In Christmas we find the meaning of life...
TO THE UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OF PERFORMING TOGETHER
Music
CHRISTMAS in the household of Andrea Bocelli is a special time.
For the world-renowned Italian tenor, it is a chance to bond with family and reflect on his faith.
On his new album, the 64-yearold has managed to do both.
A Family Christmas, his second festive release, features the voices of his son Matteo, 25, and daughter Virginia, 10.
“I have always tried to make my children understand, as well as other people, that in Christmas we can find the meaning of life,” he says over video call from an ornate living room.
“I do think that everything has meaning, has a sense.
“As a consequence Christmas Day is the day in which we should stop and reflect upon the meaning of life and the value of life.
“And the fact that life is an immense gift that we were given.”
Andrea, who sits next to Matteo, both dressed immaculately, says there are “countless reasons” behind his decision to record a festive album with his children.
“But for me the most important reason is due to the fact that it’s linked to the message of Pope Francis on the family,” he adds, an apparent reference to comments made by the Catholic leader this year about the idea of family being under attack by “various ideologies”.
“Family is the main core of society and nowadays families have been attacked from everywhere.
“So when our record companies came with this proposal for this Christmas album, I thought that it would be an amazing idea and I wanted to do this to the best of my abilities.”
A Family Christmas features festive classics including Away In A Manger, Happy Xmas (War Is Over), Feliz Navidad and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, as well as an original song The Greatest Gift.
A handful of tracks feature all three Bocellis, while Virginia and Matteo get opportunities to shine on solo outings When Christmas Comes To Town and I’ll Be Home For Christmas.
Matteo, who has been studying at the respected Lucca Conservatory, jokes that there was no sibling conflict in the studio. He admits he felt some pressure, as his father had already recorded an “amazing” festive album – 2009’s My Christmas.
“We were quite anxious,” he says before correcting himself. “Not anxious, but when you have already done a great job with something, and you know you have to repeat it, it is not easy. We knew it was a big challenge. But we were very happy with the results and that is the most important thing.”
Matteo recently appeared in George Miller’s fantasy film, Three Thousand Years of Longing, alongside Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton, and also plans to complete his debut solo album in the new year.
“It is quite impossible to find a day in the calendar that is white instead of red,” he laughs.
Andrea speaks touchingly about working with his children.
“Songs send subliminal messages, subtle messages, because music is a sort of hidden type of mathematics and the songs give you some joy, some lightness in life,” he offers.
“And that is the spirit, the feeling, that I had when I recorded them.
“For instance, Virginia, when she sings... she seems to be an angel.
“Matteo sings with a lot of hope, with a lot of trust in the future. You can tell when he sings.
“These are the messages which are very important, very deep, that we’re trying to convey.”
For the veteran performer and devout Catholic, there is only one moment at Christmas that really matters.
“It is the moment where we all go together to church for mass,” he begins. “Because that’s the real meaning of that day. Everything else [we do on Christmas] is what everybody does in their families.
“We have lunch together. We have the Christmas lunch and we unwrap presents. This is something that everybody does at Christmas. But we go to church together.”
When we speak, Matteo has just finished a stadium tour with his father, playing to tens of thousands on a regular basis.
“Today I feel way more comfortable on stage with my father,” he reflects. “It’s since 2018 that I have been travelling the world and performing with him.
“Today I feel quite comfortable. To sing with him, for me it’s quite a normal thing because it’s something we have always done in the house together, and making music together.
“But of course, when you [perform] with your father on stage in front of an audience, it makes the moment even more special.
“And the O2 Arena [in London, where they performed in September], it was once again a beautiful moment to share with everyone.”
Returning to performing live after the pandemic has been an emotional journey for Andrea, who has sung for US presidents, popes and many royal families across the world during his career.
“Honestly, I could feel a much greater desire or willingness to listen to my music [from the audience],” he explains.
“They desired to share time together, to be together because what we have been going through in the last few years, it’s been an unprecedented event for us all.
“And it’s something that none of us imagined would happen. It was a shock for many of us, and mainly for the younger generations.
“So going back to performing live was a feast, a moment of celebration for me as well. Not withstanding so many years of my career, walking on stage again was really a moment of celebration.”
Matteo says he could see and hear his father’s renewed passion.
“I could really tell the energy he put in his concert after Covid was very different,” he recalls.
“You could really tell how much he was missing those moments.”
After all these years, Andrea still feels a “huge responsibility” to his fans, “because in front of you, you have 15,000 or 20,000 people who are spending their money and their time to come and listen to you.
“They have invested part of their sacrifices to come and listen to your music so you feel morally accountable to give your best all the time. This is the way it is.”
A Family Christmas is out now on Decca Records
ITALIAN TENOR ANDREA BOCELLI AND HIS SON, MATTEO, TALK ALEX GREEN ABOUT THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS AND
Going back to performing live [after the pandemic] was a feast, a moment of celebration Andrea Bocelli