Andrea Bocelli - Viaggio Italiano [Extra tracks]

  

Opera is in fashion, and the woods are full of pop vocalists who think they have the chops to sing arias. The best contender so far is Andrea Bocelli, who at least has a real voice, if a small one, and sometimes manages a really exciting tenor sound. Unfortunately, he is inconsistent in his tone and production, and, despite the fact that he's singing in his native language, he often sounds as though he has only the barest idea of what the words mean. The Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev, plays stodgily. Anyone with a real interest in tenor arias would be much better advised to check out recordings by the young Luciano Pavarotti.

Viaggio Italiano (Audio CD) Andrea's singing on this album is incredible, as he delivers powerful, emotional performances of some of my favourite tunes - Nessun dorma, Ave Maria, Panis Angelicus and Core are all favourites - and the addition of the beautiful I Believe (in English - this is special) and the passionate duet with Bryn Terfel help to make this, for me, Andrea's finest album.