- Only a week ago,
breakfast had been sfogliatelle and cappuccino in Napoli. This
morning it was sausage McMuffin and Starbucks in LA. My poor brain
didn’t quite know which range of jet lag deficit to defer to—3
hours for California or 6 hours for Italy. In the taxi on the way
to LAX, my nonfunctional stupor made one thing clear…4 hours of
sleep is not really enough—but O DIO it was all SO worth it for
the privilege of being there for this incredible event! Because
last night, Andrea Bocelli filled the Hollywood Bowl to capacity
and then held it in the palm of his hand, legend meeting legend.
-
- From the first
intricately perfect colorful burst of "Improvviso" from
Andrea Chenier to the last brilliant vocal shower of "Nessun
Dorma," this more than 2˝ hour concert dazzled us throughout
with the intensity of the grand finale of a spectacular fireworks
show. In addition to the two just mentioned, the program
catalogued a list of arias for Andrea to perform that were
unstinting in the level of challenge they presented, "E
Lucevan le Stelle" from Tosca, "Di Quella Pira"
from Il Trovatore, the duet "Au Fond du Temple Saint"
from The Pearlfishers, and the Act I trio from Il Trovatore. Then
throw in the grandeur of "Granada" by Lara, some
never-before-heard additions from Andrea—"Vieni Sul Mar,"
"Mamma," "Funiculi, Funicula"—and highlights
from Amore, including "Can’t Help Falling in Love."
Honestly, could he have packed any more goodies into the evening?
For any given concert, I would have been more than content to have
been given a few of these musical offerings. Having them all made
me just plain giddy! I spoke briefly with a member of the choir
from California State University of Fullerton, participating in
the concert, who commented that he had new respect for Andrea
after listening to him navigate this difficult program three
nights in a row. During the evening’s classical offerings, each
piece from Andrea, one after the other, was dead-on, precisely
perfect, and confident. The skillful trills, the long-held notes,
impressive control reflected his growing vocal maturity.
-
- This was really a
completely redesigned program, one that showed clearly that Andrea
has mastered the "split" personality of his two musical
realms, integrating with ease both the operatic challenge he set
for himself in the first half and the popular repertoire of the
second half, no longer confined just to the "encore"
category. After intermission, Andrea seemed both visibly and
mentally transformed. Now onstage with portable mike in hand, he
noted that because he was so "happy and delighted" with
the success of his new CD Amore, he had decided for the first time
to include some popular songs in the concert. But of course, he
added impishly, it had required "the change of the jacket."
From the instant he stepped out, that impeccably fitted, trim
white dinner jacket he now sported drew whistles of admiration
from the audience and a sheepishly pleased grin from Andrea, who
seemed ready to kick back and relax.
-
- First he
offered a romantically old-fashioned traditional Italian folk
melody that we have never heard before—wistfully sweet:
"Come out on the sea, Come rowing with me, You will feel your
sailor’s ecstasy!" Then he electrified his audience with
the grandness of "Granada." Placido Domingo’s version
of this classic is firmly planted in my memory bank, and I
wondered momentarily how Andrea’s would compare. There was no
need for concern. He simply made it his own—forcefully beautiful
with a commanding vocal flourish that caught you in the sweep of
it. Then he lightened the mood with two popular old Italian
favorites. With the lively, light-hearted "Funiculi, Funicula,"
the choral accompaniment was crisp and animated. Then he sang the
venerable tribute "Mamma" with just the right touch of
heartfelt emotion. Judging by the snatches of Italian we had heard
from older folk, many with graying hair, as we walked along
earlier in the evening, this song undoubtedly brought a tear to
many an eye in the audience, tapping cherished memories of
long-ago tenors and, of course, of everyone’s "mamma."
-
- In the course of
the evening, Steven Mercurio conducted the Hollywood Bowl
orchestra in several orchestral interludes, beginning with the
Overture to La Forza del Destino. His stamp was strongly on the
second half of the program with six of the first seven pieces
either composed or specially arranged by him. Two of the
compositions, Cinema Paradiso (which always tugs at my
heartstrings) and Tango Sentimental y Apasionado were illustrated
with dramatic use of film clips on the two big screens in the Bowl,
giving an appropriate nod to the movie-making heart of this tinsel
town setting. More than any other conductor I have seen, Steven
convinces you that somehow he is physically investing his charges
with energy and sound by the sheer force of his presence. The
sound he drew from this orchestra was gloriously full and precise
and appropriately classical or pop as required. It is always clear
that Steven is an unflagging comrade to Andrea. And it was a joy
to see another friend of long-standing reunited with Andrea
onstage. The richly elegant vocal strength of Ana Maria Martinez
seems to fit flawlessly with Andrea’s voice in a comfortable way
that no other soprano has managed to match in the concerts I have
heard. "O Soave Fanciulla" may be familiar, but it is
never worn out when they sing it together. She was dramatically
superb in the Il Trovatore trio, and I think I could listen to her
sing the zarzuela "El Nino Judio" over and over. Her
defiant flash of pride when she thrusts the words out to us
"De Espana vengo, de Espana soy" is something to relish.
The addition of a baritone is one of the new dimensions added to
this American concert tour. It allows the opportunity to hear the
wonderfully exciting charged dynamic of two male voices. Luis
Ledesma joined Andrea for the beautifully mesmerizing Pearl
Fishers duet and of course the Trovatore trio. He also convinced
us with his sweeping, flamboyant dramatic presentation that he was
every bit the Toreador from Carmen.
-
- The papers had
stated beforehand that the audience would be star-studded for the
sold-out concert. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Catherine
Zeta-Jones, Mike Douglas, and Billy Crystal were among those
expected to attend. Jack spotted former Governor Jerry Brown, and
we stood near Tony Renis, whom we had met at the Las Vegas
concert. I’m a really poor stargazer and normally walk right
past people I should recognize. However, there was no doubt that
Donald Trump was there, sitting in the prestigious "Pool
Circle" (which at one time actually had a pool) at the foot
of the stage. At one point in the evening, he was called up to
present Andrea with the platinum disc for 1 million copies of
Amore sold, but he noted that this award was about to become
outdated because Amore was very near hitting "double platinum."
That proud moment came just before Andrea called David Foster
onstage as a "surprise" guest of the evening, but I
wouldn’t have taken any bets on that one’s ability to stay
away from such a tempting opportunity! He is an irrepressible
Andrea booster, and he took his seat at the piano to accompany our
tenor with the genuinely enthusiastic comment "I can’t
believe you are going to sing THIS song in the Hollywood Bowl!!!"
He was clearly delighted at the prospect and the crowd responded
in delirium in immediate recognition as he played the familiar
introductory notes of the surprise addition to the program, "Can’t
Help Falling in Love." I think I have forgotten that anyone
else ever sang this innately romantic song, and Andrea was feeling
frisky enough to take the last high note just as he does it on the
CD. "Pinch me," I thought, "does it get any better
than this?" Then it did. Katharine McPhee came out once more
to join him for "The Prayer" and Andrea teased Foster by
asking if he knew the notes of the song, adding that he should
because "he writed it" only a slight linguistic faux pas
that Andrea immediately recognized and attempted, in a mildly
flustered undertone, to correct "No, written, right?" He
needn’t have fussed, because the sympathetic murmur of the
audience indicated they thought it entirely forgivable and, in
fact, completely charming. Andrea sang three selections from Amore
that I think preceded the Donald moment: "Besame Mucho,"
"Somos Novios" (with McPhee taking the Aguileras part of
the duet), and "Mi Manchi." Each was greeted with waves
of applause that indicated this audience was already more than
familiar with what Andrea could do with them. By this point he was
the ultimate showman, perfectly at ease in this milieu. In fact, I
believe that David Foster and the Lake Las Vegas experience have
had their effect on Andrea. He is actually learning to work the
crowd!! More than once he used the mike for comments. For example,
he teasingly called out to us the rhetorical question "Do you
know this girl?!" coaxing our positive response when
Katherine McPhee first took the stage for their duet. When have we
ever had that kind of interaction from the seriously focused
tenore?
-
- It was getting
late, but Andrea diverged once again from the program and sang the
soaring "Ama, Credi, e Vai." But incredibly, he wasn’t
finished yet. He returned to the stage with Ana Maria to the
opening notes of "Con Te Partiro" and the decibel level
of the crowd response ranged impossibly up another notch. When
they had finished, we persisted with cheers, whistles, and
applause, hoping against hope that "Time to Say Good-bye"
really hadn’t come yet. Then the unbelievable happened. Steven
returned to the podium and with a familiar introduction, we
realized that for the evening’s incredible piece de resistance,
Andrea was about to bestow on us the crowning glory of a
completely unexpected "Nessun Dorma." This, I’m
willing to bet, was his final homage and encouragement to the
beloved Italian "football" team on the eve of their
first game in the soccer World Cup…I simply couldn’t believe
Andrea had the energy left for that gloriously held "Vincero’"
after the more than two-hour vocal workout he had just completed.
But hold it he did, to our astonished delight. All of us, nearly
18,000, were on our feet with frenzied cheering to bring him back
for more (selfish, yes, but we can’t help wanting it). But
although he returned for one last smile and wave, Andrea had given
us—wholeheartedly and exuberantly—everything he had for this
night. The house lights came up in that famous shell, and the
enchanted evening ended.
-
- Because the
massive parking area was slow to empty and we were so elated from
the evening and not yet ready to head "home" to the
motel, we lingered at the artists entrance on the chance of
catching a last glimpse of Andrea. In most circumstances, it
wouldn’t have entered my head to "shout" to Andrea,
but I had been thinking about his "Nessun Dorma" homage
to the Italian team and, when he finally emerged and headed with
his entourage at a quick pace toward his car, I spontaneously
called out "Forza Italia, Andrea!" He stopped in his
tracks, turned instantly to my voice with a beaming smile, and
responded in English, "Yes. But tomorrow, I will suffer."
No, I thought to myself, "Domani, vincerai," and the
next day, and the next. Even if your beloved Italian team does not
win, you, caro Maestro, are the quintessential winner every day,
and we bask in the glow.
-
- by Cami McNamee