Aria - The Opera Album (Remastered) Andrea Bocelli

• Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901): Rigoletto / Act 1:
• 1 Verdi: Rigoletto / Act 1: "Questa o quella" (Remastered) 01:45
• Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924): La Bohème / Act 1:
• 2 Puccini: La Bohème / Act 1: "Che gelida manina" (Remastered) 04:18
• Tosca / Act 1:
• 3 Puccini: Tosca / Act 1: "Recondita armonia" (Remastered) 02:55
• Tosca / Act 3:
• 4 Puccini: Tosca / Act 3: "E lucevan le stelle" (Remastered) 02:51
• Madama Butterfly / Act 2:
• 5 Puccini: Madama Butterfly / Act 2: "Addio, fiorito asil" (Remastered) 01:50
• Umberto Giordano (1867 - 1948): Andrea Chénier / Act 4:
• 6 Giordano: Andrea Chénier / Act 4: "Come un bel dì di maggio" (Remastered) 03:16
• Vincenzo Bellini (1801 - 1835): I Puritani / Act 1:
• 7 Bellini: I Puritani / Act 1: "A te, o cara" (Remastered) 03:04
• Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949): Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59, TrV 227 / Act 1:
• 8 Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59, TrV 227 / Act 1: "Di rigori armato il seno" (Remastered) 02:07
• Umberto Giordano: Fedora / Act 2:
• 9 Giordano: Fedora / Act 2: "Amor ti vieta" (Remastered) 01:47
• Giacomo Puccini: La Fanciulla del West / Act 3:
• 10 Puccini: La Fanciulla del West / Act 3: "Ch'ella mi creda" (Remastered) 01:59
• Amilcare Ponchielli (1834 - 1886): La Gioconda / Act 2:
• 11 Ponchielli: La Gioconda / Act 2: "Cielo e mar" (Remastered) 04:33
• Francesco Cilea (1866 - 1950): Adriana Lecouvreur / Act 1:
• 12 Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur / Act 1: "La dolcissima effigie" (Remastered) 02:11
• Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857 - 1919): La bohème / Act 3:
• 13 Leoncavallo: La bohème / Act 3: "Musetta! O gioia della mia dimora! - Testa adorata" (Remastered) 03:03
• Gaetano Donizetti (1797 - 1948): Lucia di Lammermoor / Act 3:
• 14 Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor / Act 3: "Tombe degl'avi miei...Fra poco a me ricovero" (Remastered) 06:51
• Jules Massenet (1842 - 1912): Werther / Act 3:
• 15 Massenet: Werther / Act 3: "Pourquoi me réveiller, ô souffle du printemps?" (Remastered) 03:05
• Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875): Carmen, WD 31 / Act 2:
• 16 Bizet: Carmen, WD 31 / Act 2: "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" (Remastered) 04:17
• Gaetano Donizetti: La fille du régiment / Act 1:
• 17 Donizetti: La fille du régiment / Act 1: "Pour mon âme quel destin" (Remastered) 02:13
• Total Runtime 52:05

Info for Aria - The Opera Album (Remastered)

Andrea Bocelli is one of the most exciting names in music (all music) today! With his albums Romanza and Viaggio Italiano, Andrea captured the hearts of millions, and not since "The Three Tenors" has any classical artist ignited such widespread popularity. Bocelli's latest release gathers together the artist's own favorite opera arias. This is the music Andrea grew up with, performed with the heartfelt passion and commitment for which he has become world famous.

"Crossover sensation Andrea Bocelli's Aria served as the singer's operatic calling card, and as such it left behind the synth-infused ballads and lighter Italian fare of his earlier work and delved into the dramatic warhorses of the tenor repertory. Soliciting the help of Gianandrea Noseda and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra underscored the singer's desire to be taken seriously, since both conductor and ensemble were already veterans of fine operatic recordings. The resulting album surpasses the usual expectations of crossover singers: Bocelli's grasp of style and vocal technique are evidence of sincere study and undeniable talent -- something that can't be said of some similarly marketed singers, like Britain's Russell ("The Voice") Watson. But the album's impression will depend mostly on listeners' point of entry. Bocelli fans will undoubtedly enjoy hearing the star's voice applied to this music, and for many people it will serve as an accessible entry into the world of opera. But opera fans will most likely find his efforts pale and unappealing in comparison to the many great tenors who have already recorded the same works and, more importantly, sung them on-stage.

Experienced listeners will immediately notice the album's engineering, which mixes the orchestra into the background in order to highlight Bocelli's relatively small voice. As a result, climactic passages rarely seem climactic, and intimate passages sound too intimate -- not scaled to a big room in the way operatic singing should be. At times, particularly in the opening "Questa o quella" from Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto, one gets the impression that the orchestra was recorded separately, and the voice laid down as a separate track, since they sound out of sync at cadences and ornaments, and Bocelli seems to be chasing an inflexible rhythmic pulse. Bocelli's general approach to the music is in line with operatic traditions, but he often sounds green, ungracefully clipping the ends of phrases and rushing through moments that cry out to be milked. And although he certainly has the range to tackle even the most demanding arias, like Donizetti's "Pour mon âme" from La fille du regiment with its many high Cs, his voice doesn't gain brilliance and amplitude as he ascends; instead it becomes thin, never quite hitting that "tenor" pleasure spot in the brain. Similarly, these arias feel drained of their pathos and expressivity -- excercises in execution rather than dramatic scenes.

In the end, Aria will introduce many people to the pleasures of operatic music. And if you're one of those listeners, enjoy it with the knowledge that you're hearing operatic music performed lovingly, sincerely, and with skill. Just know this too: everything you hear on this album has been done many times before, and by singers whose vocal charisma, musical sensibilities, and years of experience leave Mr. Bocelli in the dust." (Allen Schrott, AMG)

Andrea Bocelli

Digitally remastered

Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli‘s new studio album, “Passione” is filled with romance and beauty. “Passione” is a lush collection of Mediterranean love songs featuring duets with global pop stars Jennifer Lopez, Nelly Furtado, and the late Edith Piaf. The album reunites Bocelli with 16-time Grammy Award-winning producer David Foster, who produced Bocelli’s 2006 release “Amore,” which sold more than 4.2 million copies.

“Passione” is in essence the second volume of “Amore,” with a “fil rouge” which ideally connects the albums. As with “Amore,” which featured timeless masterworks, “Passione” includes several beloved classics such as “Love Me Tender,” “Girl From Ipanema,” and “Sarà Settembre,” (better known to English-speaking audiences as Neil Diamond’s “September Morn”). Jennifer Lopez is featured on the soft and sensual track “Quizás Quizás Quizás” and Nelly Furtado joins Bocelli on “Corcovado.” The album also features a duet with the late French chanteuse Edith Piaf on the song “La Vie En Rose.”

On the album, Bocelli sings in six languages (Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Neapolitan) with his unmistakable voice, as Foster accompanies him on piano, along with Peruvian guitarist Ramon Stagnaro. The sensual sound is rounded out by Cuban, Brazilian, and Portuguese rhythms and a 63-piece orchestra recorded in London.

“Andrea continues to be my favorite singer of all time,” Foster declares. “I pride myself on working with great voices, but he transcends that. He's a singer for all people, from the common man to the Pope.”

Bocelli is an iconic figure in music with a myriad of breathtaking career achievements to his name. The Italian tenor is the most successful classical solo artist ever and one of the best-selling artists in music history, period, with more than 80 million albums sold worldwide. He is also credited with enabling the core classical repertoire to cross over and find a home atop the international pop charts, creating a new genre of music along the way. He has performed for four U.S. presidents, two popes, and the British royal family, as well as at ceremonies for the Olympic Games and the World Cup. He has been praised by such luminaries as Luciano Pavarotti, Franco Corelli (his beloved teacher and guide), Zubin Mehta, José Carreras, Lorin Maazel, Renée Fleming, and Celine Dion.

Booklet for Aria - The Opera Album (Remastered)