On Easter day, Andrea Bocelli will be in the completely empty Milan Cathedral for a unique concert, which will be broadcast worldwide, in a dark moment for the whole world, struggling with the fight against coronavirus.
“ It will not be a concert, but an opportunity to pray together through music – the tenor tells ANSA , who is preparing himself in his house in Versilia for this unusual and solitary appointment-. As a believer, Christian and Catholic, I accepted without a moment’s hesitation , indeed I thank Milan and the Duomo for the invitation, for this extraordinary occasion. Singing can be a form of prayer . And this is my goal, my intent, my joy: to pray together ”.Music is a universal language
What it does to itself is only the wish “to be up to it, lending my voice to those who want to join hands and, with the heart, turn to heaven. I believe that artists in general have always carried the honor and the burden of great responsibility in society, even more so in the most delicate and uncertain moments. Music remains a privileged instrument, and a universal language, it educates us to beauty . And attending and practicing beauty changes oneself and the world “. The desire to unite in a planetary embrace
” The church is the house of God, a sacred place where you are always alone(in the relationship with the Most High, regardless of the faithful present) and for the same reason we are never ‘alone’, thanks to the comfort of His presence – he explains -. Despite the appearance, we will be a huge interconnected crowd, I think it will be impossible not to perceive it: a crowd united by that thin thread that is faith, stronger than any apparent distance. We will be joined by an impulse towards beauty which, in itself, even for non-believers, is therapeutic and builds bonds ” . On the anniversary that celebrates trust in the winning life, and the synthesis of the tenor, “today more than ever, the desire to unite in a planetary embrace, to start again with courage, positivity, responsibility”. The repertoire
The concert, as reported by ANSA, draws on the sacred repertoire, “from Marian invocations to which I am very attached, the Ave Maria of Gounod and Santa Maria di Mascagni, to that wonderful page (which, like every prayer and, in itself, poetry) conceived by St. Thomas of Aquino and set to music by Cesar Franck: the Eucharistic hymn Panis Angelicus ”. Then there will be the Domine Deus by Rossini and Amazing Grace, “a classic conceived in the 1700s, whose strength still shakes and moves us today”. What happened marks a point of no return
“My routine has changed. But I continue to study and train my voice to be ready, as soon as possible “. “ What happened marks a point of no return – says Bocelli to ANSA– and I have the feeling that ideally it is precisely the world crisis due to Covid-19 that closes the 20th century. But, I’m still optimistic… history teaches us that far worse obstacles have been overcome. We perceive the need to stop and reflect, to restart with a renewed hierarchy of values. Through this virus the world has given us a warning. I very much hope that we will be able to learn the lesson, to change our attitude towards life and the land of which we are noisy, undisciplined (and often uncivilized) tenants ”.
