Why did Andrea Bocelli lose his sight? Andrea Bocelli

Sources: Vkontakte community Wikipedia In 1994, the brightest star lit up at the Italian Sanremo Festival. The world saw Andrea Bocelli. He was over 35 years old at that moment, can you imagine? In fact, Bocelli's breakthrough year was 1992 - it was then that Luciano Pavarotti first noticed him. It happened very interestingly. Zucchero Fornaciari (this is the same guy we know best of all) for this song) needed a tenor to record a demo version of the song Miserere. He co-wrote it with U2's Bono. That's when Andrea came in handy. How did it happen that until the age of 30 the world did not know that somewhere in Italy there was such a magical singer? Andrea Bocelli was born in Lajatico, Italy in September 1958. Already at the age of six he began to learn to play the piano, and later mastered the flute and saxophone. Andrea Bocelli was born in Lajatico, Italy in September 1958. Already at the age of six he began to learn to play the piano, and later mastered the flute and saxophone. Little Andrea He had vision problems since early childhood. He was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma. And when he was 12, he lost the ability to see completely - it’s not always good for boys to play football... Updated 19/08/11 02:49: Despite the obvious musical talents, Bocelli did not consider music as his future career, until he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Pisa and received the title of doctor. Only then did Bocelli begin to seriously study his voice with the famous tenor Franco Corelli, simultaneously earning money for piano lessons in various groups. As I said, in 1992, Zucchero noticed him. Bocelli recorded Miserere with Pavarotti. And in 1993 he was on tour with Zucchero. I couldn’t find a video from their concerts, so let there be a duet of these two wonderful Italians from 1997. In 1994, Andrea waited for a breakthrough - he took part in San Remo! The song that opens the post brought Andrea victory. The album of the same name became very popular. Bocelli performed at a variety of events and went on tour with Gerardine Trova. Here, for example, all the participants in the annual gala concert sing All for love by Bryan Adams. Bocelli is also among them! In September, he performed for the first time in the opera, and then sang before the Pope! I’m not sure if this is exactly the performance, but it was Adeste Fideles who sang. Then everything turned out just as brilliantly. In November 1995, Bocelli toured the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain and France with a production of Night Of Proms, which also featured Brian Ferry, Al Jerr, Supertramp's Roger Hodgson and John Mays. in the video he sings an absolutely gorgeous song about a cable car! At the same time, Bocelli, as the winner of San Remo last year, participated again with a song that EVERYONE now knows! But it sounded completely different in 1996 at the farewell fight of the great boxer Henry Maske. Time to say goodbye? Sarah Brightman and Andrea had a great time seeing off the legendary athlete! Somewhere at the same time, Bocelli recorded a duet with Helen Segara (she, some time after this, became Esmeralda). Next are the concerts. albums. amazing popularity in Europe, participation in opera productions. One of the most significant milestones was his duet with Celine Dion. The song Prayer became the soundtrack to the cartoon The Quest for Camelot and was nominated for an Oscar (received a Globe, by the way)! Updated 19/08/11 02:50: And this is a performance from the Grammy 1999. By the way, then Bocelli was nominated as best new artist - rare case for an artist with a classical repertoire. And this is very interesting video- Bocelli sings on charity concert Michael Jackson in Munich in 2000. He still lives in the mode of constant concerts and recordings. I'm going to binge on my favorite moments now. At closing Olympic Games in Turin in 2006. And this is Nessun Dorma on Palace Square in St. Petersburg. It was free concert in October. There was terrible rain! I couldn’t go. And then I regretted it so much! Updated 19/08/11 02:51: A couple of duets: With Aguilera With Pavarotti With Mary J. Bludge Now to his personal life: Bocelli met his first wife, Enrica Cenzatti, at the beginning of his career. They got married on June 27, 1992. Their first child, Amos, was born in February 1995. Their second son, Matteo, was born in October 1997. Updated 19/08/11 02:52: They separated in 2002. Although not yet divorced, Bocelli lives with his girlfriend and manager, Veronica Berti. But these photographs should prove that the strength of the spirit lies in the person himself!

Updated 19/08/11 02:52: This is my favorite video from Sesame Street: And this is my MOST favorite song: And finally: will you be in New York on September 5th? Go to his free concert in Central Park. And some beautiful photos: Updated 19/08/11 02:53:

The influence of music on a person 19.08.2017

My dear readers, today we have a very interesting meeting in our section. This summer day we will go to musical journey to Italy, where we will listen to wonderful songs performed by the amazing Italian singer Andrea Bocelli. You and I will take a break from all worries, be mentally filled and have a pleasant time together. And musicologist Victoria Melnikova, already familiar to you from articles on the blog, invites us to such a wonderful conversation. I wish everyone have a nice holiday and I give the floor to Victoria.

Good afternoon, dear readers of Irina’s blog! Ah, Italy, Italy... What amazingly beautiful voices she gave to the world. And today we will plunge into the world wonderful music, let's listen to the singer, whose voice is recognized as one of the most beautiful voices of our time, the magical voice of Italy - Andrea Bocelli. We will also touch on some aspects of the biography of the Italian tenor. There will also be magnificent duets between maestros and wonderful vocalists. This will be a wonderful musical journey that we will remember for a long time.

Andrea Bocelli is not only the owner beautiful voice, but also strong man. Having encountered in my life with serious tests, he did not break down, was able to rise above all difficulties and thanks to his fortitude, boundless love for music and faith in beautiful dream he reached great heights. Today his work warms the hearts of many people in different countries, giving them joy, inspiration and hope.

Let some music play before our conversation begins. It will be Mattinata or "Morning Serenade" by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The song was written by the composer in 1904, and was first performed by Enrico Caruso, and the composer himself was at the piano at that time. Now Andrea Bocelli will give us an amazing mood. The morning dawn caresses the flowers at dawn, everything around wakes up, and the singer, waiting for his beloved, sings his serenade for her.

Andrea Bocelli - "Morning Serenade"

Childhood

On sunny Italian soil, in picturesque Tuscany, lies the small village of Lajatico. It was here that the baby was born on September 22, 1958. The boy was named Andrea.

It so happened that Andrea had poor eyesight since childhood, which continued to decline. The parents fought, the child survived 27 operations. When Andrea was 12 years old, something happened that changed his entire subsequent life. An accidental kick from a soccer ball while playing with children left him blind. From that moment on, the boy had to learn to live again. However, years later he was destined to become in a magical voice Italy, a world-famous tenor bringing light to people.

Love for music

It must be said that the future maestro fell in love with music from his early childhood. When Andrea was 6, he was already learning to play the piano, and later also began to master the flute and saxophone. But most of all, little Andrea loved to sing.

It is interesting that the parents’ lives were in no way connected with music. They had their own farm with vineyards, where they farmed. Italian tenor recalls: “My father was completely far from music, he didn’t even have hearing. Mom's is a little better. So I don't even know what combination of genes gave rise to such a passion. But it is so. Apparently this is fate. Since childhood, I have been kind of fascinated by music. When I was sick, my parents brought a record player to my bed, and these were moments of some kind of metaphysical rebirth.”

Arias from famous Italian operas were performed. And Andrea could listen to this music endlessly, because the art of opera attracted him especially strongly. The voices of Mario del Monaco, Benjamino Gigli and especially Franco Corelli consoled little Andrea and gave him inspiration.

On the way to a dream

The young talent began to sing arias from his favorite operas, performed as a soloist in the school choir, and participated and won vocal competitions. Thus was born in his heart A big dream- become a famous tenor.

Let's listen Neapolitan song about love Anema e Core (“Soul and Heart”).

Andrea Bocelli - “Soul and Heart”

Parents supported and approved of Andrea's love for music, but wanted their son to receive legal education. After graduating from school, Andrea entered the University of Pisa, where he received a law degree. He began working as a lawyer, but he did not forget about his dream. Andrea continued to improve his performing technique by studying vocals with Luciano Bettarini.

1992 became a special year in the life of young Andrea Bocelli, because it gave him the acquaintance of maestro Franco Corelli. At this time, the famous opera tenor conducted vocal master classes in Turin. Having learned about this, Andrea made up his mind and hit the road. After the auditions, Maestro Corelli was delighted - his voice was so beautiful young singer. Franco Corelli became his teacher, and with him Andrea learned the intricacies of vocal skill. According to Andrea Bocelli himself, it was Franco Corelli who played a huge role in his life.

After this there were other important events in the life of Andrea Bocelli - meeting the famous Italian rock musician Zucchero, and then the great Luciano Pavarotti, who was delighted with the voice of the Italian tenor. Then Andrea Bocelli won victories at music festivals in San Remo.

His debut took place in the world classical music in concert at the Teatro Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia. The first album was released, which very quickly became platinum. And then there was a European tour, which brought the singer international fame. New horizons opened up for him. Thus began Andrea Bocelli's rise to the top of fame.

Now let Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria” sound for us. Eternal music and such a soulfully beautiful performance. Let's listen, get inspired, and let this music touch every heart.

Andrea Bocelli - "Ave Maria"

Path of Glory

IN different years Andrea Bocelli sang a duet with Luciano Pavarotti, Sarah Brightman, Celine Dion, Lara Fabian and other performers. Andrea Bocelli's albums have become incredibly popular. In 1999, the Italian tenor was awarded a Grammy Award. For almost 40 years, it was he who became the first classical music performer to be awarded such a high award. In 2006, Andrea Bocelli became a Grand Officer of the Order for Contributions to Italian Republic", and in 2009 he was awarded the Order Dominican Republic for his contribution to world culture.

If we talk about Andrea Bocelli's repertoire, it is very diverse. The Italian tenor performs classical music; opera occupies a special place in his life. The singer is a popularizer of opera music and the best-selling classical music performer in the world. Since 2010, Andrea Bocelli has had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the art of opera.

But the Italian singer also performs popular songs. And every time we open completely new facet his talent. And no matter what direction in music the maestro turns to, and no matter what language he performs it in, it is always a strong and at the same time soft voice, it is such soulfulness, it is music performed from the heart and for the soul.

Music from films

According to Andrea Bocelli himself, he had long dreamed of recording an album consisting of songs written for films. And his dream came true. The 2015 album Cinema became such an album. We will listen to two songs from this album.

One of them is famous lyrical song"Be my love" from the film "The Darling of New Orleans", in which it was performed by Mario Lanza and Katherine Grayson. The music was composed by Nikolai Brodsky with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. A beautiful, enchanting melody, soulful lyrics and wonderful performance by the Italian singer will give us a wonderful mood.

Andrea Bocelli – Be My Love

Another touching song is E Più Ti Penso (“The More I Think About You”). It was written by composer Ennio Morricone and featured in the film Once Upon a Time in America. For his album Cinema, Andrea Bocelli recorded it with Ariana Grande. The American singer was happy that she was able to sing a duet with the maestro.

“The more I think about you, the more I miss you...” Let’s listen to this heartfelt duet.

Andrea Bocelli and Ariana Grande – E Più Ti Penso

I think you will agree with me that music is a real miracle in our lives. And now there will be a song dedicated specifically to the love of music. It is called Vivo per lei (“I live for her”). Andrea Bocelli performs it with the talented American singer Heather Headley.

Andrea Bocelli and Heather Headley – Vivo per lei

I've been living for her since that moment
The first time I met her.
No, I don't remember how
But she came into my life and stayed here.
I live for her, as she
Makes your soul tremble...
I live for her, for music.

And this is an amazing song called Love in Portofino. Here the world of dreams about the beloved whom the hero of the song met in Italian Portofino is embodied. Charming music and such a sensual performance. Give yourself an amazingly magical state of mind with Love in Portofino.

Andrea Bocelli – Love in Portofino

And another heartfelt gift from me for today – the extraordinary song La Grande Storia. This beautiful story Great love, which the wonderful duet – Andrea Bocelli and singer Zara – will tell us about. Plunge into the world of romance, an ocean of deep feelings.

Website: http://www.liveinternet.ru

Andrea Bocelli is a blind singer with the most beautiful voice in the world:

“MUSIC IS MY LIFE...”

“I was born on September 22, 1958 in the Tuscan village of Lajatico, near Volterra. Under the influence of religious foundations, as well as inspired by the example of my parents, I learned not to submit to the blows of fate, but to try to strengthen my strength in confronting them.

As far as I can remember, absolutely every moment of my life was filled passionate love to music. The greatest tenors of Italy - among them Del Monaco, Gigli, and to a greater extent Corelli have always aroused my great admiration and inspired me when I was still very young. Burning with a love for opera, I devoted my entire life to the dream of becoming a great tenor.

Despite the fact that I live in a changing world, I calmly accept everything that life gives me: I enjoy the most simple things and readily accept any challenge of fate. I always try to remain optimistic by following true meaning statements French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “We truly see only with our hearts. The essence of things is invisible to our eyes."

Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli - a modern tenor, but of the old school

Italian Opera singer born in 1958 in Lagiatico, in the province of Tuscany. Despite his blindness, he became one of the most memorable voices modern opera and pop music. Bocelli is equally good at performing classical repertoire and pop ballads.

Andrea Bocelli grew up on a farm in the small village of Lajatico. At the age of 6 he began learning to play the piano, and later mastered the flute and saxophone. Suffering from poor vision, he became completely blind at age 12 after an accident. Despite his obvious musical talents, Bocelli did not consider music as a future career until he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Pisa and received his doctorate. Only then did Bocelli begin to seriously study his voice with the famous tenor Franco Corelli, simultaneously earning money for piano lessons in various groups.

Bocelli's first breakthrough as a singer came in 1992, when Zucchero Fornaciari was looking for a tenor to record a demo of the song "Miserere", which he wrote with U2's Boni. Having successfully passed the selection, Bocelli recorded the composition in a duet with Pavarotti.

After a worldwide tour with Fornaciari in 1993, Bocelli performed at the charity Pavarotti International Festival, which was held in Modena in September 1994.

In addition to Pavarotti, Bocelli also sang with Bryan Adams, Andreas Vollenweider and Nancy Gustafsson. In November 1995, Bocelli traveled to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain and France with the production of "Night Of Proms", which also featured Bryan Ferry, Al Jarre and John Mays.

Bocelli's first two albums, Andrea Bocelli (1994) and Bocelli (1996), featured only his opera singing, while the third disc, Viaggio Italiano, featured famous opera arias and traditional Neapolitan songs. Although the CD was released only in Italy, it sold more than 300 thousand copies there. The fourth album, "Romanza" (1997), featured pop material, including the hit "Time To Say Goodbye", recorded in a duet with Sarah Brightman, which was a great success.

After this, Bocelli continued to develop a profitable pop direction, releasing his fifth album, Sogno, in 1999, which included a duet with Celine Dion, “The Prayer.”

Released as a single, this song sold 10 million copies in the United States alone. For her performance, Bocelli received a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best New Artist" category. Latest album"Ciele di Toscana" was released in 2001.

Andrea Bocelli - sole singer, who managed to merge pop music and opera: “He sings songs like opera and opera like songs.”

This may sound offensive, but the result is quite the opposite: great amount adoring fans. And among them are not only teenagers dressed in rumpled T-shirts, but also endless lines business women and housewives and dissatisfied with the existence of employees and managers in double-breasted jackets, who ride the subway with a laptop on their lap and a Bocelli CD in their player. Twenty-four million CDs sold on five continents is no joke even for those accustomed to counting in billions of dollars.

Everyone likes the Italian, whose voice can mix melodrama with a song from San Remo. In Germany, the country that discovered it in 1996, it is constantly present in the charts. In the United States, he is the subject of a cult: President Bill Clinton, who knows the score for the film "Kansas City" by heart, calls himself among Bocelli's admirers. And he wanted Bocelli to sing at the White House and at the Democratic meeting.

Soon the Pope drew attention to the talented musician. The Holy Father recently received Bocelli at his summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, to hear him perform the Jubilee 2000 anthem. And he released this hymn into the world with a blessing.

But the real Bocelli phenomenon flourishes not in Italy, where singers who sing easy-to-whistle songs and romances are scarce, but in the United States. “Dream”, his new CD, which has already become a bestseller in Europe, is in first place in popularity overseas.

And let it not be said that Bocelli owes his success to the widespread good nature and desire to protect him, caused by his blindness. Of course, the fact of being blind plays a role in this story. But the fact remains: I like his voice. “He has a very beautiful timbre. And since Bocelli sings in Italian, the audience gets a feeling of being part of the culture. Culture for the masses. This is what makes them feel good,” Lisa Altman, vice president of Philips, explained some time ago Bocelli is Italian and, especially, Tuscan.

This is one of his strengths: he presents a culture that is popular and refined at the same time. The sounds of Bocelli's voice are so gentle that they evoke in the mind of every American a room with a beautiful view, the hills of Fiesole, the hero of the film "The English Patient", the stories of Henry James.

After the 5th Annual Art Festival Italian film and Fashion in Los Angeles, held from February 28, 2010 at the Mann Chinese Theater Complex, awarded a Hollywood star on the Walk of Fame.

Andrea Bocelli - Italian opera singer, awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Andrea Bocelli's star is the two thousand four hundred and second star on the Alley.

2402nd Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

IN free time Bocelli retires to nook and reads "War and Peace" using his computer with a Braille keyboard. He wrote an autobiography. The temporary title is "Music of Silence" (copyright sold to Warner by Italian publishing house Mondadori for $500,000).

Success is determined more by Bocelli's personality than by his voice. He is endowed with extraordinary courage: he skis, goes in for horseback riding, and won the most important battle: despite his blindness and unexpected success(this can also be a disadvantage), he managed to lead a normal life.

Bocelli's voice, sounding organically in works that combine seemingly incompatible musical styles- classical opera and popular music, delights people of all ages and social status worldwide.

In October, a concert of the world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli took place in St. Petersburg. The world-famous tenor sang for free for everyone who happened to be on Palace Square at that time. Coincidentally or not, it was on Music Day.

Although Andrea said at the press conference that the concerts at outdoors This was nothing new for him; it was clear that the St. Petersburg weather caused inconvenience to the tenor. After all, as expected at a concert, he was in a light suit. True, after each vocal part he went backstage. Obviously it was warmer there. In his absence, an orchestra played on stage Mariinsky Theater. VIPs in the front rows were not shy about vigorously expressing their emotions. So, even if the climate seemed harsh to the musician, he was received very warmly. They applauded while standing, which is called peeling off their palms. Palace Square was packed to capacity. Many did not believe that the concert would take place on the appointed day; after all, the capricious St. Petersburg weather defies forecasts.

Bocelli came to St. Petersburg 10 years ago, then he recorded an album with Vladimir Fedoseev, he had the opportunity to record Verdi with an orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev. The singer also noted his collaboration with Olga Borodina and Yulia Gertseva. “You have a wonderful school with long traditions" says Bocelli.

It turned out that the tenor knows and loves Russian literature: “I once started reading to fight insomnia. In this way I tried to occupy myself, because I didn’t want to sleep. But I was so keen on reading that my insomnia only worsened. I read Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Gogol, Chekhov. I really fell in love with Russian classics.” Andrea's dream to visit Russia has come true, now he hopes to visit someday Yasnaya Polyana, bow to Tolstoy. He does not lose hope of coming to Russia just as a tourist. By the way, the famous tenor shared that he always takes Rachmaninov with him on trips to listen to on the road.

Bocelli admits that he would really like to sing the opera “Eugene Onegin”, but the language barrier interferes, and he is sure that one must strive to perform the opera perfectly.

But this is today Andrea Bocelli - a famous opera singer, tenor. He had to fight harder than others for his place in the sun: as a result of an accident at the age of 12, he became completely blind. He is perplexed when someone considers his blindness an advantage over other colleagues: they say, out of respect, they will let him go ahead. Colleagues, on the contrary, work more diligently with their elbows...

No, no, but they will remember that he started with pop music. Bocelli himself does not find anything wrong with this. He is only glad that people who previously listened only to the “light” genre come to listen to him at the opera. Perhaps they are coming for the first time.

Andrea was born in the small village of Lajatico, in the province of Tuscany. He was always engrossed opera music. He always loved to sing. As a teenager, Bocelli even won several singing competitions and was a soloist in the school choir. At the age of six he began learning to play the piano, then mastered the flute and saxophone. “When I was young, I spent all the money I earned on instruments. But over time I realized that I have unique instrument, and also does not require additional costs - a voice,” says the singer. He still tries to play instruments in his free moments. He admits that he does best on the piano; he studied longer.

Over time, young Bocelli's dreams of musical career faced with reality. Andrea went to study in Pisa. After graduating from university, he was supposed to get a lawyer's degree. But he did not forget about his old dream - to become famous musician. In Turin, he meets his idol Franco Corelli, having come specially for this purpose to audition. His career as a lawyer was ended. Now he studied music during the day and performed in restaurants at night. The courts of Pisa never received the young lawyer. But he still received his diploma.

They say fate will find it on the stove. 1994 becomes a fateful year for Bocelli. His debut on music festival in San Remo can be called a huge success. Andrea received the highest score ever given to a singer in the category " New artist". He performed there with the song "Il mare calmo della sera". In the same year, Andrea was personally invited by Luciano Pavarotti to participate in a concert in Modena. He performed both solo and in a duet with Luciano himself. Later Andrea sang with Pavarotti at a wedding, and even performed for the Pope on Christmas Eve 1994. Bill Clinton invited Bocelli to perform at the White House at a meeting with Democrats.

According to a survey by People magazine, Bocelli was recognized as one of the most charming men. His discs sell millions of copies on all continents.

The musician’s personal life also turned out well. He is married and has two sons, Amos and Mateo. “First of all, they are part of the audience that comes to concerts. They are my first critics and pour salt into the wounds without looking back. At home they have been listening to opera since childhood. Every day they hear daddy sing. This is not surprising for them,” says Bocelli.

Of course, the main place in Bocelli's life is music, but he also has many other hobbies. Since childhood, he loved horses. Andrea loves these beautiful and hardy animals very much. His blindness did not prevent him from becoming a good horseman. Andrea is good at chess and skiing, can make any descent and wonders why this surprises others so much. He even went to the mountains with friends! Not to prove anything to anyone, but because I wanted to be close to them. He couldn't wait at the hotel for them to return. He is also a good cook, despite his illness. During a visit to St. Petersburg, he highly appreciated Russian cuisine and even asked the chef for the recipe for some dishes.

Bocelli claims that he is not afraid of difficulties. “I behave like Kutuzov,” he says. - "Always"…

"Andrea was born at 5:10 am on September 22, 1958, weighing 3 kg 600 g - a new joy for his mother and father." So it is written in one of the ordinary children's books, which contain various data and facts about the newborn and several photographs. He doesn't remember his life without his passion for music.

Andrea spent his childhood on a farm in his small native village of Lajatico, in the province of Tuscany. At the age of 6, he began learning to play the piano, and later mastered the flute and saxophone. Suffering from poor vision, he became completely blind at age 12 after an accident. His first passion was great Italian singers, such as Del Monaco, Gigli and, especially, Franco Corelli. For Andrea, absorbed in opera music, the dream and goal of his whole life was the desire to become a great tenor. As a teenager, he won several singing competitions and was a soloist in the school choir. But over time, youthful dreams of a life dedicated to music were questioned and faced with reality.

In 1980, Andrea moved to Pisa to graduate from university there and obtain a lawyer's degree. Despite this, he liked to play local restaurants, perform songs by such singers as Sinatra, Aznavour and Piaf. From time to time, Andrea tried to realize his dream by performing his favorite opera arias. Having learned that his childhood idol Franco Corelli was in Turin to conduct master classes, Andrea, full of fear, came to the maestro. Corelli, finding in his voice natural beauty, which reminded him of the quality of the few legendary Tuscan tenors, took young man to students. Encouraged, Andrea decided that after the initiation music life must dominate. His career as a lawyer was ended. Life now consisted of studying music during the day and performing in restaurants at night. The Pisa courts never waited for the young lawyer to return.

1992 - Italian rock star Zucchero is looking for a tenor to prepare a demo recording of the song "Miserere", which he wanted to sing with the great Luciano Pavarotti. After a futile search for

A young man performing in local restaurants came to disobey. Effortlessly and, somewhat inexplicably, he captured the essence of the song. Italian manager Michele Torpedine flew to Philadelphia specifically to show Pavarotti's "Miserere". The great maestro was stunned by the way the singer performed the song, and for a long time could not believe that this voice belonged to an unknown pianist from a restaurant, and not to a talented young tenor.

1993 - Katerina Caselli Zugar, president of the Zugar label (one of the oldest and most successful music companies country) at a private party I heard “Nessun dorma” performed by Andrea. Full of confidence that he should show his talent to the general public, Katerina invited Andrea to visit her office to listen to an unreleased composition called “Il mare calmo della sera”.

1994 - His debut at the Sanremo Music Festival was a huge success. Andrea received the highest score ever given to a singer in the New Artist category for the song "Il mare calmo della sera". In September 1994, Andrea was personally invited by L. Pavarotti to participate in the Pavarotti International concert in Modena. He performed both alone and in a duet with Luciano himself. The concert also featured Bryan Adams, Andreas Wohlweider, Nancy Gustafsson and Georgia.

Andrea Bocelli has a good reputation in the world of classical music. He took part in many concerts and festivals, including a performance before the Pope on Christmas Eve 1994.

In November 1995 he performed in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain and France with concert program"Nights of the Proms". He has shared the stage with Ali Jarreau, Bryan Ferry, Supertramp's Roger Hodgson and John Miles, as well as

phonic orchestra and choir. More than 450,000 people attended these concerts, and as a result, the second album "Bocelli" entered the Belgian, Dutch and German charts, where it remained for a very long time. This album went double platinum in Italy, six platinum in Belgium and four times platinum in Germany and the Netherlands. The song "Con te partiro" topped the French charts for 6 weeks. In Belgium, the song became the biggest hit of all time, spending 12 weeks at the top of the charts.

The third disc "Romanza" captured Western part world like a storm. It consisted mainly of a selection of pop songs, and the song "Time to Say Goodbye" (a duet with Sarah Brightman) immediately topped the charts, as did "Con te partiro". In Germany, "Time to Say Goodbye" topped the charts for 14 weeks. In France, "Romanza" sold 1,000,000 copies and topped the chart. best albums. The album occupied the same position in the charts of the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria. In the UK, where Andrea Bocelli had previously been completely unknown, the success of "Romanza" was stunning.

When the fourth album, "Viaggio Italiano", was released in Italy, it sold 300,000 copies within a few months. This entry is a mixture of famous opera arias and traditional Neopolitan songs, and, to some extent, a tribute to all Italian emigrants.

Although central place music occupies Andrea's life, he has many other various hobbies. Even as a child, when returning from school, the first thing he did was run to the stables to see the horses. Andrea loves these beautiful and hardy animals very much. His blindness did not prevent him from becoming a pretty good horseman, as well as a chess player and skier