L'Italo-Americano

italoamericano-digital-2-4-2021

Since 1908 the n.1 source of all things Italian featuring Italian news, culture, business and travel

Issue link: https://italoamericanodigital.uberflip.com/i/1336678

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 5 of 39

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS of us. We were unknown brothers who joined hands to reach up to the sky in prayer. In that forced sepa- ration, it was a great emo- tion to feel so much sense of unity, so much sense of fra- ternity!" Today your new album Believe weaves 15 songs t o g e t h e r w i t h a s a c r e d t h e m e . T h i s s e l e c t i o n o f sacred music is dense and includes familiar favorites such as Hallelujah, You'll N e v e r W a l k A l o n e a n d Amazing Grace. And it fea- tures duets with Italian ope- r a t i c m e z z o - s o p r a n o C e c i l i a B a r t o l i a n d American bluegrass-country singer and musician Alison Krauss. T h e a l b u m c o n t a i n s a previously unreleased track from the late great Italian c o m p o s e r E n n i o Morricone. And it also features Gratia Plena from the recent movie Fatima d i r e c t e d b y M a r c o Pontecorvo. The tone of Believe is spiritual: hymns soothe t h e s o u l … Y o u a r e a practicing Catholic… " T h e p r o j e c t r e v o l v e s a r o u n d t h r e e k e y w o r d s : faith, hope, and charity. Not only are they the three theo- logical virtues that frame and inform Christian life, but they are universally also the pillars capable of giving meaning to life, a life of completeness. No doubt, Believe is a collection of pages related to spirituality. I t e x p r e s s e s a h e t e r o g e - neous and even experimen- tal path by combining pie- c e s b y g r e a t c l a s s i c a l a u t h o r s ( f r o m T o m a s o Albinoni to Georges Bizet, to Giacomo Puccini) with p o p u l a r s o n g s a n d n e w songs. After releasing a few records related more to sen- suality, this project aims, in a c e r t a i n s e n s e , t o b e a medicine for the soul by offering a moment of relief and optimism for those who want it. About my faith, I b e l i e v e i n e t e r n a l l i f e ; I believe in the immortality of the soul; I believe that we are spiritual beings grap- pling with the finite, tempo- rary experience of a body." T h e m u s i c i n d u s t r y counts the heartbreaking cost of coronavirus. The pandemic has affected the livelihoods of artists, crew, and music workers. They were all damaged by the e n f o r c e m e n t o f s o c i a l distancing measures and the consequent postpone- ments, cancellations, or clo- sures of live performances. How can the sector hope to recover? And t h e n d o y o u t h i n k maybe there will be a sort of a musical renais- sance? "Covid-19 wiped out a year of concerts. We spent a y e a r w i t h o u t l i v e m u s i c , without opera, without arts in general. We lost many opportunities in a year. As art is a gift from heaven, it aims at fostering spiritual growth. So when we do not nurture the spirit, there is a risk that it downgrades dan- gerously. And yet despite this, I remain optimistic. Even though predictions are hard to make, I am sure we will get out of the crisis. H i s t o r y t e a c h e s u s t h a t h u m a n b e i n g s o v e r c a m e much worse obstacles and challenges and sometimes even at incredible speed. I hope that the renaissance you have evoked will not be only musical but on a broa- der level. I hope it will indu- ce us to seek beauty on all f r o n t s — a n d b e a u t y i s always something intrinsic to goodness." W h a t a d v i c e w o u l d y o u g i v e t o t h e n e x t generation of musicians and singers? " I w o u l d r e c o m m e n d determination, frankness, self-discipline, but also opti- m i s m a n d c o n f i d e n c e t o p u r s u e y o u r p a s s i o n . I would advise to not be inti- midated by difficulties. I w o u l d t e l l t h e m t o a c t w i t h o u t w a s t i n g t i m e i n proclamations or self-pity. I would say to cherish any mishaps or failures along t h e w a y a n d t r e a s u r e everything that could have been done better or in a dif- ferent way. Finally, I would say please never give up, n e v e r s t o p b e l i e v i n g i n yourself. Have faith in your potential." When did you start falling in love with Bel Canto? And when did you realize you wanted Continued from page 4 Bocelli with Veronica Berti at the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star ceremony (Photo: © Imagecollect | Dreamstime.com) Bocelli with his son Matteo, surrounded by his fans (Photo: marcovitalefotografo / Shutterstock.com) "I remain optimistic. Even though predictions are hard to make, I am sure we will get out of the crisis" Continued to page 8

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of L'Italo-Americano - italoamericano-digital-2-4-2021