Dec 18, 20203 min read

Andrea Bocelli – dare to live

Another Christmas is coming. A special time. So let's move away from the mainstream for a moment and try to look at the world with different eyes - through the eyes of someone who cannot see (!) Let's get to know a short biography of Andrea Bocelli and see what made him climb to the top despite such tragic events. And at the top previously unattainable for the blind.

Andrea Bocelli - a short biography

Andrea Bocelli was born on September 22, 1958, in Lajatico, Tuscany, near the historic city of Pisa, where he completed his law studies. He was born with a congenital eye defect - glaucoma.

At the age of twelve, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while playing football, which made him blind.

The native Tuscany, the tradition of the region, and the influence of the parents who taught their son to never give up handicaps left a mark on his personality.

“What I care most about and hope to achieve is a special bond with the audience. I would like to move them as much as I was touched in my childhood by my favorite performers who reached my heart and inspired me. They made me cry and dream.”

Andrea remembers a childhood fascination with great Italian tenors such as Del Monaco, Gigli, and especially his idol - Franco Corelli. Bocelli dreamed of becoming a great tenor. As a teenager, he won several singing competitions. After leaving for Pisa, he performed in local bars, playing the piano and singing classic hits of famous singers - Sinatra, Aznavour, and Piaf.

In 1992, Italian rock star Zucchero was preparing a demo of the song "Miserere", which he was to record with Luciano Pavarotti. Someone asked an unknown then Bocelli to record a demo for the great master.

After hearing the recording, Pavarotti couldn't believe that the owner of this beautiful voice was not a rising opera star. Fascinated by his talent, he said: “why do you need me? Record this song with 'the Bocelli' because I won't sing it better myself. "

In 1993, Bocelli received an invitation to participate in the San Remo Song Festival. He won the qualifying round with the highest score ever.

A year later, he won the "New Faces" competition.

It was an instant hit in the charts. The debut album "Il Mare Calmo Della Sera" and the next album "Bocelli" attracted the attention of the whole of Europe. On the international market, Bocelli made his debut in 1996 with the album "Romanza".

Parallel to his career in the field of popular music, the tenor successfully developed his interest in opera. The first classical music album he recorded in 1995 was called "Viaggio Italiano".

In 1998, the first classical music album on the international market was released - "Aria".

This is one of the greatest successes of classics in the history of commercial phonography. It reigned supreme on the classical music charts and competed in terms of sales with pop music recordings.

The next album "Sacred Arias" was even more successful. It included sacred compositions by Bach / Gounod, Mozart, Schubert, and Rossini.

Andrea, however, is not appreciated in the opera world. Experts point out his technical shortcomings and problems with breathing and claim that his voice is not fully adjusted.

All the more, however, I wanted to write about him.

Because how many of us with such a visual defect that makes it impossible to independently move around the stage would dare to follow our dreams, and most importantly, would be able to FULFILL them?

How many of us with such criticism from industry professionals would not give up and continue?