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Conventional wisdom has always held that classical music is bad music done really well. Andrea Bocelli does it so well that you think you are listening to great music. The blind, forty-three-year-old tenor has a voice and delivery that make listeners forget they don’t understand a word he’s singing. A perfect example of what I mean is the CD Cieli di Toscana.
The first track, “Melodramma,” has the sweeping mood swings that the title suggests, and it shows off Bocelli’s impressive vocal range, setting the tone for everything that follows. The ballad “E Sara’ A Settembre” (Someone Like You) is exactly the type of song that movie couples fall in love to and will persuade you to do the same.
The first English words on the CD are in “L’Incontro,” the eleventh track, where U2’s Bono is reciting poetry. It’s a sad poem about how a baby can change a hard man’s heart. The words of the song carry the theme to a compelling completion. Don’t think everything on the album is there to make you feel romantic; the next to last track takes off like a 70’s James Bond theme song.
Bocelli is the perfect way to introduce a friend to the world of classical music. It can bring together people from all over the world. I highly recommend you add this to your CD collection.
