Andrea Bocelli review: ‘A Musical Extravaganza’

Bocelli’s resume speaks for itself. Entering his 30th anniversary as a singer, Bocelli has graced the world’s biggest stages. He’s collaborated with some of the biggest artists in contemporary pop music, such as Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa and Celine Dion, to name a few, and he has performed for presidents and royals, and he has sold over 90 million albums to date, but nothing can quite prepare you for watching Bocelli in a live setting.

First and foremost, Bocelli’s vocals in a live setting are truly sublime. They are in pristine condition, rich with depth, powerful, majestic and help immerse you into the world of opera. The same can be said for the orchestration that accompanied the Italian tenor. In Manchester, Bocelli was joined by the masterful musicianship of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, the Manchester Chamber Choir and the ever impeccable Carlo Bernini as conductor.

Bocelli’s performance was split into two acts, with the first half of the show laden with operatic beauty. Launching into tracks ‘Rigoletto: La Donna é Mobile’ and ‘Di Quella Pira’ to open the show, Bocelli’s vocals oozed with emotional depth and left the audience in a state of awe from the outset.

However, the focus wasn’t exclusively on Bocelli. After just two tracks, the Italian tenor exited the stage to allow Mariam Battistelli to take the spotlight for a rendition of ‘Je Veux Vivre’ before the duo combined in duets that meshed their voices into an effortless harmony on ‘Tace Il Labbro’ and a breathtaking harmonious performance of ‘Libiamo Ne’ Lieti Callica’ was among the biggest highlights from the first half of the show.

Following the intermission, the violin solos from violin extraordinaire Rusanda Panfili added an element of cinematic depth to the performance and left the audience mesmerised. The violinist covered tracks from Hans Zimmer’s Sherlock Holmes soundtrack that the violinist described as “Sherlock Holmes meets Moldova & Ireland” and performed ‘For The Love of a Princess’ from James Horner’s Braveheart soundtrack with her own spin on it.

A rendition of ‘Funicali, Funicala’ provided an atmospheric shift in terms of the pace, with Andrea Griminelli’s performance on the flute catching the eye before Panfili returned to the stage to harmonise with Griminelli and later Bocelli in a rendition of ‘Granada’ that combined classical beauty with the elegant dancing of Francesco Costa and Angelica Gismondo, adding a touch of flair and visual storytelling to an already masterful performance.

As the performance came to a close, Bocelli’s pop guest Pia Toscano took the spotlight for a moving rendition of ‘All By Myself’, with the orchestral arrangements creating a more immersive listening experience before duetting with the 66-year-old on ‘The Prayer’ and ‘Vivo Per Lei’, setting up a thrilling finale.

Following a duet with Battistelli on ‘O Solo Mio’, Bocelli’s performance hit its crescendo with a rendition of ‘Con Te Partiro’ that left the entire audience in awe before closing out the show with a powerful performance of ‘Nessun Dorma’ to end an enthralling evening.

As you exited the building, you couldn’t help but feel that Bocelli’s live performances are not merely a celebration of three decades of excellence but a musical extravaganza littered with emotional and cinematic depth, the elegance of dance and symphonic excellence to create a spectacle that should be seen by all.