Once in awhile, a talent arrives on the world stage and is embraced by the masses. Tenor Andrea Bocelli is an artist who joins the ranks of such timeless personalities as Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra. This week, the singer acclaimed for both classical and popular music comes to Verizon Center with a holiday program guaranteed to cheer. Bocelli has soared to the top of charts worldwide in the past 20 years. Along the way, he has worked with Luciano Pavarotti and the latter’s two colleagues, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. Conductor Zubin Mehta was impressed by his complete control from forte to pianissimo. Renee Fleming praised his voice’s beauty and Lorin Maazel, conductor of his classical album “Sentimento,” lauded his tessitura and ability to tap both high and low registers with ease. Bocelli became so close to Pavarotti that he sang at his friend’s wedding and funeral.
His success belies the fact that he became blind at age 12. Undeterred, he pursued his love of singing. His debut album, “Il Mare Calmo della Sera,” took off, going platinum. His second album, simply titled “Bocelli,” was also a smash hit. Today, he is the biggest-selling solo artist in the history of classical music. But he has also crossed over into popular music with success.
| Onstage |
| Andrea Bocelli |
| Where: Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW |
| When: 8 p.m. Friday |
| Info: $164 and up at ticketmaster.com |
Just as audiences everywhere gravitate to Bocelli, so do major artists clamor to meet and work with him. They include opera singers Denyce Graves, Ana Maria Martinez and Fleming, pop artists Celine Dion and Mary J. Blige, Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, crooner Bennett and country singer LeAnn Rimes.
Since his first visit to the United States in 1998 to sing at the Kennedy Center — and to be received at the White House by President Clinton — he has toured this country extensively. Among the highlights are his Metropolitan Opera debut, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Hollywood Bowl concert in the company of Elizabeth Taylor and performing with Dion their nominated single, “The Prayer,” at the Academy Awards. To the delight of children, he sang “Time to Say Goodnight” with Elmo on the “Sesame Street” show. He has been a popular guest on many TV shows, among them “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” the “Tonight Show,” “Larry King Live,” “The View” and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Overseas, fans turn out to greet Bocelli in droves from Rome to Hong Kong. His solo at the Torino Olympics, “Because We Believe,” was viewed by television audiences worldwide. In London, he sang a medley from “The Phantom of the Opera” at the Concert for Diana in Wembley Stadium.
Perhaps he is beloved nowhere more than in his hometown of Lajatico, Italy. There he built an outdoor theater where he gives five concerts every July. His guests there represent opera, classical and crossover music, rock and pop stars and instrumentalists.
What is there about Bocelli’s voice and his music that thrill people of all ages and walks of life? One fan shared that she is touched by the way he evaluates the meaning of each word he sings. When a phrase reaches her ears, she senses that it comes from his very soul.
