Pros: an honest and revealing account of Bocelli's struggles during his seemingly interminable rise to fame
Cons: ends around 1998, just before he got really famous and recorded his best-selling albums
The Bottom Line: A must-read for all Bocelli fans. Struggling artists everywhere should also read this inspiring account of a talented man's struggles in his rise to fame.
jc_hall's Full Review: Andrea Bocelli and Stanislao G. Pugliese - The Mus...
There must be few people left on earth who have not heard the extraordinary voice of tenor Andrea Bocelli. Billed as the world’s most successful male solo recording artist (having sold an astonishing twenty million recordings worldwide), Bocelli has been called the ‘popular face of classical music’. And considering that almost all his songs are sung in Italian, it is a measure of the universal appeal of Bocelli’s voice that his CDs have sold in their millions in countries like the US and the UK.
But it’s not all hype, folks. For anyone who has heard him sing, his phenomenal success comes as no surprise. What does surprise though, is what such an obviously talented man had to go through to foist his talent upon the world.
Andrea Bocelli starts his autobiography somewhat diffidently, giving himself a different name: Amos Bardi. His account of his childhood and adolescence through to young adulthood is meticulous and shows amazing recall. Born with congenital bilateral glaucoma, he gradually lost his sight during the first decade of his life until he could only distinguish light and colours. It was not until he was 12 that he lost his sight completely after a soccer accident at school. In fact, his childhood was very much an account of the series of boarding-schools he attended, most of them for blind and visually-impaired children, as his parents, and especially his strong-willed mother, tried to give him everything he needed to be on a par with his seeing counterparts.
A proud and lively boy, Andrea felt he needed to be better than everyone else in order to be considered equal, so he was often reckless. But it also meant he was driven. He worked hard at his studies, and his well-off, hard-working parents hired tutors to coach him after school. One such tutor, Ettore, became his mentor, instilling in him morals and ethics and, not least, a love of classical literature. Ettore kept on tutoring Andrea even during his years in law-school, and it was a proud day for both Ettore and Andrea’s parents when Andrea graduated.
But his love of music and the very fact of his voice (which family and friends had admired for so many years) led him to mount a campaign for, not so much fame and fortune, but recognition. Disappointments followed one after the other, and often Andrea would sink into depression, but he would show himself to be made of sterner stuff, rallying after each disappointment to work even harder than before. His constant efforts to improve himself, and his voice in particular, by seeking out the best teachers and tutors and voice coaches, is inspirational.
Finally, after a great deal of hard work, determination, perseverance, and luck, he is ‘discovered’ at the San Remo Festival (viewed by millions of viewers on Italian television), and from then on, with much luck, doors opened to him. He sang with Zucchero; Pavarotti called him on the phone; he was asked to sing for the Pope.
The autobiography’s title refers to the self-imposed discipline of silence that the greatest professional singers undertake before their performances, in an effort to protect and preserve their voices. In a letter to his singing teacher, Bocelli wrote: ‘I can’t thank you enough for having recommended to me the discipline of silence: it certainly helps the voice but it helps the spirit even more; when I am alone silence teaches the spirit to know itself better, and to understand others much better than when one responds with an answering torrent of words. How many absurdities and foolishnesses are said in the course of a conversation, and on the other hand, how many important things are lost because we simply haven’t heard enough, and fear only not having said enough ourselves, or not having been sufficiently persuasive! I have learned so many things, maestro, and I’m sure there are many more surprises reserved for me in the future by the music of silence!’
Andrea Bocelli has written a simple, honest, and moving account of his life from his childhood up till his discovery as a major vocal talent. His profound love and appreciation for his parents and his wife, who have supported him throughout, is palpable. Ettore (for whom he named his younger son) passed away in an accident, but Andrea esteems this man highly and holds him close to his heart. It was Ettore who taught Andrea the value of serenity—a rare but precious commodity in the showbiz world. Also, the reckless pride of the youth has morphed, through some deep thinking and Ettore’s influence, into humility and understanding.
There are fully 8 pages of photographs of Andrea and his immediate family from when he was a baby up till his marriage to his wife, Enrica. For fans of Andrea Bocelli, these are probably as precious as the autobiography itself.
For me, I take away a central lesson imparted by one of the most talented artists of our time: Talent, in and of itself, guarantees nothing. Even with the utmost support of those closest and dearest to you, the road to recognition is fraught with difficulties and disappointments. Not all will make it. After all, success is made of sterner stuff than mere potential, as the saying goes. Andrea Bocelli’s path was strewn with obstacles, the least of which was his blindness. As obviously talented as he was, he had to fight doubters, naysayers, and sheer bad luck. Sure he had his moments of doubt, but if he hadn’t been determined, if he hadn’t persevered, if he hadn’t worked hard, if he hadn’t believed deep down that he had something extraordinary to offer, he would not have made it and become the success he is today. Ettore’s lessons have helped him remain centred and principled despite his astounding success. We could do worse than to follow his example.
PS:
Rummaging through my husband’s CD cabinet, I come up with no less than 6 of Bocelli's CDs: Sogno (Dream), Sacred Arias, Romanza, Viaggio Italiano, and 2 copies of Cieli di Toscana (my favourite).
Cieli di Toscana: released in 2001; my favourite of all, features 'Melodramma','Mille Lune Mille Onde', and introduction poems recited by Bono and Gerard Depardieu
Sogno: released in 1999; ‘pop’ album which topped the Billboard World Album chart, features a duet with Celine Dion and the title song 'Sogno'('Dream')
Sacred Arias: released in 1999; classical music album which became the biggest-selling album of all time by a classical vocalist
Romanza: released in 1996; features Sarah Brightman in 'Time to Say Goodbye',
Viaggio Italiano: released in 1997; features many arias from operas. e.g. 'Nessun Dorma' (aka the World Cup Soccer song)from Puccini's Turandot
In this frank and charming memoir, superstar tenor Bocelli reveals his thoughts about his blindness, his early life, the importance of his family, sta...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
In this frank and charming memoir, superstar tenor Bocelli reveals his thoughts about his blindness, his early life, the importance of his family, sta...More at Buy.com
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