Bocelli on maintaining his voice, raising his daughter and loving horses
Andrea Bocelli has established himself as arguably the best known living opera star in the world.
His record label estimates he has sold more than 90 million albums on top of more than 5 billion streams. He has recorded duets with Celine Dion and Luciano Pavarotti. He recently sang for President Joe Biden and House Speaker Mike Johnson at the National Prayer Breakfast.
The 65-year-old Italian tenor who skillfully melds classical and pop music is currently on tour. Bocelli was unavailable for a phone interview but answered emailed questions.
Q: You had some issues late last year with your voice that required you to postpone a couple of dates (including a December date in Hartford that was rescheduled to last month), something you said rarely happens. What was the problem and how is your voice now?
A: I’m doing well, thank you, I have completely recovered. Unfortunately, we have to learn to live with illnesses, and, although the usual precautions I take are enough to keep me in general good health and with good vocals, this year, the flu got the best of my throat and forced me to make a ‘pit stop’ for a few days. Of course, it was very disappointing for the inconvenience it caused my audience. I thank them wholeheartedly, and I will do my utmost to make it up to them by returning the extraordinary affection I received in those days, giving them everything I’ve got onstage.
Q: How do you maintain that incredible voice of yours?
A: Having a pleasant and recognizable voice is a gift from the heavens, a gift I have no merit for. What I did do was try not to waste the talent with which the good Lord entrusted me. As for my vocal technique, I worked, reflected and experimented; I studied hard every day for years. Today, I think I have a solidity that I hadn’t yet reached in my younger years. The passage of time brings with it both positive and not so positive changes. ... I don’t think I am able to reproduce the same quality of tight vibrato of my earlier years as a singer. Technically, however, as I’ve aged, I have gained facility in the high register, which is something I never thought I would do.
Q: Yaffa Adar, 85, spent her 49 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza humming your songs. You wrote her a heartfelt