoire, with a series of particularly intense and universally loved pieces from operas like Rigoletto and La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi, Andrea Chenier by Umberto Giordano, La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini ... while the second part will be dedicated to songs that my public expects to hear from my voice, with a wide selection of pieces from my latest pop album Cinema.
Besides performing, what else are you looking forward to doing while you are in the UAE?
I wish I could plan a short stay in your country to visit the natural wonders as well as the futuristic man-made ones. Unfortunately, the one in Abu Dhabi is the first stage of a long tour that will take me to the Philippines, then to Japan and South Korea. I fear, therefore, that my professional agenda, this time, will not allow me to enjoy the beauties of your country.
Tell us a little bit about Cinema, the album. Where did it all begin?
The field of movie songs has always intrigued me since I was a teenager. I used to listen, totally carried away, to the songs performed by Frank Sinatra, or by Mario Lanza, without even knowing, at the beginning, that they were soundtracks of famous movies. Film music is potentially freer, even from compromises dictated by the market, because it does not have to be, necessarily, tied to the schemes of classical songs. After the success of Amore [a bit less than ten years ago] we have reconstituted the same working group, consisting in Tony Renis, Humberto Gatica, David Foster Once again we have shared so many days at my home in Forte dei Marmi, in Tuscany, first selecting the tracks among hundreds of them, then recording, working together, but also sharing the pleasure of family life. I think this is the best ambience for artists to express themselves at their best.
Do you have a favourite film? Why?
In my youth I was very fond of musicals with Frank Sinatra… As a child I was fascinated by the heroes that my parents liked, for instance the couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers... I also remember well that, in my passage from childhood to adolescence, I radically changed my tastes, about films: from war ones that gave me the opportunity to be the hero who always won evil, growing up, I became more and more interested in love movies.
Do you remember the first movie song you heard that stayed with you for a long time?
I was a young boy and used to play in Piano bars, when I realised that singing Cheek to Cheek, I promptly turned on a smile on the faces of my parents, because it was ‘their song’, the song that was the accomplice of their great love story. A melody, that I have always heard humming in my family, a bright and dreamy page of joyful lightness.
Do you have any favourite tracks from the album?
Actually the album is my personal and most comprehensive answer. Its content corresponds exactly to my predilections. Surely there are pages that better than others are more congenial to my voice and which have the power to highlight better its peculiarities, like Maria, Music of The Night, Be My Love and many others. Anyway there is not even one song, in this album, that I am not very fond of. As I mentioned earlier, to get to this list we have evaluated hundreds of songs, drawing on a vast repertoire, without limits of time and place. Following the advice of my friends collaborators I have chosen the songs I love most and that best befit my voice.
You are known for your amazing collaborations and duets. You’ve performed with Ariana Grande. Are there other young artists you’ve been waiting to collaborate with?
They are many, to the point that if I had to give some names, I would run the risk to forget some. Among younger generations, there are many talented artists both in the field of classic and in pop. And the increase in talent shows has contributed in bringing them out, because there are more chances of getting noticed as well as a healthy competition. As for Ariana Grande, a duet with her has been quite a bet, which has given me great satisfaction, Ariana, the idol of all young people around the world (including my sons), is a talented girl, a true artist.
What’s your thoughts on music today?
I think that every expression of human creativity is interesting… As ever, time will then make a selection, some things will survive and some will not. I think that every kind of music has its own beauties and is capable of giving people emotions (and even messages). Besides, I believe that in every field there are great professional, who deserve my respect for their activities and successes. I have no prejudice whatsoever. As I am never tired to emphasise, my only discrimination is between good and bad music.
What’s on your playlist right now? Which artists are you listening to?
I am fond of the interpretations of Opera golden era, and still continue to listen to the same voices that moved me so much when I was a boy: Beniamino Gigli, Franco Corelli, Mario Del Monaco, Enrico Caruso, Aureliano Pertile, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Mario Lanza and many others.
Are you OK with being referred to as a crossover artist? Or do you prefer to be called a classical singer?
To tell the truth I do not think this is a definition applying to me: classical music and pop are two different worlds each, with its own difficulties, depth and artistic dignity. I started as an Opera singer and that was my study path. However, I have been following the two areas with the greatest honesty and quality possible.
After 15 albums and so many compilations and tours, what other musical realms does Andrea Bocelli want to conquer?
Luckily music is an inexhaustible treasure trove of wonders: there so many Opera titles I would like to tackle… But even in pop field, certainly, I do not lack curiosity or the desire to sing.
How does Andrea Bocelli unwind?
I love to go back to the countryside where I was born, or simply stay in my house by the sea where I live with my companion Veronica. I love to stay at home surrounded by my children and by my closest friends. When I can, I love riding through the woods, the countryside and the beaches of my region. Besides, I also like boating and swimming, but also reading good books.
What next after the tour?
My agenda is full of commitments, as usual. I still have concerts in the United States and then in other countries. Moreover, at the same time, I am involved in a number of philanthropic projects carried out by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation that I care very much for.
Don’t miss it
Andrea Bocelli’s Cinema World Tour on April 22 at the du Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, will be a fully-seated open air concert. Tickets, starting at Dh395, are available on ticketmaster.ae and all Virgin Megastores in the UAE.
Did you know?
In 1996 Con te artirò (and later its arrangement as a duet with Sarah Brightman with the title Time to say Goodbye) was heard in every corner of the world. With the album Romanza, Bocelli broke all records. In Germany, for example, the duet became the best-selling single of all time. On his UAE return, the iconic tenor will perform a duet with Emirati-Yemeni singer Balqees. The pair will also be accompanied by the UAE-based NSO Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
