Andrea Bocelli, the blind tenor
On Wednesday evening, I had the privilege of attending Andrea Bocelli's concert. I first fell in love with the tenor's music in 2003 when I was stuck at home on disability after my worst NMO attack. I had nothing to do except read books and watch TV. I became addicted to HBO's "The Sopranos"; I would watch episode after episode on DVDs rented from Blockbuster, often spending eight hours a day following Tony, Carmela, Big Pussy, and the crew around, watching them get in and out of all sorts of trouble. In the episode entitled "Commendatori" in the second season, Tony and some of his crew members travel to Italy for business. Tony's wife, Carmela whom Tony leaves back in Jersey, begins to doubt her marriage with the mob boss. I was especially moved in this epsidoe--the acting is so good, the plot line getting better--and my emotions were attached to the musical choices. Bocelli's "Con Te Partiro" was played multiple times throughout the episode, culminating in a final play over the ending credits right after the camera zooms in on Carmella's quiet reaction when Tony finally returns home.
Immediately after the episode finished, I searched online for the songs played in "Commendatori." I had never heard the song before but I had such an instant attachment to the song. I downloaded it, and in the meantime, I looked for more songs sung by the artist, Andrea Bocelli. I found "Ave Maria" and "Nessun Dorma," which happens to be the song Paul Potts sang to win 2007's "Britain's Got Talent." Bocelli's songs were on heavy rotation on my iTunes for several weeks.
Fast-forward to May of this year. It was our wedding day. The instrumental version of "Con Te Partiro" was played on the piano when I walked down the aisle. Ever since I'd first heard the song seven years ago, even before I'd met my groom, I knew it would be the song I'd walk down the aisle to. "Con Te Partiro" literally means "with you, I will leave" in Italian. The English version of the song that Bocelli sings with Sarah Brightman, who was married to musical composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and perhaps best known for her role as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, is entitled "A Time to Say Goodbye". With either title, I thought it fitting for the bridal procession: in the English version, I was saying goodbye to my dad, and in the Italian version, I was going with my new husband. Above all, I simply loved the beautiful, majestic elegance of the song.
So after years of auditory admiration, imagine my excitement when I found out Bocelli was coming to Houston. The concert was grand: he spent the first half singing both solo and duet opera and the second half singing pop Christmas songs from his latest album. My favorite, of course, was the last two songs of the four-song encore when he donned a cowboy hat and sang "Con Te Partiro" and "Nessun Dorma." My eyes got wet, it was that touching.
What makes this tenor even more amazing besides holding the record for having most albums sold by a solo classical artist is that he is also blind. Born with congenital glaucoma, he completely lost his eyesight at age 12 after a soccer accident. At Wendesday's performance, Bocelli was either guided by the maestro or his duet accompaniment each time he entered and exited the stage. He even danced a little dance with one of the singers. He managed to sing to a packed house at Toyota Center, not letting his blindness impede him from doing what he loves and doing it well. Like his music, I find Bocelli himself inspiring. Thanks, Andrea, for giving unto the world your talents despite your obstacles.