[ ClassicalX ] Bravo Bocelli

Italian Superstar Pays Homage To Great Tenors, And Great Songs, Of The Past.

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performs at the Mohegan Sun Arena next Saturday in support of his latest CD, "Incanto."

Bocelli's tour, described as a personal tribute to the great musical traditions of his homeland and an homage to the great tenors he admires, will include songs from the album and older favorites.

Bocelli has appeared frequently in what are usually pop venues. In 2001 he played the Hartford Civic Center, backed by members of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, hired for an eight-concert tour.

His tenor voice was heard often as background in the HBO series "The Sopranos." "Con Te Partitò" ("Time To Say Goodbye") was a favorite of Carmela Soprano.

Bocelli, who was born in Lajatico in Tuscany, studied piano, flute and saxophone as a child and was blind by age 12 after a soccer accident. He studied law as an adult, then turned to music, singing in piano bars. In the early '90s, he recorded a duet with Luciano Pavarotti, which gained him attention. His first two albums, in 1994 and 1996, featured operatic singing. On the third, he recorded popular Neapolitan songs. "Romanza," in 1997, featured a duet with Sarah Brightman on "Time To Say Goodbye." His fifth album "The Prayer," featured a duet with Celine Dion.

We talked with Bocelli (through interpreter Consuelo Hackney) by phone last week from Italy about his tour and "Incanto," his 20th studio album, released last November.

Q: What can the audience expect at your show?

A: First of all, I hope to give you an artist in good shape. That's the most important thing. Second, I'm an Italian tenor, so I will sing the best repertoire for an Italian tenor ... opera, pieces from my last recording and duets from opera.

Q: Will you be performing with special guests, or is it just you on stage?

A: I've never been alone. There will be a soprano, Eglise Gutierrez, and there will be an Italian flutist, very famous internationally, Andrea Griminelli. [Additional performers include conductor Steven Mercurio and singer Heather Headley.]

Q: How long does it take you to put together a CD, such as "Incanto"?

A: It depends. When I record classical repertoire, the decisions are only my decisions. I try to record the things that I prefer, if they are good for my voice.

Q: Do you have a favorite song from the CD?

A: No, not really. It's a collection of the best, the most famous pieces of tenors. There are pieces by Caruso, by Beniamino Gigli, by [ Franco] Corelli and many others. I love these pieces since when I was a child, so it's difficult to say which one.

Q: Do you find your audience ranges in age and that your music spans generations?

A: I think the kind of music that I do reaches the hearts of people, regardless of age.

Q: What are your thoughts on the importance of young people embracing opera? It has such a rich history.

A: For me, it's very important. It's very important, like, to see La Gioconda of Leonardo [the Mona Lisa] or the Pietà of Michelangelo or to read "War and Peace" of Tolstoy or many other things like this. Because the big art, it's important for the development of the soul.

Q: You actually mentored "American Idol" performers. What do you think of the show and the musicians that come out of it?

A: It was for me a big experience because I love to see young people starting singing. It's important. Music is a serious thing, not a joke.

•ANDREA BOCELLI performs in the Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville, Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $75 to $350. Information: 888-226-7711 or www.mohegansun.com.

Source: Hartford Courant