Goodmusic is an antidote to fear and anxiety
Italian opera star Andrea Bocelli tells MARION MCMULLEN why Christmas should be a time of special thanks this year
LOCKDOWNS and being unable to be with family and friends have been the biggest hardships of the coronavirus pandemic. Christmas is likely to be a little different for everyone this year, but opera star Andrea Bocelli is determined to make the most of the season. He is a big lover of a traditional Christmas and says he plans to spend the holidays at home in Tuscany with his family reflecting on the year and making new memories with those closest to him.
The blind tenor says music has continued to be a source of comfort to him throughout the past year.
“Music has been a great help in this as in every other phase of my life,” he says. “I believe that good music represents for everyone, an antidote to fear and anxiety. I believe that it is a bridge, by which we can access, simply and at any time, our inner being, our most profound dimension.
He adds: “Love inspires me, always and in all its forms. As for music, I’m most thrilled by its ability to have an impact on our consciences, contributing to our spiritual development and making us better people. I’m thrilled by the universality of a language that can educate us about beauty and can express peace and fellowship.
“Music is therapeutic, it can help us to overcome difficulties and increase our positivity and our trust in our fellow creatures. But I’m not saying anything new. Two thousand years ago, in ancient Rome, the politician Cato the Younger, suggested to the legislature that it banned soldiers from listening to music since, in his opinion, music risked softening the spirit and making warriors incapable of fighting. Now we no longer want conflicts and violence. And music – good music – can be a powerful instrument of peace.”
Andrea lost his sight at the age of 12 in a footballing accident, but credits sport for helping to make him an international star.
“The international turning point for me was the English version of Con te partirò which became Time to Say Goodbye,” he says. “The song was presented as a duet with Sarah Brightman during German boxer Henry Maske’s last match and the match was watched by a TV audience of 21 million and it was that evening, in a sense, when my career began on the world stage.”
The gifted musician is one of the most celebrated singers in modern history and has performed at major international events including the Olympic Games and the World Cup, as well as his own sell-out arena shows around the world. He has a Golden Globe, seven Classical BRITS and seven World Music Awards under his belt, plus a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, while he has collaborated with a host of A-list stars including Luciano Pavarotti, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Ed Sheeran, Céline Dion, Tony Bennett and Dua Lipa.
His latest album, Believe, is his 12th UK top album and has become the country’s fastest-selling, highest charting classical release of 2020.
He describes the album as a collection of pieces with a spiritual link and says it is in some way “a medicine for the soul, offering a moment of solace and optimism to all who want it”.
The 62-year-old singer says: “The common theme is the emotional intensity that I think these pieces can transmit. I’m thinking of You’ll Never Walk Alone and the beautiful thoughts behind the words; of the song of Franciscan inspiration Brother Sun, Sister Moon; of the unorthodox but intense religiosity expressed in Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. Or again, that hymn of thanks, Amazing Grace, that was written in the 18th century but that can still thrill and move the world in the third millennium.
Andrea collaborated with Cecilia Bartoli on duet Pianissimo for the album and calls her “the great mezzo-soprano on the world scene”. He says: “We also sing another song together on the album, that celebrates solidarity and empathy, called I Believe. It’s a piece that has been around for a while and it’s now considered almost a classic.
“As for future collaborations, the world is full of beautiful voices – there’s no shortage of excellent colleagues, including among the new generations who I’d like to sing with one day.”
The album also includes a previously un-released track from the late Italian composer Ennio Morricone as well as a duet with 27-time Grammy award-winner Alison Krauss on Amazing Grace.
“I think that a career is like a house made of bricks, where each brick has its own importance,” Andrea says. “Every concert, every experience has been precious and has contributed to me becoming what I am.
“Naturally there are some moments that I remember with greater emotion, from my first time on stage like singing the leading role in an opera (in 1998, performing La Bohème), to my debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in 2011, and the times when I had the privilege of singing for Pope John Paul II, then for Pope Benedict XVI and finally for Pope Francis.
“I hope to be able to go back to singing in theatres and arenas again in 2021 in order to be able to thank in person all those who follow me with affection and who appreciate my art.”