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Verdi |
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The problem with slamming this album, which I am sorely tempted to do on a certain level, is that it does not deserve such treatment. Intellectually and artistically I recognise that the public embraces Andrea Bocelli because he is both talented and handicapped. He is the purveyor of pleasant bits of tenor singing that are neither too overwhelming nor too profound for the listener as his latest solo aria album Verdi demonstrates. There are many more sophisticated than I who would point to his disastrous treatment of "La donna é mobile", completely lacking in worldly gusto, as reason enough for dismissing this album. Or the showy, ridiculous quality of the long, slightly off-key high note that finishes "Oh mio rimoroso" I would personally fault Zubin Mehta on his heavy-handed conducting in pieces such as "Possente amor mi chiama". But this is all my personal point of view on what is essentially a matter of personal taste, and as such I am not bound to listen to one critic or another as to why I am correct or incorrect on one of these points. The truth is that although I realise what this album is NOT, I am quite content to listen to it for what it IS. Bocelli first of all has some of the loveliest diction I have ever heard in opera. For anyone who has even a vague understanding of Italian this album is a joy, because you do not have to be fumbling through the libretto to understand what he is singing. To some, I realise this may be a weakness of his performance since we have grown accustomed to the ridiculous sound of the equally ridiculous Placido Domingo trying to sing in English, for example. Talent alone may excuse a lazy grasp of another language, but when a pleasing talent combines with a good grasp of language, the result can be very harmonious. Secondly, there is the idea that Bocelli will bring many who have otherwise avoided opera and classical music "into the fold", as it were. This argument has some merit for though I do not personally accept it since my experience of opera began with my parents and I tend to think the earlier one starts anything the better. Nevertheless, a love of this music may indeed bring about increased interest in the opera among people my own age and for that I suppose we must be grateful. And in closing I would
say that Signor Bocelli does, in fact, have a very pleasing voice.
It is not a magnificent voice, like Pavarotti's was in his prime, but
it does have layers and shades of beauty beyond the obvious "Hey,
I can sing rather well," sort of bravado which is typically Italian
and typically showy. He sings pieces such as "La mia letizia
infondere vorrei" with a great sympathetic understanding for the
music and creates much pleasure for the listener as a result. |