SHARING A GIFT
The tenor has remastered one of his most iconic concerts – which, he says, almost didn’t happen – and shares the advice that launched his career
Abba recently made headlines after remastering some of their iconic music videos. And now world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli is getting in on the act. Celebrating the ten-year anniversary of one of his most famous concerts, One Night in Central Park, the star is releasing a remastered edition of the live album recorded that night, which features original and additional tracks from the New York concert.
In this exclusive interview, the singer – who recently welcomed hello! into the stunning home in Italy he shares with his wife Veronica and their children – tells us: “[One Night in Central Park] was a brave artistic gamble that took 16 months of hard work, and it became my first fully live album, in which every note was recorded strictly as it was sung live, without any safety net.”
However, bad weather almost derailed the whole event.
“I remember there were dark rain clouds that day, threatening the cancellation of the performance, with over 70,000 people converging on Central Park,” says the star.
“Not long before I went on stage, I withdrew into my dressing room to pray, together with a very close circle of friends, remembering my father and feeling his spiritual presence there, and also meditating on the enormous privilege I had been given.”
He also tells how the concert was “one of the greatest and most stirring moments emotionally”. He sang alongside artists such as Celine Dion, Tony Bennett, David Foster and Chris Botti – an “enormous privilege”, he says – but also the concert was dedicated to his father, Sandro. Before Andrea’s musical success, Sandro had encouraged the young tenor – who studied law at university in Italy – to
‘I have mourned the loss of direct contact... Singing in front of an audience is a way to share a gift that heaven has given’
follow his dreams and take his voice across the pond.
“When I was a newly graduated lawyer, playing in piano bars to pay for my singing lessons, my dad insisted: ‘You should try and get to America,’” he says. “He was convinced that if there was anywhere his son’s talent would be appreciated, that place was America… a land of democracy and opportunity. As he had predicted, America greeted me with a constant crescendo of affection.”
SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
Andrea and his father had different personalities, he tells us, but their bond came from a joint understanding of values, humanity and a shared way of behaving. The star, who was born with a sight defect but at 12 became fully blind following an accident while playing football, says: “From my father, I learnt the determination to act, to do instead of just talking, and I learnt dedication to my work, honesty, consistency and a love of my native land: all things that I’ve tried to pass on to my own children in turn.”
Of his children – Matteo, Amos and Virginia – he hopes they will fulfil their aspirations. “Each of them must find their own road for themselves,” he says. “Parents have the responsibility to provide the fertile soil from which their children can identify their future.”
And he hopes he can lead by example: “Example is the only credible tool – a thousand times more powerful than a rebuke or the most convincing of reprimands.”
Now, in the wake of live music’s revival, the 62-year-old is excited for the return of audiences. “It’s been a long period in which many opportunities have been lost,” he says. “During the pandemic I have mourned the loss of direct contact, of that special relationship that is established during a live performance.”
Andrea performed one of his first post-lockdown concerts at the opening ceremony of the Uefa Euro 2020 football tournament, which he calls a “joy and an honour”.
“[Singing] in front of an audience is a way to share a gift that heaven has given,” he says. “It’s the simplest and most direct way for me to have a relationship with my fellow creatures.” And it’s clear his fans share the sentiment, as his diary is bursting with concerts. “Thanks be to God,” he smiles.
Concerto: One Night In Central Park is out now.