Canzoni Italiane / Italian Songs

Andrea Bocelli        Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli  performing The Prayer at the Grammys (1999)

Sogno is an album released by Andrea Bocelli in 1999. It is said to have sold over 10 million copies globally.

Andrea Bocelli (born 22 September 1958) is an Italian operatic pop  tenor and a classical crossover singer who has also performed in operas. To date, he has recorded six complete operas (La bohème, Il trovatore, Werther, Pagliacci, Cavalleria rusticana and Tosca) in addition to various classical and pop albums. He has sold 60 million albums worldwide thus far. Born with congenital glaucoma, Bocelli became totally blind at the age of twelve after a football accident.

Andrea Bocelli was born in Lajatico, in rural Tuscany, not far from the ancient city of Pisa. Fascinated by the passion and storytelling of opera and traditional Italian music, Andrea dreamed of following in the footsteps of his idols; celebrated Italian tenors including Mario Del Monaco, Beniamino Gigli and especially Franco Corelli. While a child, Andrea’s beautiful, natural voice had made him something of a local celebrity. However his musical dreams were to be interrupted by the realities of adult life. To placate his family and their concerns for his future, he graduated from the University of Pisa in law, practicing as a state-appointed defence attorney for a short time. But his passion for music remained, and Andrea was soon studying under a number of maestros, most notably achieving a personal triumph and a source of encouragement when accepted as a pupil for master classes by his hero, tenor Franco Corelli.

In 1992, Italian rock star Zucchero enlisted then-unknown Andrea to record a ‘demo track’ of “Miserere”, a duet to be recorded with Luciano Pavarotti. Andrea effortlessly captured the very essence of the song. As Zucchero later said, “He just had this ‘soul’”.

Andrea’s voice was soon attracting attention outside Italy. His international breakthrough hit was the beguiling “Con Te Partirò” and in it's duet arrangement with Sarah Brightman, “Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partirò)”. The solo version was a worldwide smash, topping the French singles chart, while the duet held the top spot on Germany’s single chart for fourteen weeks, and, at three million copies, went on to become Germany's best selling single of all time. “I have wonderful memories singing with Andrea,” says Sarah Brightman today. ‘’Time to Say Goodbye’ will always hold a special place in my heart”.

In 1996 and 1997 Andrea Bocelli exploded on album charts across the world, with the international debut album, Romanza, a collection of passionate popular songs. Conquering Europe, then charts around the world, the album amassed a multitude of platinum and multi-platinum awards, with worldwide sales in excess of 16 million copies to date. Selling an impressive 500,000 copies in the Far East, one million in Italy, and more than three million in Latin America and Spain, the album also contained “Vivere ”, “Il Mare Calmo Della Sera,” and the title track, “Romanza,” all of which feature on the new Best Of collection.

Andrea’s 1999 Best New Artist Grammy nomination marked the first time a classical artist had been nominated in the category in 38 years. ‘The Prayer’, his duet with Celine Dion for the animated film, The Quest for Camelot, won the Golden Globe for Best Song and was nominated for an Academy Award. In March 1999 Andrea released his second pop offering, Sogno. The album, which included “The Prayer,” entered the upper reaches of the pop album charts around the world, confirming Andrea’s position at the pinnacle of the world of popular music, and giving birth to the phenomenon of “Bocellimania”.