For a quarter of a century, the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has been captivating his countless fans — and maddening classical music purists — with his suave, ingratiating vocal style. From Europop to operatic classics, his repertoire is wide and varied, and his arena performances consistently draw large audiences of ardent fans.
His last Bay Area appearance took place just three years ago at San Francisco’s Chase Center, shortly before the pandemic lockdown. Now Bocelli is about to return to the home of the Golden State Warriors to launch his latest U.S. tour.
The most recent addition to the singer’s large discography, “A Family Christmas,” released in October, features collaborations with his son Matteo, 25, and his 10-year-old daughter, Virginia. Both of them join him for the current tour.
Q: You’ve performed in public before with your son Matteo. Where did the idea come from to add Virginia to the program as well?
A: It was a challenge, almost playful at first. Two years ago in Parma, during a very delicate moment for the world due to the health emergency, Virginia indulged me with a duet, singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” with me. For me, it was a moment of great emotion, of unexpected joy, and it was a positive experience for my daughter too.
The idea for the Christmas album came to us from the recording team. It was an idea that thrilled my children and that we welcomed with enthusiasm: a message of hope, interpreted by a family for families.
Q: Do you expect that Virginia will also pursue a career in music?
A: My daughter has been surrounded by music since birth. She studies piano, dance, acting and gymnastics, is in tune and has proven that she knows how to face a packed arena without getting confused. But it’s still early to tell if music will become her profession.
Studying music and attending musical events is always worthwhile for everyone in any case, because it is an invaluable learning tool … (but) Virginia will have plenty of time to find and follow her own aspirations.
Q: What do you find especially rewarding about singing Christmas music?
A: Good music is always therapeutic. As for Christmas music, regardless of whether it is pop or classical, I find a sort of common denominator in each of the scores, which is the priority of goodness they convey. Whether it’s festive and celebratory, more intimate, tinged with melancholy, or carefree, it’s “Christmas music” if it speaks to us of the power of love.
Q: For a long time now your appearances, at least in the U.S., have been only in huge arenas. What is gained, and what is lost, by this kind of presentation?
A: The music I perform has the privilege of resounding and being appreciated in many places around the world. After 30 years of concert performances, I continue to live on and off a plane, even though by nature, I would tend to lead a sedentary and secluded life.
This is motivated by the desire to give a concrete sign of gratitude, reaching as far as possible everyone who has shown me their kindness. In this sense, arenas are the places where it is possible to give this opportunity to as many people as possible.
Of course, the warmth, the aesthetic beauty and the acoustics of an opera house offer much more, and also spares the artist the unpleasant experience of microphone amplification, but we must make a virtue of necessity.
Q: Your repertoire is a mixture of opera and pop songs of different kinds. Do these require different styles of singing, or do you treat them all the same?
A: From a technical point of view, the differences are less striking than it might appear. Moreover, my voice is fortunately flexible enough to allow me to diversify. I love the lyrical repertoire above any other genre, but I also appreciate pop classics.
My career path, as I have tried to point out over the years, is by no means original, even if in recent decades few have followed it. But it was once the norm! Just remember artists such as Enrico Caruso, Tito Schipa, Beniamino Gigli, Franco Corelli … Great lyrical performers, renowned equally for many popular “romanze” and many songs.
Andrea Bocelli performing at Chase Center with the S.F. Symphony, 2019.Photo: Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle 2019
Q: What do you feel you understand better about singing now than you did when you were starting out?
A: Perhaps it will make you smile that, almost every day, I have the feeling that I’ve learned something new. You never stop going into detail and discovering, in opera but also in pop. Each song is an adventure that potentially has no end. It’s like a well that the more you climb down, the deeper you’ll find it.
