Sold by Amazon Digital Services, Inc or SONY BMG Music Entertainment Downloads LLC . Additional taxes may apply . By placing your order, you agree to our Terms of Use.
Prices shown are the lowest prices for the event, which are updated daily and may not be current. Please click on the list above to see current prices, availability, and additional charges such as tax and shipping. The Amazon A-to-z Guarantee does not apply to purchases made on external websites unless the purchase is made using Amazon Payments.
An iconic figure in music who has sold over 60 million albums to date, Andrea Bocelli continues to defy categorization, age barriers and labels of all kinds. In concert or on the opera stage, he has worked with everyone from Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo to Bono. His memorable television appearances on such events including The Grammy Awards, mentoring contestants on American Idol, and the Official Ceremonies of past Olympic Games have propelled Andrea Bocelli to a global household name.
1958 Andrea Bocelli is born in Lajatico in the Province of Pisa, Italy. In early childhood Andrea begins to play the organ in church.
1970 Bocelli loses his sight at the age of 12 as a result of a football accident and an eye condition known as glaucoma. He wins his first song competition, the Margherita d'Oro in Viareggio by performing "O Sole Mio."
1980's After concluding his studies, Andrea works for a year as a lawyer, then dedicates himself completely to music. He studies singing under the maestro Bettarini until Bettarini's death in 1997 at the age of 83.
1992 In the spring, the Italian rock star Zucchero searches for a tenor to make a demo of "Miserere," a song that he composed in a collaboration with U2's Bono. Zucchero hopes to convince Luciano Pavarotti to perform the song as a duet with him, however, in the meantime he records the duet with Bocelli, who "sings with his soul." When Pavarotti hears the demo, he says, "Who is this fellow? You don't need me. I could not do better!" However, the duet is recorded with the Pavarotti/Zucchero pairing.
On June 27 Andrea marries Enrica Cenzatti.
1993 In the summer, he tours with Zucchero throughout Europe in live concerts, singing Pavarotti's part in "Miserere."
In November, he goes to the preliminaries of the Festival of San Remo, in the category of "Giovani", with the solo version of "Miserere”, and sings both parts: That of Zucchero and that of Pavarotti, and wins the highest score.
On December 28, he debuts in world of classical music in a concert at the Teatro Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia.
1994 In February Andrea wins the main competition of the San Remo Festival in the category "Nuove Proposte" (New Proposals) for his performance of "Il Mare Calmo Della Sera".
His first CD, "Il Mare Calmo Della Sera" is released, for which he receives his first Gold Record.
In September, Andrea is invited to appear with Pavarotti at his benefit concert "Pavarotti International" in Modena. Additionally, he makes his debut in an opera role, playing Macduff in Verdi's Macbeth at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa.
At Christmas, he sings "Adeste Fideles" in Rome before the Pope in St. Peter's Basilica.
1995 In February, he performs "Con Te Partiro" in the main competition at San Remo and takes fourth place.
His first son, Amos, is born on February 22.
1996 On November 23, he sings with English soprano Sarah Brightman in Germany at Henry Maske's retirement fight. They sing a modified version of "Con Te Partiro" entitled "Time to Say Goodbye." Following the performance the song breaks all sales records, and remains in the top ten on the German charts for almost a half year.
1997 The album "Romanza" is releases in the spring. On March 3, he appears with Sarah Brightman in Hamburg, Germany, to receive the Echo award for "Best Single of the Year".
In August, he appears at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, and then at the World Youth Festival in Paris, where he sings once again in the presence of the Pope.
On the occasion of the Eucharist-congress on September 27 in Bologna, he sings again before the Pope.
The album "Viaggio Italiano" releases in the fall.
On October 8, his second son Matteo was born.
1998 In March, album "Aria" is relased.
On April 19, he steps onto the stage of American show business. He gives a concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington and the next day President Clinton receives him at the White House.
On May 5, he appears in Monte Carlo and wins two World Music Awards, one in the category "Best Italian Singer," and one for "Best Classical Interpretation."
1999 On January 25, he sings "The Prayer" for the soundtrack of Warner Brothers animated film "Quest for Camelot." As well as the solo, Andrea sings the duet with Celine Dion, which wins the Golden Globe in Los Angeles.
At the Grammys on February 24 in Los Angeles, Andrea is one of five nominated for "Best New Artist."
At the presentation of the Oscars on March 21, Andrea and Celine sing the "Best Song" nominee, "The Prayer."
On March 22, his sixth album "Sogno" is releases.
Next he releases "Sacred Arias", which contains exclusively sacred music, is released worldwide on November 8, and which two weeks later conquers first place on America's Classic Billboard charts, followed by "Aria" in second place, and "Viaggio Italiano" in third place. In the same month he becomes the first vocalist to hold the top three places on the US classical charts: With his albums "Sacred Arias", "Aria - The Opera Album" and "Viaggio Italiano".
Invited by the Queen of England, he participates at her annual Royal Variety Performance in Birmingham on November 29.
On November 30, his book "La Musica del Silenzio," an autobiographical novel, is released in Italy.
2000 At the 42nd Grammy Awards on February 23rd in Los Angeles he is nominated twice: for "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" and for "Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals."
On March 6 he is appointed President of the Istituto Musicale Boccherini in Lucca.
In May, British Classic FM listeners voted "Sacred Arias" Album of the Year.
September 11 his seventh album "Verdi" is released.
In November his first complete opera recording, Puccini's La Bohème is released
2001
During the summer he films the video/DVD for his new CD Cieli di Toscana in the most beautiful places of Tuscany.
In October, Andrea is presented a special award for more than 40 million sold albums worldwide. Cieli di Toscana will sell millions just in a few weeks and will become the biggest selling album in the world, the new number one on the CNN Worldbeat Global Album Chart. It spends two weeks at number three on the official UK album chart, the highest chart position ever for a foreign-language pop album. It also reaches the top three on the charts Germany, Hong Kong, Holland, Ireland, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.
In November he is given the Platinum Europe Award for more than one million copies sold of his last CD, "Cieli di Toscana".
2002 On March 6th Andrea receives two World Music Awards in Monte Carlo: World Best-Selling Classical Artist and Best-Selling Italian Artist.
On March 11th, in memoriam of the tragedy of September 11, he gives a concert for peace at the Basilica San Marco, Venice.
On May 23rd he receives the Classical Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
In Modena on May 28 he participates in the "Pavarotti & Friends for Angola" concert.
On October 14 he and Maestro Lorin Maazel present his new CD "Sentimento" to a worldwide audience.
Andrea receives many other awards in addition to those mentioned above, including the Premio Luciano Cirri in Rome for his accomplishments in bringing Italian culture to the world, and for the same reason receives the Premio Caruso in September in Sorrento. In October in London, he receives the National Music Award for Best Classical Artist, and in December is honored as Best of the World at the American Music Awards.
2003 In March for the first time Andrea appears as a producer, not as a singer, at the Italian song Festival of San Remo, where the young artists Allunati and Jacqueline Ferry sing for his newly founded record label, Clacksong.
In May his second complete opera, Tosca, is released and enters the worldwide classical charts in high positions.
On the occasion of a private benefit gala for the Royal National Institute for the Blind, UK, Andrea sings in front of Great Britain's Royal family.
One day later, on May 22, he receives two awards for "Sentimento" at the Classic Brits 2003 in London’s Royal Albert Hall: Best-Selling Classical Album and Album of the Year (People’s Award).
Again in May, on the 27th, among many famous artists from all over the world, he once again is invited to Pavarotti & Friends in Modena and sings a medley of Neapolitan songs together with Maestro Pavarotti.
2006 "Under the Desert Sky" airs on PBS. It is nominated for an Emmy.
2007 On September 8, 2007, he sang Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus" at the funeral of Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Italy.
In October Andrea marked a decade of best-selling recordings with his first-ever greatest hits collection, "The Best of Andrea Bocelli - Vivere."
Millions will rejoice this holiday season with the much-anticipated release of Andrea Bocelli's...
Read more
$18.98$10.99
Videos
Adobe Flash Player is not installed or the version installed is outdated
Without Adobe Flash Player you will not be able to watch videos. Click here to get the latest Flash Player.
Provided by the artist or their representative
Andrea Bocelli "Caro Gesu Bambino"
Andrea Bocelli discusses the making of "My Christmas"
Provided by the artist or their representative
Provided by the artist or their representative
Provided by the artist or their representative
Provided by the artist or their representative
Provided by the artist or their representative
Provided by the artist or their representative
Provided by the artist or their representative
At a Glance
Nationality: Italian Born:Sep 22 1958 (51 years old)
Biography
Artist
Editorial
Community
Andrea Bocelli was born in Lajatico, in rural Tuscany, not far from the ancient city of Pisa. Fascinated by the passion and storytelling of opera and traditional Italian music, Andrea dreamed of following in the footsteps of his idols; celebrated Italian tenors including Mario Del Monaco, Beniamino Gigli and especially Franco Corelli. While a child, Andrea’s beautiful, natural voice had made him something of a local celebrity. However his musical dreams were to be interrupted by the realities of adult life. To placate his family and their concerns for his future, he graduated from the… Read more
This biography was provided by the artist or their representative.
Andrea Bocelli was born in Lajatico, in rural Tuscany, not far from the ancient city of Pisa. Fascinated by the passion and storytelling of opera and traditional Italian music, Andrea dreamed of following in the footsteps of his idols; celebrated Italian tenors including Mario Del Monaco, Beniamino Gigli and especially Franco Corelli. While a child, Andrea’s beautiful, natural voice had made him something of a local celebrity. However his musical dreams were to be interrupted by the realities of adult life. To placate his family and their concerns for his future, he graduated from the University of Pisa in law, practicing as a state-appointed defense attorney for a short time. But his passion for music remained, and Andrea was soon studying under a number of maestros, most notably achieving a personal triumph and a source of encouragement when accepted as a pupil for master classes by his hero, tenor Franco Corelli.
In 1992, Italian rock star Zucchero enlisted then-unknown Andrea to record a ‘demo track’ of "Miserere," a duet to be recorded with Luciano Pavarotti. Andrea effortlessly captured the very essence of the song. As Zucchero later said, "He just had this ‘soul’".
Andrea’s voice was soon attracting attention outside Italy. His international breakthrough hit was the beguiling "Con Te Partirò" and in it's duet arrangement with Sarah Brightman, "Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partirò)". The solo version was a worldwide smash, topping the French singles chart, while the duet held the top spot on Germany’s single chart for fourteen weeks, and, at three million copies, went on to become Germany's best selling single of all time. "I have wonderful memories singing with Andrea," says Sarah Brightman today. ‘’Time to Say Goodbye’ will always hold a special place in my heart."
In 1996 and 1997 Andrea Bocelli exploded on album charts across the world, with the international debut album, Romanza, a collection of passionate popular songs. Conquering Europe, then charts around the world, the album amassed a multitude of platinum and multi-platinum awards, with worldwide sales in excess of 16 million copies to date. Selling an impressive 500,000 copies in the Far East, one million in Italy, and more than three million in Latin America and Spain, the album also contained "Vivere," "Il Mare Calmo Della Sera," and the title track, Romanza," all of which feature on the new Best Of collection.
Andrea’s 1999 Best New Artist Grammy nomination marked the first time a classical artist had been nominated in the category in 38 years. ‘The Prayer’, his duet with Celine Dion for the animated film, The Quest for Camelot, won the Golden Globe for Best Song and was nominated for an Academy Award. In March 1999 Andrea released his second pop offering, Sogno. The album, which included “The Prayer,” entered the upper reaches of the pop album charts around the world, confirming Andrea’s position at the pinnacle of the world of popular music, and giving birth to the phenomenon of “Bocellimania”.
In the fall of this watershed year in an already impressive career, Andrea released Sacred Arias, which went on to become his most successful classical album to date. It has also become the biggest selling album by a classical soloist of all time. With its release, Andrea captured a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records, as he simultaneously held the No 1, 2 and 3 positions on the US classical album chart. The next three-and-a-half years followed with Andrea holding permanent residency at the No 1 spot.
In 2001, Andrea released the semi-autobiographical memoir, The Music of Silence, and closed the year with another hugely successful pop album, Cieli di Toscana, which included "Melodramma" and ‘’Mille Lune, Mille Onde”. The romantic yet melancholic sound of 2002’s Sentimento combined the voice of Andrea Bocelli with the exquisite violin of Maestro Lorin Maazel. The album was another huge success on the international pop and classical charts and this was reflected by Andrea’s acquisition of two awards including Album of the Year at the prestigious British Classical Brit Awards in 2003. In support of this album Andrea embarked on a packed concert schedule that took in places as far ranging as China and Madison Square Gardens in New York. In addition to these ubiquitous landmarks Andrea also performed in front of the Egyptian Pyramids (a highlight that could only be equaled by his performance in front of The Statue of Liberty earlier in this prolific career).
The 2004 release of Andrea’s fourth pop album, was followed in 2006 by Amore, featuring guest appearances by the likes of Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera. The album also featured "Because We Believe," which Andrea performed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino.
As his zest and passion for life has shown, Andrea Bocelli is not a man to avoid a challenge, although his goals it seems are quite simple. "What I crave most, what I hope to achieve," he says, "is to communicate with the listener; to touch them in the same way that I was touched as a child by my favorite singers, who made me cry and made me dream."
This biography was provided by the artist or their representative.
Andrea Bocelli has been called "the fourth tenor." A disciple of Luciano Pavarotti and Zucchero Fornaciari, the blind, Tuscany-born vocalist emerged as one of the most exciting voices in contemporary opera during the late 20th century. His participation in Pavarotti's 1992 hit "Miserere" and Fornaciari's 1993 world tour helped propel him to international attention. Opera represented only one side of his musical persona, however, as Bocelli fared equally well as a pop ballad singer, recording duets with such singers as Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, and Eros Ramazzotti. Al Jarreau, who sang with… Read more
Andrea Bocelli has been called "the fourth tenor." A disciple of Luciano Pavarotti and Zucchero Fornaciari, the blind, Tuscany-born vocalist emerged as one of the most exciting voices in contemporary opera during the late 20th century. His participation in Pavarotti's 1992 hit "Miserere" and Fornaciari's 1993 world tour helped propel him to international attention. Opera represented only one side of his musical persona, however, as Bocelli fared equally well as a pop ballad singer, recording duets with such singers as Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, and Eros Ramazzotti. Al Jarreau, who sang with Bocelli during Night of the Proms in November 1995, aptly praised the vocalist when he said, "I have had the honor to sing with the most beautiful voice in the world."
Bocelli grew up on a farm in Lajatico, a rural village in Tuscany. Beginning piano lessons at the age of six, he later added flute and saxophone to his list of musical abilities. The young Bocelli also suffered from poor eyesight, having been born with congenital glaucoma, and a soccer accident rendered him completely blind at the age of 12. Undaunted, Bocelli continued to sing and later enrolled at the University of Pisa, where he earned a law doctorate. Briefly working as a lawyer allowed him to pay for his singing lessons with famed tenor Franco Corelli; performing in piano bars also helped balance the budget.
Bocelli's first break as a singer came in 1992, when the Italian rock singer Zucchero Fornaciari auditioned tenors to record a demo version of "Miserere," which he had co-written with U2's Bono. Successfully passing the audition, Bocelli recorded the tune as a duet with Pavarotti, with whom he became close friends. After touring with Fornaciari in 1993, Bocelli then performed as a guest star at the Pavarotti International Festival, held in Modena in September 1994. In November 1995, Bocelli toured Holland, Belgium, Germany, Spain, and France under the auspices of the Night of the Proms concert series, which also featured Al Jarreau, Bryan Ferry, Roger Hodgson of Supertramp, and John Miles. Furthermore, he began a solo career that would soon make him an icon in the classical crossover genre.
Bocelli's first two albums -- Andrea Bocelli in 1994 and Bocelli in 1996 -- showcased his operatic singing, while his third effort, Viaggio Italiano, featured famous arias and traditional songs from Naples. Although released only in Italy, the album sold upwards of 300,000 copies. With his fourth effort, 1997's Romanza, Bocelli rose to superstar status as he embraced more elements of pop music. The multi-platinum album included the international hit "Time to Say Goodbye," recorded as a duet with Sarah Brightman. Bocelli continued to focus on pop balladry with Sogno, released in 1999, which featured a duet with Celine Dion on "The Prayer." The album sold more than ten million copies worldwide, received a Golden Globe Award, and led to Bocelli's Grammy nomination as Best New Artist. A collection of holiday arias arrived that same year, followed by Verdi in 2000.
In 2001, Bocelli paid tribute to his Tuscan roots with Cieli di Toscana, while the popular Andrea kept his international presence alive in 2004. Bocelli returned in 2006 with two releases: Amore, which peaked at number three on the Billboard Top 200 chart (Bocelli's highest chart position in America); and the live CD/DVD package Under the Desert Sky. His 20th album, a collection of romantic cover songs entitled Incanto, was issued in 2008, followed by a holiday album, My Christmas, in 2009. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide
Andrea Bocelli is a classically trained Italian opera singer born in 1958. Widely regarded as one of the great tenors alongside peers such as Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras, he has found success in the fields of both classical and crossover opera.
Bocelli delayed his entry into the musical arena, in spite of his obvious talent, until he had secured a Doctorate in Law. His break came in 1992 when he successfully auditioned for the Italian rock star Zucchero Fornaciari who was seeking singers to record "Miserere", a song he had penned with Bono. Bocelli went on to record the… Read more
›
Have your say at SoundUnwound, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon!
Community biography from
Andrea Bocelli is a classically trained Italian opera singer born in 1958. Widely regarded as one of the great tenors alongside peers such as Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras, he has found success in the fields of both classical and crossover opera.
Bocelli delayed his entry into the musical arena, in spite of his obvious talent, until he had secured a Doctorate in Law. His break came in 1992 when he successfully auditioned for the Italian rock star Zucchero Fornaciari who was seeking singers to record "Miserere", a song he had penned with Bono. Bocelli went on to record the song with Pavarotti and Zucchero invited Bocelli to join him on tour. By 1994 he was appearing on the "Night of the Proms" tour across Europe with many other notable singers. Bocelli released his first album, Andrea Bocelli, in 1994 and by his fourth, Romanza, he shifted from the traditional operatic style towards pop ballads. The album included the hit "Time to Say Goodbye", a duet with Sarah Brightman, and for his following album he chose to duet with Celine Dion on the song "The Prayer". The album it came from, Sogno (1999), was extremely successful, selling in excess of ten million copies and earning Bocelli a Grammy.
More recently Bocelli's recorded output has tended to move away from the pop ballads of his earlier albums and finds him concentrating on mainstream opera. However he continues to perform in concerts and on television around the world.
![Vivere Live in Tuscany [CD/DVD]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51A8DUlOX3L._SL110_.jpg)
![Vivere Live in Tuscany [DVD/CD]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41z0Xx3hePL._SL110_.jpg)
(52)
$18.99
![Andrea Bocelli - Under the Desert Sky [CD Included]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51hkhTrAYmL._SL110_.jpg)
The Music of Silence: A Memoir (Paperback)
(30)
$10.04
, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon!
