Skip to content
    skip to navigation

    Classic FM

    Listen

    On Air Now

    Smooth Classics at Seven with John Brunning 7pm - 10pm

    Smooth Classics at Seven with John Brunning

    Now Playing

    Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor Opus 15 (2) Johannes Brahms Download 'Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor Opus 15 (2)' on iTunes

    Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor Opus 15 (2) artwork
    • Playlist
    • Schedule
    • Home
    • Radio
    • News
    • Discover Music
    • Composers
    • Artists
    • Lifestyle
    • Win
    • Charity
    • Podcasts
    • Events
    • Dating
    • Follow us on:
      Follow Classic FM on Twitter
      Follow Classic FM on Facebook
      Follow Classic FM on Instagram
      Follow Classic FM on Youtube

    Artists

    Andrea Bocelli

    • Andrea Bocelli Home
    • News
    • Pictures
    • Guides
    • More Artists

    Andrea Bocelli: Concerto, One Night in Central Park - an album guide

    Classic BRITs nominee Andrea Bocelli teamed up with special guest performers including Nicola Benedetti and Celine Dion for this splendid album of tenor favourites. Here's our guide to the music.

    1. Andrea Bocelli in Central Park

      1. La Donna è Mobile

      Verdi's fantastic tenor showpiece from his opera 'Rigoletto' sets the tone for this album, recorded live in September 2011. The 60,000 tickets for the concert sold out within a few hours.

    2. Giuseppe Verdi

      2. Di quella pira

      Bocelli proves he can handle the fast-paced intensity of Verdi's 'Di Quella Pira' from 'Il Trovatore'. The lyrics translate as "The horrible blaze of that pyre enflames every fibre of my being!"

    3. Franz Schubert

      3. Ave Maria

      A moment of calm after 'Il Trovatore', Bocelli puts his own spin on the beautiful Schubert favourite, 'Ave Maria'. His smooth tones and personal religious faith combine to create a great rendition of the piece.

    4. Andrea Bocelli in Central Park

      4. Vicino a te s'acqueta

      Operatic soprano Ana María Martínez joins Andrea for a rendition of Umberto Giordano's lilting aria. It's taken from Andrea Chénier, an opera rarely staged due to the demands placed on the tenor - but Bocelli takes the music in his stride.

    5. Bryn Terfel singing at Nobel Peace Prize

      5. Au Fond du Temple Saint

      Bocelli is joined by yet another superstar performer - this time, Bryn Terfel singing the duet from Bizet's 'Les pêcheurs de perles'. It's a perfect partnership for this friendship duet, known to many as simply 'The Pearl Fishers Duet'.

    6. Giacomo Puccini

      6. O Soave Fanciulla

      The opera gems keep flowing, now in the form of Puccini's gorgeous love duet 'O Soave Fanciulla', with soprano Pretty Yende. You might recognise the piece from 'La bohème', where the lovers profess their feelings for one another.

    7. restaurant red wine

      7. Libiamo ne' lieti calici

      An evening in Central Park wouldn't be complete without a glass of wine, and Bocelli, Yende, Terfel, and Martinez are a fantastic foursome to capture the giddy mood behind Verdi's drinking song. "Let's drink, let's drink from the joyous chalices!"

    8. jesus lamb

      8. Amazing Grace

      You can hear a pin drop as Bocelli embarks on a pared-down prayerful rendition of Amazing Grace. It's hauntingly magical.

    9. Andrea Bocelli in Central Park

      9. New York, New York

      Italian-American singer Tony Bennett adds a touch of jazz to the album with this swinging classic. He originally duetted with Sinatra on his 1993 album.

    10. Andrea Bocelli in Central Park

      10. The Prayer

      This track was originally recorded as two separate solo versions, one by Bocelli in Italian, and the other by Celine Dion in English. It has an impressive pedigree: it won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1999, and received a Grammy Award nomination in 2000.

    11. mondo cane poster

      11. More (Ti Guarderò nel Cuore)

      Taken from the 1962 film 'Mondo Cane', trumpeter Chris Botti and pianist David Foster continue the album's jazzy feel. Frank Sinatra recorded the swinging version with Count Basie and his orchestra on his album 'It Might As Well Be Swing'.

    12. Ennio Morricone

      12. Your Love (Once Upon a Time in the West)

      Bocelli proves he's not just a singer of opera, putting his expressive voice to good use in this piece by Ennio Morricone. It's taken from Italian spaghetti Western 'Once Upon a Time in the West', released in 1968.

    13. Andrea Bocelli

      13. Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu (Volare)

      It might surprise you to learn this beautiful piece was made famous by the Eurovision Song Contest! Written by Franco Migliacci and Domenico Modugno, it came third in the 1958 contest and went on to become one of the most popular Eurovision entries of all time.

    14. vesuvius

      14. Funiculì, Funiculà

      If you don't recognise the title, you'll certainly know the tune to this classic Neapolitan ditty. It was written to commemorate the opening of the first funicular cable car on Mount Vesuvius, and has remained popular ever since!

    15. Nicola Benedetti

      15. En Aranjuez con Tu Amor

      An injection of warm Spanish violin-playing, from Nicola Benedetti. It's a wonderful duet between two of the world's biggest classical stars.

    16. Andrea Bocelli

      16. Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partirò)

      This piece was originally written in Italian for Bocelli, who first sung it at the 1995 Sanremo Festival. This Italian-English version was released as a duet with soprano Sarah Brightman - the rousing performance on the album features Ana Maria Martinez.

    17. Andrea Bocelli: Concerto, One Night in Central Park

      17. Nessun dorma

      What better piece to end an album than the tenor classic, 'Nessun dorma'? It has personal significance for Bocelli - he signed with a record label in Milan after the group's president heard him sing the piece at a birthday party.

    Andrea Bocelli latest

    See more Andrea Bocelli latest

    Sir Bryn Terfel and Andrea Bocelli were just two of the famous faces from classical music to perform at the Coronation Concert

    Coronation Concert: who sang and performed at the Windsor Castle concert?

    Discover Music

    Sir Bryn Terfel and Andrea Bocelli performed ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ at King Charles III’s Coronation Concert

    Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel perform emotional ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ at Coronation Concert

    Andrea Bocelli and HAUSER duet in New York

    Andrea Bocelli and cellist HAUSER perform a glittering New York Times Square duet

    Andrea Bocelli facts – wife, children, songs

    Andrea Bocelli facts: wife, famous songs, family and everything to know about the Italian tenor

    Is Andrea Bocelli completely blind?

    Is Andrea Bocelli blind? The story behind the famed tenor’s sight loss

    Christmas with the Bocellis

    Andrea Bocelli on singing with family at Christmas: ‘My voice is changing, every year it’s different’

    The Bocelli family in the Alps

    Andrea Bocelli sings from majestic Mont Blanc with his son and 10-year-old daughter

    Bocelli family trio sings 'Feliz Navidad'

    Andrea Bocelli sings ‘Feliz Navidad’ with son and daughter in heart-warming Christmas trio

    How many children does Andrea Bocelli have?

    Andrea Bocelli’s children: Who are Matteo, Amos and Virginia Bocelli and what do they do?

    Duke University’s offensive lineman, Chance Lytle, stunned his team mates with a rousing rendition of a beloved Italian song

    Singing American football player wows teammates with Bocelli’s ‘Time to Say Goodbye’

    Videos

    Best classical music

    See more Best classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    Discover Music

    Best symphonies: Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonin Dvorak and Florence Price

    The 15 greatest symphonies of all time

    Discover Music

    4 eras of classical music

    The 4 eras of classical music: a quick guide

    Discover Music

    Women composers gallery

    21 of the greatest women composers in classical music

    Discover Music

    Best pianists of all time

    The 25 best pianists of all time

    Discover Music

    Most romantic opera duets (Stacey Alleaume as Violetta and Liparit Avertisyan as Alfredo in Verdi's La Traviata in Sydney, 2022)

    The 10 most romantic opera duets of all time

    Discover Music

    Latest on Classic FM

    Season 4 of HBO’s Succession returned in Spring 2023 for the final time.

    Succession soundtrack: Here’s why the HBO show’s theme tune is stuck in your head

    Discover Music

    Violinist Brandon Elliott plays solo through intercom on Texas flight, to the delight of passengers

    Violinist plays solo through intercom on Texas flight, to the delight of passengers

    Discover Music

    This week’s on-air highlights – including Album of the Week and Drive Discovery.

    This week’s Classic FM radio highlights – including Album of the Week and Drive Discovery

    Amazing high school students sing ‘Down to the River to Pray’ from hotel balconies

    Amazing high school choir sings spiritual ‘Down to the River to Pray’ from hotel balconies

    Videos

    Boy treble Malakai Bayoh

    5 incredible high notes from star boy treble Malakai Bayoh

    Prehistoric Planet 2 composers built other-worldly instruments using real dinosaur bones

    Prehistoric Planet 2 composers built other-worldly instruments using real dinosaur bones

    Zimmer

    Classical dogs

    21 pawfect dog names for classical music lovers

    Discover Music

    Dudamel leaves Paris, four years earlier than his planned contract with the world-renown opera house

    Gustavo Dudamel leaves Paris Opera four years early in shock resignation

    Gustavo Dudamel

    Alan Menken: ‘I knew about Lin-Manuel Miranda as a little boy, who was obsessed with The Little Mermaid!’

    Alan Menken: ‘I knew about Lin-Manuel Miranda as a little boy, who was obsessed with The Little Mermaid!’

    Alan Menken

    Are you smarter than a musical 18-year-old? Find out below...

    Can you answer these A-Level music questions? Find out if you would pass first time...

    Lifestyle

    Back to top

    Also on Classic FM

    • Listen to Global Player
    • Alexander Armstrong on Classic FM
    • Google Doodle
    • Quizzes
    • Mozart
    • Debussy
    • Music theory
    • Instruments
    • Classic FM Live
    • Brahms
    • Vivaldi
    • Bach
    • LBC News
    • Tchaikovsky
    • Chopin
    • Andrea Bocelli
    • Florence Price
    • Beethoven
    • Best classical music
    • Classic FM Requests
    • Best pianists
    • Harry Potter music
    • Saturday Night at the Movies
    • Star Wars soundtrack
    • Composer or pasta
    • Music for Studying
    • Best violinists
    • Classical music tearjerkers
    • Relaxing classical

    Useful Links

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • How To Listen
    • About Classic FM
    • Company Details
    • Cookies
    • Privacy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Advertise
    • Global Jobs

    Download the app

    Get it on the app store Get it on Google Play

    Follow Us

    Follow Classic FM on Twitter
    Follow Classic FM on Facebook
    Follow Classic FM on Instagram
    Follow Classic FM on Youtube
    © Global 2023
    30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA
    Privacy Manager