2001  

 

2001: Messa da Requiem, January 28, 27

2001: USA Tour, March 22 - April 6

2001: concert in occasion of the reopening of the tower, Pisa. June 17 

2001: 2 concerts in London and Dublin, July 21/22

2001: USA Tour, November/December

 

Program

 

November 24, 2001

Tenor Andrea Bocelli lures a zillion pop fans toward classical music

Atlantic City Convention Center

Press Plus Atlantic City

December 10, 2001

 

Bocelli's talent makes stalled show worth wait

A 40-minute delay and microphone difficulties don't hide the talent of tenor Andrea Bocelli during his performance at Boardwalk Hall.

By James Clark

ATLANTIC CITY - Leave it to Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli to rise above circumstances that otherwise could have left Saturday night's Boardwalk Hall audience with a bad feeling about his show.

… When the performance wasn't delayed or interrupted by poor acoustics (the pitter-patter of Saturday night's heavy rain hitting the roof also was very evident), Bocelli held the audience in the palm of his hand.

An early highlight was his nearly note-perfect re-creation of the "Ave Maria" that is track one on his 1999 "Sacred Arias" album. It's a moving piece that plays to Bocelli's many vocal strengths and is a tribute to Mercurio's arrangement of the Caccini composition.

Soprano Ana Maria Martinez, who accompanied Bocelli and performed solo throughout a good portion of the show, provided the perfect foil to the headliner during "O Soave Fanciulla" from Puccini's "La Boheme."

There was a tangible interplay between the two singers, whose voices joined as one at the forefront of the orchestra's soaring musical backdrop. The crowd stood en masse as the number ended on a gorgeous note.

One of Bocelli's charms as a live performer is the obvious level of humility he portrays as the lights bear down on him.

Some of his nervous stage shuffle might be due to his blindness, but he never assumes the peacock-like strut of his predecessors Luciano Pavarotti or Placido Domingo.

When he finishes a piece, he smiles broadly, almost in relief, and grabs Mercurio's hand in triumph.

For a man who exudes greatness, such humanity is a welcome and reassuring sight

 

(...)

 

The main course everyone came to digest was the 43-year-old Italian, who made the stage his own each time he appeared.

Bocelli, despite the flecks of gray in his flowing locks and beard, has the look of a younger man. His vocal delivery takes on the same youthful buoyancy and enthusiasm.

He extended a true olive branch to the crowd with an English rendition of Guy D'Hardelot's "Because."

Composed in 1902, it's the sort of modern piece that Bocelli seems to relish, and his comfort level was evident throughout the song. His voice is indeed powerful, but he can be nuanced as well. The audience could sense the subtle shift, too.

Martinez joined Bocelli for a show-ending rendition of "Brindisi" from Verdi's "La Traviata" (and really, how can you go wrong with that?) that gave a new meaning to crowd interaction. With Mercurio leading the hall in handclaps, the singers hurtled their way through a vocal high-wire act.

Bocelli returned for four encores, the best of which was the first orchestra-backed public performance of "Un dulce melodramma" from his new "Cieli di Toscana" album.

Throughout the evening the show was sublime, but this was the first piece that seemed to have Bocelli speaking personally to his public. It was a lovely rendering of a just-as-lovely song.

On a presentation note, two wide video screens were set high above the arena. They switched between images of the live performance and visual wallpaper such as full moons, flowing water and even Bocelli riding a horse across Italy's beautiful landscape.

Mercurio also pointed out the presence of six New York City firefighters in the front row, which drew the longest and loudest applause of the night.

The attendance for the show, - due to floor seating - was 13,894, according to Gelb Promotions.

December 29, 2001  

Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas

from Las Vegas Review-Journal, January 01, 2002 (excerpt)

Philharmonic ably backs tenor Bocelli

By Julia Osborne

One thing is for sure: Superstar Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli's voice can make grown men cry. Any doubt of that fact was erased completely at the end of the two-hour-plus concert at Mandalay Bay Saturday after the third encore, when the house lights revealed more than a few moist cheeks on the faces of thousands of adoring fans, male and female alike.

(...) Wearing a tuxedo, he captivated the crowd from his first step onstage, with his calm smile and his slight nod.

Sing he did, with heart, soul and charm; with emotion, grace and compassion. As with the title character in "King Lear," Bocelli can see far more with his sightless eyes, looking beyond the words, the notes, and into the life of each selection. The result has made the 43-year-old one of the best selling (and wealthiest) musical artists in the world. (…)

Though he generally sang standing still, with his hands at his sides, his emotions were capably communicated with his eyebrows, his facial expressions and, undeniably, his voice.

He opened the evening with a reflective yet resonant Rodrigo's "Aranjuez" ("My Dream"). He is 6 feet 2 inches tall, yet, this and other works made him larger than life, showing a wonderful strength. The orchestra echoed his tones for a strong offering and conclusion.

The rest of the program maintained this robust note, with increased vivacity in later songs. Tosti's "Marechiare" was wonderfully uptempo, and Cardillo's "Core 'Ngrato" one of the richest works of the night. D'Hardelot's "Because," in English, gave familiarity to an opulent blend of voice and music. (…)