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 | Title : Andrea Bocelli - Sacred Arias / Myung-Whun Chung
Author : George Frideric Handel
Release Date : 19991109
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $18.98
Amazon.com Price : $11.95
(37
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Editorial Reviews :
When he was growing up, Andrea Bocelli recalls finding inspiration in a favorite recording of sacred music performed by tenor legend Franco Corelli. Bocelli--who in the meantime has come to inspire millions of fiercely loyal fans himself--returns to the genre as the guiding theme of Sacred Arias, the release of which coincides with the first English-language biography of the singer. These performances are filled with the singer's phenomenally well-known vocal signature: his flair for long, sweetly floating high notes and the gentle sense of cadence he brings to a melody. It's a mistake to compartmentalize Bocelli into a singer of 'operatic' versus 'popular' styles: in truth his approach is at heart the same. Lack of color and control in his phrasing remains a drawback, but the emotional empathy Bocelli evokes is never in doubt. The arias collected here sample some of the most famous devotional pieces: Schubert's 'Ave Maria' and Mozart's transporting 'Ave Verum,' as well as an arrangement of 'Silent Night' in which Bocelli tries out his English. There's also a decidedly odd choice of bedfellows for a program of 'sacred' music, such as a song from Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder (whose 'angel' is the object of an overpoweringly erotic attraction) and Handel's figurative ode to a tree, 'Ombra mai fu.' Still, Bocelli sings with an unfeigned directness that is sure to expand his already enormous following even further.
Buyer Reviews :
Although he once got hit on by an Amazon.com Editorial Reviewer in the sense that his voice gets sort of strainy in opera, I can at least agree with the Editorial of this album that Andrea Bocelli sings with such an unfeigned directness, it's guaranteed to 'expand his already enormous following even further.' And it has. 'Sacred Arias' made the US Top 20 when release day for it arrived, and no wonder: he does so well on this CD that he actually makes you cry. 'Sancta Maria' is a very good example. Having remembered a Classico commercial with Mascagni's 'Cavarellia Rusticana' (whatever that means) overture, it actually brought tears to my eyes!
Other favorites here of mine include Schubert's 'Ave Maria,' which is an absolute pleasure as performed here in Andrea's native Italian, because it's always fun to hear a famous piece sung in a whole new language. And Chung leads his troopers, the Santa Cecilia National Academy Orchestra, through the whole thing with almost no trouble, more than I can say for 'Aria' on which certain pieces as I have explained worked Andrea too hard, so hard that I almost lost respect for him. Oh, no!
Anyway, I won't dwell on that. It's bad enough I've also trashed 'Per Amore,' the Japanese Bocelli debut CD, because I already have every single track from there on my 'Romanza' and 'Sogno' CDs. But I have no business trashing this album, because this is the Andrea Bocelli some 'Romanza' haters (but I'm not one of those) wished to hear. Bocelli has once again proven his role as an opera 'superhero' to his truest fans. Time to work on 'Sacred Arias 2.' In the meantime I'll keep an eye out for the upcoming 'Love Duets' CD, and then I'll probably explain on Amazon what I think about it. Until then, it's 'time to say goodbye'!
(by PerAmore2001)
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