Luglio 18, 2009
Teatro del Silenzio, Lajatico, Italia
(4 reports: Italy, France, Germany, USA)
Quatrième rendez-vous à Lajatico ……
Rien n’a changé dans le décor magique du Teatro del Silenzio, si ce n’est les « statues » , très colorées cette année ; même impression de calme, de paix, de sérénité, malgré les 8600 personnes présentes en ce 18 juillet.
La soirée porte un nom très évocateur : « i colori dell’anima » …………
Et cette soirée commence par un chant , ou peut-être une prière, du groupe Lama Tzong Khapa. Puis retentissent les cloches qui annoncent l’arrivée de celui que tout le monde attend.
Il arrive, grand et beau , chevauchant un cheval sombre, tel le prince charmant des contes de notre enfance : mais n’est-il pas un peu NOTRE prince charmant ? et n’avons-nous pas, en le regardant, des yeux émerveillés d’enfants devant un cadeau inaccessible ?
Il descend prestement de sa monture, et c’est le début d’un récital époustouflant, essentiellement classique, de Puccini à Mascagni, en passant par Bizet, Meyerbeer, Lehar….
Seul, en duo, en trio, Andrea est, comme toujours, merveilleux. D’abord tout de blanc vêtu, puis habillé de noir pour la seconde partie, il est le charme même. Détendu, souriant, partageant le rôle de « présentateur » avec Fabio Fazio, il est manifestement heureux d’être chez lui, et il nous rend heureux !
Le public est conquis, bien sûr , et réserve aussi un accueil chaleureux aux invités du Maestro :Katherine Jenkins, Sabina Cvilak, et …..Placido Domingo : un très grand monsieur, qui sait se montrer facétieux, échangeant son rôle avec le chef d’orchestre (bravo aussi à l’orchestre des Abruzzes !), le temps de quelques mesures du Brindisi de Verdi – et qui nous fait part de son bonheur de chanter avec Andrea !
Et du bonheur , il nous en donne , Andrea, en ayant créé cet évènement exceptionnel dans son village :bonheur avant le spectacle (l’attende fait déjà partie du plaisir), pur moment de félicité pendant le concert, et bonheur aussi après, quand on se remémore encore et encore les mille détails de ce qu’on a vu et entendu…..
Les airs s’enchaînent et arrive, hélas,la fin de la soirée. Le public enthousiaste obtient 3 rappels : personne ne semble avoir envie de partir ( malgré le très fameux Con te partiro ….)
Et même si le regret que ce soit déjà fini laisse un peu de tristesse dans les cœurs, je me dis que j’ai eu bien de la chance de faire partie des privilégiés qui ont pu vivre ces moments.
Alors, tout simplement , merci Andrea …..et à l’année prochaine !

by Anna, France  

 
_________________________________________________________________________
"Grazie Andrea
Per la tua generosità e per averci permesso di realizzare questo tutto"

This is standing on the first side of the concert booklet, and I only can confirm that! 

Thank you so much, Andrea, for these really magical moments at the Teatro del Silenzio! 

I colori dell`anima - the motto of the show, and there was so much soul in it! 
And the colours of the beautiful Tuscan countryside, the valleys and the hills, the deep blue sky, the fields of sunflowers - every daytime another colouring, it`s so amazing! 
Also the sculptures of H.P.Ditzler were very colourful, a little bit too much for my taste, but if they have been illuminated by night, they looked beautiful. 
Lajatico, the lovely village in the heart of Tuscany, was full of people, which came from all over the world, and the inhabitants of Lajatico have been so kind, every time you meet someone on the street, you hear a "buon giorno" or "buona sera". 

The concerts in the Teatro del Silenzio have been a great success for Andrea, and again it was a wonderful experience to be there. It is a kind of magic in this place, nowhere at any other concert I have had this kind of feeling. 

As Andrea arrived on stage - riding on a horse - a wonderful large black one - it was a goose-skin feeling....
he was riding twice arround the little lake and than entering the stage, following of "Dammi i colori...Recondita armonia" from Tosca and "O Paradiso" from "L`Africana", an aria that I didn`t hear from Andrea before and which I guess is difficult to sing, but he mastered it very good, and especially in the night of the concert it was absolutely perfect!

A furious start of the concerts, Andrea was accompanied by the Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese under Maestro Eugen Kohn, who conducted with much engagement and feeling.
The partner of Andrea were the soprano Sabine Cvilak and mezzosoprano Katherine Jenkins - and Placido Domingo in the night of the concert, I will talk from him later.

After the ouverture and la Habanera from Carmen it was again the turn to Andrea, he sang Brindisi from "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "Cielo e mar" from "La Gioconda" - phantastic!
At the end of the first part " O soave Fanciulla" from "La Bohème, a duet, what Andrea seems to love very much. I didn`t see a classical concert with him without that duet, it seems to be an institution - like "Con te partirò"! 

After an intermission it startet again with an enthusiastic Triumph March from "Aida", and than a very touching moment: Andrea came on stage with his little niece Maddalena, sat down behind the piano and during he was playing, he remembered his father: "A mio padre", a melancholic moment of remembrance, maybe we will get to know the text, because my Italian is not good enough to understand, what he said, and I noticed the English translation on the screens to late.

After the "L`Amico Fritz" duetto delle ciliege the Brasilian guitarist Toquinho was playing and also singing with Andrea.
Than the thrilling Andrea Griminelli with his flute, absolutely phantastic! He also accompanied Andrea for the "Concerto de Aranjuez". The following "Granada" from Andrea was amazing!
At the end of the second part Andrea together with the two sopranos the "Tace il labbro" from "La vedova allegra".

The encores of the rehearsal were Brindisi from "La Traviata" with both sopranos and "Time to say Goodbye" with Katherine Jenkins.

The concert on Saturday has had the same program, at the beginning there was a group of Tibetean monks, the Lama Tzong Khapa Group who made the introduction - a little bit too long for my taste, and very monotone... 

And now Placido Domingo, I have promised to talk about him: I was very excited to see him, because since many years he also is my favourite tenor - sure behind Andrea!!! I have seen him too in several performances, and to see and to hear him together with Andrea was a really dream!

And he did not disappoint me: okay, his voice is darker than some years before, but he did not loose the special timbre, the emotion of his voice - the same what Andrea has in his voice, only in another way - something what is touching me very much.

At the end of the first part Andrea and Placido sang the Pearlfisher-duet - aaaah - again goose-skin feeling - and standing ovations!
In the second part he sang a song of Zarzuela, and together with Andrea and the two ladies "Tace il labbro" from "La vedova allegra" - with a short dance of the two couples Cvilak/Domingo and Jenkins/Bocelli! 

The first encores of the concert has been again Brindisi from "La Traviata" - in the middle of this quartet Placido went to Eugen Kohn and asked him to come down from his platform, and than he conducted the orchestra - and Maestro Kohn sang the part of Placido!

The second encore was another duet from Andrea and Placido, "Non ti scordar di me", than the obligatory "Time to say Goodbye" from Andrea and Katherine Jenkins.

And after that, at the end, the absolutely height, the nonplusultra of the show:
"Nessun dorma" with both tenors.......can`t find words to describe it....

Well, it again was an unforgettable experience at the Teatro del Silenzio.......

GRAZIE MILLE, ANDREA!!! 

 

by Anne, Deutschland

Danielas Report in deutscher Sprache hier im Toskana Blog 
   

Well…its me again.    .making my poor feeble attempt to describe the indescribable. How do you bring reality to a dream? How do you catch a sunbeam in your hand?   Impossible, mear words fail the feelings.  I made a promise to myself that I would do my best to attend all of the Teatro concerts….and what a spectacular journey it has been!!!..Four down and one to go!!!..
When I try to explain to “others” why I make this monumental effort at the age of 80 ….they give me looks that clearly tell me they think I am NUTS…..or worse, that they think I am some kind of aging “groupie” who has lost touch with reality.
 They just do not understand that it is “a happening” unlike any other. The very idea of constructing a theater among the rolling hills of this beautiful, unspoiled Tuscan countryside….once a year!  An undertaking that requires all the love and dedication of those determined to fulfill a dream. Yes, it is “a happening” and one that I didn’t want to miss.
 
 All I can say is if they (the “others”) don’t get it…..they don’t get it.  I feel sorry for them and I’m so happy that I DO get it. I am the winner in this situation.
 
 Even Andrea, when I told him that my daughter and I come from New Orleans every year….said, while smiling that engaging smile of his…. “You are craaaazy!”Of course I understand that he was joking, but I think he still cannot believe the enormity of the love the people feel for him and his music…and everything Italian.
 
Apparently there is no limit to the creativity of the artistic mind…..
Once again we were bowled over by the sheer artistic opulence of this concert.  Those  controversial sculptures (in jest sometimes described as various body parts!) were spectacular and showed us that “they” really did know what they were doing when they put this “colors of the soul” theme together.  Brilliant, vibrant colors exploding against the night sky in their illumination. Very impressive..
 
Where else would you see the star making his entrance onto the stage riding a horse??  I tell you, its unheard of.
The music begins and from behind the orchestra we glimpse this handsome, romantic figure clad in white riding a shining black horse around the pond.    WOW!!  How dramatic!!! A white knight on a black horse! Only in Italy and  only Andrea….
Did I say…”a happening”??  Definitely another milestone to add to our repertoire of Bocelli events  .
The performers……..  Sabine Cvilak and Kathryn Jenkins, both beautiful,  always dressed in brilliant colors to suit the theme, the ballerina was stunning in her red, also.  Andrea, Placido , Griminelli and Kohn…. always in classic black or white.
 Now being as I am, of “a certain age,” and Andrea being the fine figure of a man that he is….I have always thought he would look great in the old one button roll style tuxedo.
Well, I was right….and a WHITE one button roll in the bargain!!!  As the younger generation would say….HOT!!! VERY HOT!!…  ….…
 
Everyone knows by now the program….Anne, in her usual competent manner,  has given us an excellent account of the music, I cannot describe it better. 
Andrea’s duets with Sabine…., especially…O soave Fanciulla…sweet love delivered….very romantically. The Pearlfishers by Andrea and Placido, a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear two of the greatest tenors in the world sing this piece together. Another favorite together…Non ti Scodar di me…...and as if we had not been gifted enough…….Andrea and Placido team up for  Nessun Dorma….what can I say??  Spectacular? …Breathtaking!
Again  Andrea paid tribute to his father… “A mio padre” while playing the piano…a.very touching moment..…
But for all its serious undertones….peace, and religious tolerance,  there was a very relaxed aura about this concert..
Andrea showing his playful side to us as he” borrowed” Griminelli flute …and when he sang with Toquinho,  that “naughty little boy” said his music was the cause of “many babies being born”……and then there was that all too brief little  dance with “The Merry Widow”…..
Even Placido got into the playful mood….taking over the conduction of the Orchestra while Kohn took his place in the singing. They were having fun, too.
Many moments to remember. 
 
Someone in Lajatico who has become a very good friend asked me if …”After next year, when the concerts are no more, will you still come to Lajatico?” 
 
My answer….”As long as I am healthy enough to travel, I will always want to return to Lajatico”.
 
Andrea, we thank you, we love you….and we beg you, please tell us that it isn’t so…..that there is no chance of an extension of the five year contract, and that after next year the Teatro fields will once again be forever silent.
 
 
by Rose Daigle, New Orleans, La., USA
 
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