BOCELLI: IT’S NOT A CONCERT for CORONAVIRUS, IT’S A PRAYER
NEW York—andrea Bocelli sang at the Duomo of Milan on Easter Sunday sending a message of love and hope to the world during the coronavirus pandemic, but the Italian tenor said it’s not a concert. Instead, he called it a “prayer.”
“I received this invitation by the mayor of Milan and by the authorities of the church and of course I answered yes. I’m very happy to do this,” he said. “Also, it’s not a performance. It’s not a concert. It’s only a prayer.”
“I went there to pray, and I’d like to think that everyone who listened to me sing prayed with me,” he said. Accompanied by organist Emanuele Vianelli, Bocelli sang at the historic cathedral for an audience of none because the Duomo, like most public places, are closed because of the spreading coronavirus. The performance, though, aired live on Bocelli’s Youtube channel at 1 pm Eastern.
He crafted and arranged a special set for the event, which included holy song, like “Ave Maria” and “Sancta Maria.”
“I chose some of the most beautiful pieces of sacred artists,” Bocelli said in a phone interview from his home in Forte dei Marmi, a seaside town in northern Tuscany. In total, Italy has more than 135,00 confirmed cases and over 16,500 deaths from the Covid-19 outbreak. The European country is in its fifth week of a nationwide lockdown.
In addition to singing, the Grammy-nominated international star has been giving back and assisting communities through his The Andrea Bocelli Foundation, which started a Gofundme fundraiser to help hospitals buy necessary equipment.
“The house is the headquarter of the foundation and we are working very hard to fulfill the goal of the foundation,” said Bocelli, who said he wanted to thank the health care workers on the front lines as well as those doing good deeds from their homes.
“We’re trying raise the money and deliver all tools needed for this crisis.”