Andrea Bocelli - Andrea Bocelli The Opera Album Aria (17 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

Music must move us. As this excellent tenor shows.

Sen Peng Eu | Kaohsiung, Taiwan | 01/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I recently read some reviews from several magazines, all discuss the sound and the unpure identity in classic music of Bocelli. They illustrate and compare the aria sung here by Bocelli with other versions sung by other new tenors (I don't want to recite the list here, since I intent not to offend their fans), And their conclusions are almost the same: Bocelli is a crossover singer, and that's all. Yes, Bocelli's sound has many(?) flaws, as some critics says or showes. But he can move me! That's most important, isn't it? I listened classic music a lot, many so-called CDs sung by new-stars had me listened for once or twice, then were put it aside. They can not move me. But Bocelli seems always sings from his heart, without over-calculated interpretation or fastidious beautiful voice maintained, as many new singers do. For the tenors recommended by those magazines, indeed they have "purer" or "cleaner" voice than Bocelli, but it sounds that they have only sweet sound. Sing on, Bocelli."

A fantastic voice for the new century

Andre | Twin Cities, MN | 01/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pay attention carefully to what me and the guy below me (John) say. You also may want to take a look at the other reviews and note their criticisms. I will start off by saying that I had no knowledge of Andrea Bocelli before his debut on PBS a couple years ago. I don't know if he did pop music before he worked in classical and operatic music. But to me, it doesn't matter if people say he's done a "cross-over," because I hear him for what he brings to these arias. Sure he may be new at this to everyone else, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to sing arias. They aren't like pop songs that you just sing the notes and words. I hear much emotion and expression in these arias as he sings. The most spectacular thing about him though is his VOICE. I haven't heard a purer, sweeter, more versatile voice with such control since the early days of dear Luciano Pavarotti. I'm sorry, but I personally cannot stand to hear the nasal voice that many tenors possess. If it's not nasal, then it's whiney. But with Andrea, it is exactly what I consider to be "beautiful." He sings each aria with all the gusto and spunk that they need, yet caresses every note with his silky chords. I hope he continues to pursue work in this area, as we do not have what I consider to be good tenors around. Pavarotti is well past his prime, so someone needs to take his place. I see that it could be Andrea Bocelli. Some of the other reviewers are harsh on Bocelli, saying he's just a pop singer that wants to be an opera star. Even the critic at the top, Sarah Bryan Miller, says he's a wannabe, and that he wouldn't be able to sing over a medium sized orchestra without any amplification. I beg to differ. His voice is very strong, even for his age. It takes many years of singing to get the vocal chords to be the usual strength that we're used to hearing in opera. He still has time. For now though, if you like to hear a "true" tenor sound (even though he has some fantastic baritone notes), I would definitely get this CD. He is unlike any others since Pavarotti, and he's probably better than Pavarotti was. Take it for what it's worth to you, and I won't tell you that you eat whitebread and twinkies either."

CHANGE YOUR REVIEWER !

DAVID WILLIAMS | BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND. | 03/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thanks to Rick Holden (Sceptic@traveller.com) for showing Ms Miller how to write a proper review. Having listened to the album myself I can only agree whole heartedly with his comments. Unfortunately there are too many critics out there who try to analyse music note by note and impress us with their technical jargon. The joy of music is all about liking what you hear, and whether or not the music moves you. How can anyone enjoy listening if they're listening for flaws or mistakes instead of enjoying what they hear. Perhaps Andrea Bocelli isn't the greatest Opera singer, I don't know, but I can say that he has one of the most wonderfully melodic voices I have ever heard and he sings like a man who is enjoying every note he delivers. His background or his potential for the future don't bother me, he is the man of the moment, and that's all that matters. I recently watched a video performance of his 'Evening in Tuscany' which I would reccommend to all fans. Maybe Andrea will never be a great Opera singer, but who cares? He can move audiences without all the fancy dress. VIVA ANDREA!"

Why...?

Katherine Graham | Sparta, NC | 03/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Why is there all this continuing controversy after so many years about whether or not Andrea Bocelli is - or is not - Operatically sound? All I know (and that's not saying much for me in this genre), is that after having listened to Amazon.com's sampling of the music on this Audio CD a few moments ago, I wept. Andrea Bocelli always makes me weep - because of his profound spiritual depth. And I don't care what anyone thinks on that issue. All I do know is this. The man sings from his soul...and nothing could surpass that - ever."

The opera buffs continue to miss the entire point

David Coletti | Dallas, TX | 09/11/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I gave this 3 stars for the main reason that I wasn't crazy about the selection/order of arias, I didn't think it made for a natural flow of tracks. I would have preferred for maybe a few tracks of the same opera before moving onto the next.But looking over the other reviews it really surprises me how the serious opera listeners think they can dissuade or discourage Bocelli fans by simply running off a list of legendary names (the logic being one listen to these greats and Bocelli will be all but forgotton) or pointing out things like "he could not be heard over an orchestra" and therefore his fans should not enjoy his recordings. This is being very presumtious and completely ignores what Bocelli is all about. Bocelli is NOT an opera singer in the true sense of the term... he has not built a career that way, but more importantly his sound is not purely opera either. But that's exactly WHY he's been able to carve out a career and a large following and been able to expose people to this kind of music... As great as top-quality serious tenors are (the ones who can be heard over an orchestra), most people's impression from hearing them at first is not favorable. It's just too much of everything for the average ear to take in... Some would say it's a type of singing so highly specialized that it doesn't sound "human" and therefore they cannot relate to it. Bocelli instead has a far more relateable sound, he brings a certain type of popular sensibility to his singing most people instantly find pleasureable. He combines this with seriousness and enough passion and enough technique to the music he is singing that people can't help but equate him with opera. Simply put: his voice has the better qualities the general public associates with opera singing (smooth delivery, beautiful high notes, pleasing tone), and none of the qualities they are usually turned off by (overpowering/piercing power, overwhealming intensity, complex phrasing, sound they cannot relate to). I don't believe his desired intent with these opera recordings is to make people forget Pavarotti in his prime and turn the opera world on it's ear. Instead he tries to "evoke" an opera singer's image and sound in the minds of people who would otherwise not even begin to have interest in opera. That's a very big difference, so it makes no sense to even try to bring up the legendary tenor names as if these are valid comparison points. Also it makes no difference whatsoever if Bocelli is closely miked or not since he is not competing for stage vocal power agaist real career opera tenors, his aim is for the general public not serious opera buffs.As for this CD, my favorite track was the first ("Quest o quella"). Bocelli's phrasing was spot on perfect for that. Some of the following tracks seemed less than perfect. My guess is the production was rushed and Bocelli did not have much preparation and study to give his all for so many diverse arias. For example, this was his first recording of "Che gelida manina" and to me it sounded a bit dead, but I prefer the one the recorded for the "La Boheme" full opera CD... it was MUCH better focused and polished, a definite improvement. Same for "E lucevan le stelle" here compared to the much more dramatic, passionate rendition Bocelli delivered on the full "Tosca" CD. This proves to me Bocelli is capable of improving his interpretations and could do better than what was in this earlier attempt but he needs the right direction to accomplish that.I'm not a fan of so many diverse arias on one CD so that's basically why I prefer some other Bocelli recordings to this one."

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