Customer Reviews

Viaggio Italiano

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have spent a lot of time here reading all the different reviews of Andrea Bocelli's recordings and I do not really understand what is so important about his voice being technically perfect. I have listened to lots of opera music and have not had the same reaction as I have with Bocelli. My daughter first introduced me to Andrea Bocelli and I really wasn't that interested, thinking he was just another tenor. Was I ever wrong! I have enjoyed Pavarotti's Nessum Dorma, but when I heard Andrea Bocelli, sing it I wept, quite unexpectedly. I do think that perfection is highly overrated. Being technically perfect doesn't make you better, just more technical. I enjoy music because it moves something in me. Quite frankly Andrea Bocelli does that better than any other tenor I have heard. I will enjoy his opera music, his pop music and his sacred music because he moves me in a way I have never been moved before, and I think that his soul must be just as wonderful. Yes I do think that if God was singing that is what he would sound like!

I first heard Bocelli's rendition of Nessun Dorma from this album on an Air Canada flight three weeks ago, on their Operatic Flights audio channel. I knew nothing of the performer, the piece or the composer and have rarely connected with operatic music. I also neither speak nor understand Italian.

But I found myself in tears from hearing Bocelli's Nessun Dorma, and stayed on that audio channel to hear it once more on what was left of the flight from Toronto to San Francisco. I'm a 46-year old business man, with virtually no training in music or the arts. I not only felt the magic and depth of the music when I heard it on that flight but have felt its uplifting inspiration every single day after that (so far!)

I have since procured, and listened to, a number of different versions of the piece by other famous tenors. They're good or great, but Bocelli is EXQUISITE!

The critical comments of the professional reviewers may have some marginal merit in terms of specific technicalities, but should be set aside in favor of one's direct experience of the music. Our connection to music and the arts is much too primal and deep, beyond the merely intellectual and analytical faculties engaged by critics.

I'm heartened by the consistent validation of Bocelli's music by "lay reviewers" who have commented ahead of me. I would recommend this CD as a "must have," whether or not one is an opera buff (or snob), even just for that one track alone.

Although a conservatory-trained musician, I never enjoyed opera until I heard Andrea Bocelli. His voice has a purity of tone that is far more compelling than the mega-vibrato of most opera stars. He sings each aria with a passion that clearly communicates the emotion of the operatic scene to the listener who may not understand the words. To me, his recordings are the epitome of what a performance should be-a musical experience that deeply moves anyone fortunate enough to hear it. Bravo!

I have been following the various reviews of Bocelli's CD's over the past few years on here and I'm still as surprised as ever to see so many critical and just ill-spirited opinions posted.

I have had this CD for a good many years now and in many ways it was this very CD that has sparked in me a love and interest in Opera that I did not have previously.

I keep reading how terrible of a tenor Bocelli is, and how he doesn't have this or that and how he will never be in contention with Domingo or Pavarotti.
So what?
Bocelli is a tenor in his own class, as is Pavarotti. There is no reason to compare the two, but the mere fact that all too many people do, even if in a negative context, tells me that something about Bocelli's voice reminds them of the great tenor.

Just listen to Bocelli's "Nessun Dorma". All the technical jibberish aside, his is one of the finest renditions of the great aria period!
True, his voice is not a big, powerful spinto the likes of Domindo or Corelli but the sensitivity and feeling he brings to the aria more than compensate for that.
The same holds true for just about every song on here. From the arias, to the sacred selections, on to the Neopolitan standards...all are very well interpreted. Bocelli's forte is his elegance, the softness and warmth in his sound, and of course, his clear high notes.

When this CD first came out, many opera "experts" wrote Bocelli off as a mere fluke, a pop-singer who tries too hard to be a "legit" tenor. Here we are almost a decade later and Bocelli is about to release his 9th! CD and his international appeal shows no sighns of waning.
The man has, to date, sold more records, both operatic and Pop, than Pavarotti, Domingo, Carerras, Correlli and Bjoreling put together in their long and illustrious careers! Clearly Bocelli is doing something right.

My final verdict on this CD is that this is as good a tenor CD as any ever produced.
More than that, Bocelli has single-handedly brought Pop-Opera to the international forefront and he will always be remembered as that blind man who changed the face of modern opera forever.
Perhaps it is this very fact that makes "legit" Opera lovers bristle at the very idea of Andrea Bocelli.

Let's face it, Opera has been a dying art form for decades and it wasn't until Bocelli and those who follow his path, however, loathed by the purists, that made and continue to make Opera attractive to audiences worldwide.
Bravo Andrea!

I am truly amazed by the people who insist on tearing apart what I consider one of the best singers I have heard in a long time. Bocelli has made a classical singing fan out of a confirmed opera hater. For shame! . He has a very soulful voice in my opinion. One that has struck a chord with most people I share his CDs with.

As a lover of music, from one end of it's spectrum to the other, I find it very difficult to knock Andrea Bocelli's work. His album, "Romanza" is enjoyable, and his popular success is justifiable. In this particular effort however, Andrea is out of his element, he is -- at least, at the moment -- reaching too far; he's much better suited to ballads and "opera-like" works. While he possesses a very good voice, he sounds rather flat and unemotional on this CD; the collective interpretations sound homogeneous.

The music itself isn't very impressively played; I got the notion that a world-class orchestra wouldn't work with him. Perhaps it was Bocelli that didn't feel up to the task (or financial considerations wouldn't allow it), since I find it hard to believe that, say, the Vienna Philharmonic wouldn't "stoop" to collaborate with such a hot ticket.

Microphones weren't meant to be used in opera, but it's interesting to note that it's reverberative effects provided some pleasing moments, as well as some unappealing ones.

While purists object to Andrea's operatic work, I appluad it. Certainly, there are better collections of arias, by more gifted and classically trained singers, but how many of them have made such an impact in people's desire to listen to opera? As tastes mature, newcomers to the genre will likely venture past his brand of opera anyway. (Although there's nothing wrong with sticking with him.) Exposure of this sort can only benefit all of us.

Ever since I first heard Andrea Bocelli I have been captivated by the beauty and richness of his voice. Viaggio is another example of his wonderful versatility, and his ability to make the listener feel the music. Another vocal masterpiece. Celine Dion, who dueted with Andrea on his Sogno album said "If God had a voice, this would be it"....Need I say more?

I am certainly not an expert on opera, but to accuse Bocelli of not being technically perfect is like criticizing Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan for not always playing by the book. I like Bocelli more than any other tenor. His voice is more clear than Pavarotti's, and I feel an instant connection to his signing. That he achieved such world-wide popularity, being blind and all, and is raising a family, too, says something important about him. Anyway, this is one of the best opera albums ever, and unlike many albums in the genre, this one is not intrusive or overwhelming--Bocelli's voice flows softly, while maintaining some distance from the listener and not getting under his skin. Buy it now.

Despite orchestral support that is barely adequate, Bocelli's beautiful tenor manages to rise above the lackluster accompaniment. In a delightful mix of Arias, popular Canzoni, and a few sacred pieces, the heartbreaker of Tuscany delivers a superb performance. The Lamento di Federico--never an easy piece--is performed with great emotion and power. All the selections, in fact, show a voice capable of handling difficult and subtle material. The Panis Angelicus is particularly affecting; as a lifelong "secular person," I must admit I was prepared to dislike it. I was won over with the first note out of Bocelli's throat. It is hard to say why this album seems to have sold the fewest of all his offerings. The title doesn't exactly prompt one to try it. Perhaps some of the negative remarks made by people who enjoy tearing down public figures has something to do with the lagging sales. An opera-goer for decades, I am not so much of a "purist" that I cannot enjoy the entry into the opera field of a former pop singer (How dare he!) Was this held against Rene Kollo, and many other tenors and sopranos? Then there are the pop fans who lament one of their own passing into the classical world. Surely this is just another kind of snobbery. Listening to and understanding arias is an acquired taste for many. (Do people still say that about beer?) The same can be said of the process of passing from junk novels to fine literature, drama, and poetry. We want was is easy, short, and quick. Certain critics, professional and amateur, even while understanding the "investment" of thought and time that serious music requires, seem to delight in trashing this singer. It is a mystery but, as I recently told a friend, this may constitute a case of the deaf misjudging the blind. No one--I said NO ONE--who listens to this singer carefully, and honestly, with no fear of expressing his emotional side, can fail to appreciate him. Those who hold up Pavarotti as a "real" tenor (and he is, of course) should be aware that Luciano has nothing but praise for Bocelli. And could there be a more profound "critic" than the Primo Tenore of the last two decades? I think not. Andrea Bocelli stands poised to enter the pantheon of great singers. His name shall follow that of Caruso, Gigli, Schipa, Martinelli, Tauber, Del Monaco, DiStephano, Bergonzi, Wunderlich, Tagliavini (perhaps the closest in style and beauty of voice), and Pavarotti. Into that august company he will be welcomed with enthusiasm--of this I have no doubt.

Viaggio Italiano is an inspiring CD which to listen, despite some relative weaknesses in Bocelli's performance.

Andrea Bocelli's musicality and tonal production does not match the technical perfection of Placido Domingo, the passion of Jose Carreras, nor the natural, easy flow of Luciano Pavarotti. However, Bocelli's talent does capture the essence and beauty of the human voice in his own unique way. Without disparaging Bocelli, one might say that Bocelli sings the way most common listeners could only dream to sing. Hence, the listener vicariously senses the excitement Bocelli may feel from singing. Bocelli can probably inspire most of us.

Bocelli's presentation of the Neapolitan songs, e.g. Core n'grato, is especially pleasing. However, his interpretation and rather lack of passion on the operatic pieces, such as Nessum Dorma, may disappoint listeners familiar with renditions by other artists.

All in all, listen to this CD if you are an open-minded listener who can enjoy the uniqueness of Bocelli's talent.