Customer Reviews

Concerto, One Night in Central Park

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First let me report that the DVD is (almost) the WHOLE CONCERT, there are 25 tracts included (there are bonus tracks coming on the DVD only release which is exclusive to PBS till march, then will be available hear). This DVD is much longer then the CD and this is a welcome change for a deluxe package, many times these deluxe editions are only a sampling of the songs. Not this time, this is a total bargain.

Another wonderful collection from Andrea Bocelli. This is a live recording of his Central Park Concert (NEW YORK) which was attended by 60,000 people on a rainy september day and night. This is very well done, it sounds wonderful and Bocelli delivers like usual. He starts with some Opera, and mixes in Italian favorites, A Great Spanish Aria and some pop.

He starts with a rousing rendition of La Donna è Mobile from Rigoletto; He then moves into Di Quella Pira from Il Trovatore, again a rousing rendition; Followed by the beautiful Ave Maria, "Central Park Version," Andrea sings it beautifully with much emotion;

Next up is a duet of Vicino a te s'acqueta from Andrea Chénier with Ana Maria Martinez a sad tale filled with emotion, Martinez is a fine Mezzo Soprano and her voice is a fine complement with Andrea Bocilli's Voice. This is followed by another duet, Au Fond du Temple Saint A French Aira from Les Pêcheurs de Perles with Bryn Terfel, there two masculine voices blend very well, Terfel takes the lower register and Bocelli the higher one.

Nest is O Soave Fanciulla from La Bohème a Duet with Pretty Yende a mezzo soprano, a very nice rendition, it is a beautiful aria; Libiamo ne'Lieti Calici from La Traviata with Pretty Yende, Brian Terfel, and Ana Maria Martinez, a wonderful rendition with four beautiful voices; next up is Amazing Grace, wow!!! this is the first time I have ever heard Andrea sing this song, and it is excellent and very moving, its a wonderful version with full orchestra and chorus;

Next is New York, New York a duet with Tony Bennett (who is just everywhere, what a great career he has had) once in a while Andrea sings New York, New York by himself on tour, is is a cool duet version, Andrea sings it very easy; Next is one of Andrea's Trademark songs, The Prayer a song written by David Foster, Andrea performs it with Cèline Dion who he did the original duet with, many others have sang it as well, but no duet is as good as when Bocelli and Dion sing it, and this version is excellent. David Foster is on the piano as well;

Next up the song, More, with Chris Botti on Trumpet and David Foster on Piano, I love the way Botti's Trumpet blends with Andrea's voice, this is the first time I heard Andrea do More and it is a very nice rendition, I love the ending; up next is Your Love (Once Upon a Time in the West) another new song for Bocelli and in English as well, a very emotional rendition;

Up next is another Italian pop classic Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu (better know as Volare) with David Foster on piano. Andera did a recording of Volare for Brilla Pasta advertisements. Its nice to have an excellent live version of this Italian classic.

Up next is the Italian classic Funiculì Funiculà with Andrea Griminelli on flute, the flute is a nice touch; Up next is one of my favorite songs of all time En Aranjuez con Tu Amor from Concierto de Aranjuez with Nicola Benedetti on Violin, This is a Beautiful Spanish song and Andrea voice is so pleasing and powerful on this one, the note he holds at the end is just amazing;

Next up is Time to Say Goodbye (con Te Partirò) a great rendition and duet with Ana Maria Martinez, this is with the Prayer Andera's most known song it, his solo version was used in the national advertising run for the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas; And lastly to close out the CD is the Opera classic Nessun Dorma from Turandot, and this is a wonderful rendition.

Note; There is an extra track, the Italian classic O Sole Mio, that you can find on MP3.

I bought the Deluxe edition (actually many of them for Christmas presents) and I will watch the DVD soon and add to this review. OK Now I have seen the DVD and it looks and sounds wonderful. It is the whole concert, All the songs mentioned above and more. 25 songs in total.

Overall an excellent show and must have Andrea Bocelli CD. Is it any wonder why Bocelli is the best selling Tenor and crossover singer on the planet. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who loves Beautiful Music.

I have several of his CD's and I kind of like them.

He is really more of a pop artist than an opera singer, his tenor seems thin and a little strained on some recordings.

But amplification masks many subtleties, and in front of his adoring fans ( mostly women) - presumably attracted by his gentle, earnest stage presence and heartfelt singing -Mr. Bocelli can do no wrong.

However this concert was really bad.

Both in Central Park and on this double CD.

It exudes bore, affectation and sentimentalism.

There's not much more to talk/write about.

Pity! Sad!

I hope he will do better in his future.

Possibly, next time, without American cheese processor, prof. David Foster.

I've got all Bocelli's albums in my collection and this is definitely the weak link: theres just nothing that really stands out except for some sparks of true opera 'furore' (sacred passion) on display but they were mainly provided by baritone Bryn Terfel, appearing as one of Bocelli's special guests (Au Fond du Temple Saint - Les Pêcheurs de Perles ).

Otherwise it's just pretty bland throughout.

As gifted and as talented as he is, this album doesn't do any justice to him.

The songs are too "samey", and we have heard them thousands of times.

Celine Dion and Davis Foster and even the legend Bennett (if he keeps singing and appearing on TV, he will not be a legend anymore, but a pathetic, antique accessory) are just celebrities who join in to enjoy the spotlight.

You may think that, when you listen to the heavily miked voices of Andrea and the Canadian songbird soaring up in the sky singing the cheesiest anthem of all - courtesy of incommensurable Maestro/composer Foster who keeps cashing in - ...life is so beautiful, Italy is the wealthiest and safest country in the world and Mr Berlusconi is the greatest statesman in the world..."we are the world, we are the children"....let's love each other forever and let's have a fat bowl of Barilla fettuccine...

A little too soppy and rethorical me.

Of course this review is only my opinion as are any of the reviews on this site but I thought I'd share my opinion without wearing my tinted specs!

All in all, the recording is a big, glitzy, soppy extravaganza of nostalgia, celebrity and rethoric.

This concert exceeds my expectations by far. The cast of world-class star guests is impressive and Bocelli himself simply stunning. Bearing in mind that the concert was aimed at a 60,000-strong audience with different preferences, the balance between opera and non-classical material is just right.

Ever since Bocelli first sprang to fame, critics have been harping on about his lack of technique, thinness of voice and choppy phrasing. There are tens of thousands of technically perfect tenors with big voices around, but they just do not connect with the listeners the way Bocelli does.

Of course Bocelli's voice has changed over the years. It would be strange and rather sad if it hadn't. Whereas in the early stages he had a certain sweetness in his voice, he now has a new vocal depth and resonance, which I find more appealing and which is generously displayed in 'Concerto'.

Bocelli has also expanded his repertoire very successfully during his career. I agree with the comments made by "Winnie" - listen to 'Notte Illuminata' and 'Andrea Chenier' and you will discover a different side to his talent and yet more proof of his great versatility.

Critics will no doubt continue to pour scorn over this wonderful artist but, fortunately, most of us do not need critics to make up our minds for us!

In 2011, Bocelli made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

In September 2011, in a a windy and rainy nignt, he performed in Central Park with the New York Philharmonic and guests including Tony Bennett, Celine Dion, Chris Botti, and Bryn Terfel.

He is certainly good, not the greatest voice on the market but he has good manners and personality.

The problem with this recording start when he tries very hard with pop music with the usual, omnipresent suspects like Sellin' Dion and Bennett, who really do not help, rather they drag it deep down to its lowest points.

The overly sugary and safe arrangements are courtesy of arranger/producer/singer/hit-man supremo David Foster, who is the customery master of ceremonies in that kind of celebrities and superstars pairing events.

I do not agree with one of previous reviewers (..for the completist fans only).

I'd say the opposite: file this album under 'music for mass destruction' :-)

Beiung a New Yorker, this free concert was above and beyond his generosity. I must commend the video company who captured his ever perfect note. I am now waiting for Concerto, One Night in Central Park II. Thank you Andrea for being you and giving me much pleasure listening and viewing your albums.

Concerto, One Night in Central Park is an exceptionally fine CD and DVD. Andrea Bocelli's voice is as beautiful as ever, and his technique and artistry are at their height to date. The range of music is impressive, and each aria and song is performed memorably, with enormous finesse and just the right style. The orchestra, chorus, and guest artists also deliver outstanding performances.

The Central Park concert was a great and fun party for the attendees and other fans. It is certainly not the only kind of thing Bocelli is doing now. For listeners who are unfamiliar with his other recent work, I would suggest the artistically ambitious and lovely Notte Illuminata. In addition, I recommend his recording of Andrea Chenier, which was released last year. (Also reflecting his range of current projects, Bocelli will be performing in Romeo and Juliet in Genoa in February 2012.)

Well, I'm sorry to say but this has to be one of the least satisfying releases Bocelli has offered to date. Vocally, he alternates from sounding quite pleasent to downright bad and the musical selection is not only uneven but performed with little passion or even connection to the material.

Bocelli fans will enjoy this album because it offers the usual, tried and tested stand-by's along with some operatic selections that will impress only those who know nothing about the art form and leave everyone who does wondering why he even attempted to touch most of the arias on here.

His voice, while nice in the lower to mid register, thins to a brittle, wobbly and often out of pitch falsetto high register which is a real let down on the operatic selections offered.

Granted, Bocelli has never been known as a big voiced singer but his age and improper vocal production are really starting to show in his singing.

The songs are cliche, standard and, frankly, boring. Even the beloved "Con Te Partiro" falls flat. Duets with Tony Bennett and Celine Dion are predictable and seeing as Bocelli doesn't really have the proper stylistic approach for american standards, most everything he does in english doesn't really come across all that well...and there is more english speaking material on here than on any of his other live concert recordings.

At this point of his career, I think the Bocelli fame and mystique has overtaken the artist and voice that actually exists. I won't say Bocelli is over the hill but I will say that, vocally, he needs rest and hire a really good teacher to help him correct his poor production an, artistically, he needs to stop trying to impress us with obscure art songs or done to death "standards" and go back to the sensitive, romantic and commercially viable music that made him famous to begin with.

Of course, being the most famous living italian singer and the only vocalist still able to draw an audience with pop-opera (Groban, Watson, Il Divo and Brightman are pretty much passe now)he can sort of do what he wants but it's time for him to get back to producing great original music rather than re-package songs that have been done to death and much better by every major star in history....pop and opera alike.

This album isn't all bad though. It'll make a nice addition to my holiday music collection as it's easy on the ears and sets a "fireplace and eggnog" kind of mood. Maybe the next release will bring us some of the "old" Bocelli once more.

It's hard to think of another classical performer who can draw an audience of 60,000, but that level of popularity brings with it certain duties, especially regarding repertoire.

Accordingly, Andrea Bocelli opens this show with "La Donna È Mobile", effectively an affirmation of his assumption of the mantle of the great crossover tenor of his era, and closes it with his own breakthrough signature tune, "Con Te Partirò", and that most populist aria, "Nessun Dorma".

In between, though, things go slightly awry when he diverts into pop territory in duets with Tony Bennett and Celine Dion, and simpering MOR arrangements (usual David Foster) of "More" and "Volare". A. Gill

Great concert, Great voices!

Ana Maria Martinez was spectacular.

Get the combo DVD and CD. It is the best value.

Wish I could have been there!!