Andrea Bocelli Music:

Verdi Track Listing:
1. Di Quella Pira
2. Ah Si, Ben Mio
3. Donna È Mobile
4. Di' Tu Se Fedele
5. Ma Se M'è Forza Perderti
6. Ella Mi Fu Rapita!
7. Possente Amor Mi Chiama
8. Celeste Aida
9. De' Miei Bollenti Spiriti
10. Oh Mio Rimorso!
11. Mia Letizia Infondere Vorrei
12. Mercé, Diletti Amici
13. Lo la Vidi E Il Suo Sorriso
14. Quando le Sere Al Placido
15. Vita È Inferno All'infelice

Editorial Review:
With this CD devoted solely to operatic arias--by none less than Giuseppe Verdi, the greatest Italian opera composer of all time--pop crossover phenomenon Andrea Bocelli throws his hat into the operatic ring with the big boys. The hat occasionally fits, and occasionally it doesn't. The beauty of the voice is undeniable, as is the relative ease in all registers. But, regardless of what the engineers do, it is clearly a small voice. For "Celeste Aïda"--Radames's great aria from Aïda--Bocelli opens with fine, as-big-as-possible exclamation and sounds confident; the long diminuendo on the aria's final high B-flat is stunning (whether or not the engineers were twiddling with the knobs, we'll never know). The tenor is more at home with Alfredo's Act Two music from La Traviata; he sings with grace and charm, ending the rarely performed cabaletta (a brief and showy piece that usually follows an aria) with one of the longest, most solid high Cs ever recorded. Elsewhere, there are mixed results: "Di' tu se fedele" from Un ballo in maschera is so free of feeling that it seems digitally produced. A big, unnecessary high D at the close of the Duke's cabaletta "Possente amor" from Rigoletto is screamed, and Bocelli sounds at times as if he's about to collapse from exhaustion during a heavy aria from Ernani. But "Ah si, ben mio" from Il Trovatore is beautiful, as is the Luisa Miller aria; Don Carlo also seems to fit Bocelli well. Needless to say, the singer's fans will certainly want to have this--and it might encourage them to try other recordings of music by Verdi. Newcomers and the curious will find plenty to admire, too. The sound itself remains alluring, and Bocelli has taken steps also towards improving his technique. In short, some nice surprises for the opera lover, and many for the Bocelli fan. --Robert Levine

Verdi Reviews:
One of the best!
2008-07-12 - While Pavarotti and some other tenors may be more famous, I much prefer Andrea Bocelli. His singing comes from deep within his soul and very being. It touches the spirit and stirs me to feel deeply all the emotions one can in any sense feel in listening to moving music. Perfectionism may be what some listeners want. Music, I feel, should have depth and meaning which is what Mr. Bocelli provides not minimally, but amply.

Not as good as Amore
2007-03-24 - This CD came perfectly, I just prefer the Amore CD better.

a voice teacher and early music fan
2007-02-14 - HE'S NO PAVORATTI, BUT THE YOUNG 'CLASSICAL' SINGERS ADORE HIM!

It is said that from the age of eleven years, Guiseppe Verdi (1813-1901) wanted to write operas. He left his post as organist to study music in Milan, a move made possbile by his patron,Barezzi, whose daughter he eventually married in 1836. Shortly thereafter he composed his first opera 'Oberto" which was so successful that his future seemed secure. However, the death of his wife and two babies some time later forced him into a state of depression. The impressario Mirelli gave him the book 'Nabucco' (Nebuchadnezzar) to read, and he immediately began to write music for it. Therewith he embarked on the career which eventually made him the "Grand Old Man" of Italian opera. In modern slang, he was a "natural".From "Oberto", written in his twenties, to "Falstaff", completed when he was eighty, his characteristic integrity and intensity persisted; as he wrote his 30 operas, his powers of expression broadened and deepened. By the time he wrote 'Aida', commissioned by the Khedive of Egypt, Verdi was 56. 'Aida' is often named as his greatest opera. The live elephants used in the production, the authentic costumes and musical instruments copied from ancient Egyptian tombs made an attractive picture, and his music made a "Celeste Aida" of the whole.

Lets face it; Bocelli is no Pavoratti, and perhaps it was not wise to choose some of the arias associated with the 'great' tenors, but Bocelli makes the best of his talents, which are considerable. And he has done a lot to create interest among young voice students,(male) and as a voice teacher I make use of his appearance and his youthfulness to engage their interest, and he does that!!!!I think his record sales tell the tale.


Verdi
2007-01-03 - Excellent Verdi selections. As usual, top tonal quality with excellent breath control. The best tenor to come along with such diversification as to sing just about anything presented to him. A superb choice for the connoisseur of italian operas.

The triumph of mediocrity
2006-02-03 - No, Bocelli is not an awful singer, he is an awful OPERA singer, and it shows here. His colorless, uneducated and bland voice make me wonder why people like him so much. As a baritone in training I'm able to say that my voice teacher's STUDENTS sing much better than this guy.
His tessitura is nowere near adequate for singing any of the arias from Rigoletto, "La donna è mobile" sounds much like a kid would sing it. "Celeste Aida" is one of the worst selections, and one of the most electronically enhanced, as it requires a precise voice placement (which Bocelli doesn't posses) since much of it lies very high in the register, and a heavier, rounder voice; if the role is not adequate for many REAL tenors, it is much less adequate for a pop singer. The "feeling" raving reviewers talk about is nothing more than a voice coming (incorrectly) from the throat, and the "beautiful" high D in "Possente amor" is a beautifully screamed falsetto, the same could be said about "Di quella pira"'s C; what's amazing about all this is the fact that electronic enhancement doesn't make his voice sound better. Some have ludicrously compared him to the likes of Vargas, Domingo, and Corelli, even saying he's better; this is nothing more than ignorance and bad taste.
Maybe his fans are tired of detractors bringing out the big names in their defense, so let's be honest: he's one of the WORST opera interpreters out there, I wish great singers like Mariusz Kwiecen, Matthew Polenzani, and René Pape received the publicity he gets, though it won't happen; at least some consolation lies in the fact that these people are true artists willingly and GLADLY offering their art to the people in order to make a living; I'm sure if Andrea didn't make so much $$$$ with his opera experiment, he would've dropped this travesty long ago.