Of late we have seen that rare breed of artist: one who it is worth crossing oceans to see. Andrea Bocelli is one of those artists, with thousands braving a cold, rainy July day in London in order to watch the Italian tenor put on a once-in-a-lifetime performance.
Kicking things off with the well known “La Donna è Mobile”, the first half of his set featured many classical gems, made all the richer by the inclusion of sopranos Helena Munn and Nadine Sierra, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard and baritone Luca Micheletti to truly bring the best of opera to concert goers in Hyde Park.
But Signor Bocelli had more up his sleeve than sublimely performed opera. Stars from contemporary music such as Seal and Zucchero also took to the stage during the second half to elevate the energy. The crowd was treated to “My Way” and “Amazing Grace” sung by Seal and the maestro himself in two fantastic duets, before the tenor introduced his twelve-year-old daughter Valentina. Their duet of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was a breathtaking rendition of the song that did not leave a dry eye in the house.
Fans of Hans Zimmer were treated to a fantastic collaboration with the legendary composer and the tenor, to bring very special performances of songs such as “Nelle Tue Mani”, from the movie Gladiator, as well as arguably the greatest and most famous aria of all time, “Nessun Dorma” from the opera Turandot.
With over 75 million records sold worldwide, it is no surprise that people had travelled to Hyde Park from far and wide, convinced that Andrea Bocelli would put on a performance that even the world’s most expensive airticket would justify and then some. After such a masterful, varied and spectacular two-hour concert from the world’s most famous living tenor, it’s hard to argue that they’re wrong.
BST Hyde Park runs until the 14th of July 2024. Get tickets here.
