L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 4 MARIELLA RADAELLI NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS T w o y e a r s h a v e p a s s e d s i n c e superstar tenor Andrea Bocel- l i h a d t w o recitals at the venerated Metropolitan Opera in New York where he per- formed before a full house. The same year, his debut performance in San Francis- co with the San Francisco Symphony was sold out months in advance. Nobody then could predict the night- mare that was coming in 2020. It has been an unex- pected and suspended time. B u t 2 0 2 1 h a s s e t o u t widespread actions to fight the pandemic and control the virus. So hopefully the Tuscan tenor will be retur- ning to the US, kicking off three California shows sche- duled for next May: one in S a n J o s e a n d t w o a t t h e H o l l y w o o d B o w l i n L o s Angeles. Later, after a con- cert in St. Louis next fall, he will continue his recital tour o n t h e E a s t C o a s t n e x t December with six dates: t w o i n N e w Y o r k , t h e n Philadelphia, and Boston. H i s U S t o u r w i l l e n d i n Florida. I ask Mr. Bocelli how he feels about the idea of performing again in the US with a new administration that has entered office. "I confirm my strong bond w i t h t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , regardless of the admini- strations that have been lea- ding the nation," he says. "An artist should be able to speak to the heart of each person – no matter what their political conviction, belief, or opinion. The USA is a great land. Americans loved me right away from the beginning of my career." You traveled the world with your music. You are c o s m o p o l i t a n , y e t y o u remain true to your Tuscan r o o t s . " T o h a v e s t r o n g w i n g s o n e m u s t r e l y o n deep roots," you say. And as a matter of fact, you conti- n u e t o l i v e i n g o r g e o u s Tuscany and precisely in your birthplace Lajatico, in the Pisan region where your ancestors raised their fami- lies. So did you with your three kids: Amos, a space engineer, Matteo, who fol- lows in your footsteps, and little Virginia. Have you ever been tempted to move to a less bucolic or more urban locale, s o m e s h o w - b u s i n e s s epicenter such as Los Angeles or New York? "Although I feel at home in the US, I confess that I l o v e m y n a t i v e l a n d s o much that I could not think of moving anywhere else. Furthermore, to me, Italy remains the best country in the world to live in for qua- lity of life, for such a rich variety of historical art pie- ces, and a thousand other reasons. As a dear friend of m i n e t o l d m e : " W e a r e lucky to be Europeans, very l u c k y t o b e I t a l i a n s , s o b o l d l y l u c k y t o l i v e i n Tuscany." Last Easter, during the devastating first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, your spine-tingling Music for Hope performance from an empty Duomo cathedral in Milan was watched live by 28 million around the globe i n i t s f i r s t 2 4 h o u r s . I t achieved the largest simul- t a n e o u s a u d i e n c e f o r a m u s i c L i v e s t r e a m i n YouTube history. You lifted your voice in song to spread a message of hope and soli- darity throughout deserted c i t i e s i n l o c k d o w n b y making us think about how w e c a n b e i n v o l v e d i n making the world a better place. You declared that it was a profound expe- r i e n c e . C o u l d y o u kindly recall it? " T h a t w a s a u n i q u e , extraordinary experience. It reaffirmed the strength of s p i r i t u a l m e s s a g e s t h a t s p e a k r e b i r t h a n d l i f e . I would not consider it a con- cert. I intended to say a prayer for my family and t h e w o r l d . I c h e r i s h t h e memories of that unprece- dented experience among the most precious ones. The lockdown showed e e r i e s c e n e s t h o s e d a r k d a y s . H o w e v e r , w e w e r e tens of millions thanks to the Internet. And above all, thanks to the heart of each Bocelli during a performance. The Italian tenor will tour the US this year (Photo: © Stefano Marinari | Dreamstime.com) Continued to page 6 Andrea Bocelli: love, life and our trying times

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