Shanghai Daily news

Andrea Bocelli's Shanghai debut was hailed by local critics as one of the best opera performances of 2003 and he brought the packed audience in the Shanghai Grand Stage to its feet. Living up to his promise that ``I will try to come back as soon as possible,'' the Italian tenor is back in town to grace this year's Shanghai International Arts Festival.
Despite the popularity he earned in Shanghai at his sell-out concert last year, the world's ``Fourth Tenor'' refuses to allow himself to be called a ``superstar.'' ``I don't like being called a superstar,'' Bocelli said even though he has been described by pop diva Celine Dion as possessing ``God's voice.'' ``For me, singing is the just the best way to reach people's hearts and souls and I enjoy the experience of sharing my love and thoughts with them,'' he said. Born into a wine-growing family in Tuscany, the gifted singer was taught to play the piano, flute, and saxophone from the age of six and his potential as an opera singer was also apparent during his childhood. Then, an accident during a football game robbed him of his eyesight and challenged his dream of becoming a world-renowned singer. He turned to law as an alternative career, completing his doctorate at the University of Pisa and he worked as a lawyer for a few years. But his dream of becoming an opera singer was still in his heart. So, he succeeded in passing exams to become a student of the famous tenor Franco Corelli. To find the money to pay for his tuition, he played the piano and sang in a bar where he met Italian rock'n'roll star Adelmo ``Zucchero'' Fornaciari. Appreciating Bocelli's beautiful voice, Fornaciari asked him to be his musical partner. They sang together in ``Miserere,'' an overnight success, and a tour with Fornaciari introduced Bocelli to a wider public and he went on to win international acclaim. Like ``The Three Tenors'' (Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras), Bocelli straddles the boundaries of classical music, Italian folk songs and European pop music with ease. ``Pop music played a very important role in my classical musical career. Many past operatic masters such as Enrico Caruso and Beniamino Gigli sang pop songs. It is a vehicle by which audiences can be attracted to the theater and then go on to appreciate opera,'' Bocelli said. Accompanied by Italian soprano Paola Sanguinetti and the chorus of China's Central Opera Theater, Bocelli is preparing for a concert with a similar repertoire to last year's but done in a completely new way. However, there will be some standard arias, duets and Italian folk songs performed with the chorus. ``Bocelli's sweet, floating high notes and his gentle sense of cadence will seize the heart of any audience,'' Yu Suqin, general manager of the Shanghai Arts Corp, the concert organizer, said. ``But we will still try to provide some new treats since it is only 10 months after his last visit.'' The program reads just like the one Shanghai enjoyed last year and includes most of his favorite Verdi arias and duets such as ``Di quella pira'' from ``Il Trovatore'' and the ``Brindisi'' from ``La Traviata,'' as well as crossover mega-hits like ``Time to Say Goodbye'' and ``Prayer.'' The collaboration between Bocelli and Sanguinetti will definitely be a new treat for Shanghai audiences. The duo has been touring worldwide since 1997. Conductor Marcello Rota will also return to take up the baton with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra.

Date: October 17, 7:30pm
Venue: Shanghai Grand Stage, 1111 Caoxi Rd N.
Tickets: 300-2,500 yuan
Tel: 6255-7427, 6218-3267