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Andrea Bocelli
Biografia: Andrea
Bocelli has been called "the fourth tenor". A disciple of
Luciano Pavarotti and Zucchero Fornaciari, the blind,
Tuscany-born, vocalist has emerged as one of the most
exciting voices in contemporary Opera. His participation in
Pavarotti's 1992 hit, "Miserere", and Fornaciari's 1993
world tour brought him international attention. Opera,
however, represents only one side of his musical persona.
Bocelli has been equally successful as a pop ballad singer,
having recorded duets with Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman and
Eros Ramazzotti. Al Jarreau, who sang with Bocelli during
"The Night Of Proms" in November 1995, praised Bocelli when
he said, "I have had the honour to sing with the most
beautiful voice in the world". Bocelli grew up on farm in
Lajatico, a rural village in Tuscany. Beginning piano
lessons at the age of six, he later added flute and
saxophone. Born with poor eyesight, he became totally blind
at the age of twelve following a soccer accident. Despite
his obvious musical talents, Bocelli didn't consider a
career in music until he had studied law at the University
Of Pisa and had earned a Doctor Of Law degree. Inspired to
pursue music, he studied with famed tenor Franco Gorelli,
supporting himself by peforming in piano bars. Bocelli's
first break as a singer came in 1992 when Fornaciari
auditioned tenors to record a demo tape of "Miserere", which
he had co-written with Bono of U-2. Successfully passing the
audition, Bocelli recorded the tune as a duet with Pavarotti.
After touring with Fornaciari in 1993, Bocelli performed as
a guest star in the Pavarotti International festival held in
Modena in September 1994. In addition to performing solo and
in a duet with pavarotti, Bocelli sang with Bryan Adams,
Andreas Vollenweider and Nancy Gustavsson. In November 1995,
Bocelli toured Holland, Belgium, Germany, Spain and France
with "Night Of Proms", which also featured Al Jarreau, Bryan
Ferry, Roger Hodgson of Supertramp and John Miles. Bocelli's
first two albums-"Andrea Bocelli" in 1994 and "Bocelli" in
1996 -showcased his operatic singing. His third effort,
"Viaggio Italiano", featured famous arias and traditional
songs from Naples. Although released only in Italy, the
album sold more than 300, 000 copies. With his fourth album,
"Romanza", released in 1997, Bocelli turned to pop music.
The album included the hit, "Time To Say Goodbye", recorded
as a duet with Sarah Brightman. Bocelli continued to focus
on pop balladry with his fifth album, "Sogno", released in
1999, which featured a duet with Celine Dion of the David
Foster and Carole Bayer Sager-penned tune, "The Prayer",
sold more than ten million copies, received a Golden Globe
award and led to Bocelli being nominated for a Grammy as
"best new artist". ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide
www.mtv.it
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