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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.
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 defense 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”.
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