Andrea performed a fantastic concert in Århus, Denmark on
Saturday night!
Even though only 8000 (!) people attended - which only the
people who arranged the concert were to blame - everybody had a
wonderful experience! Andrea had to wear a scarf, as it was
rather cold and rainy, but he didn´t seem to mind. He even
excused for the rain, and tried to cheer up everybody in the
audience.
Also the conductor: Steven Mercurio, the orchestra: Odense
Symphony Orchestra and soprano: Maria Luigia Borsi were
fantastic!! Maria´s voice seemed to be reaching the sky.
Andrea sung a line of songs from wellknown operas, which fully
showed the facets of his fantastic voice. But the highlights
were, when he sung some of the "broader" songs. Even Andrea
seemed more comfortable singing those, as if they were the ones
he liked the most this evening.
The audience were almost ecstatic, and called him out several
times to give another song! He thanked us with "Melodramma" from
"Cieli di Toscana" in which he even played the flute himself!!
Finally when the cold, the dark and rain came up on us, he and
Maria sang "Time to say goodbye," wearing a thick coat.
A more perfect ending could not have been, even though everybody
would have liked him to "stay forever." I wished him back to
sunny Tuscany though!
The only ones to blame this evening, were the people arranging
this concert, for they have not done enough to let people know
about it taking place at all! I live in Copenhagen area, and
have only seen it announced 3 times since Christmas! A
pity, that a worldstar should experience this!
Andrea, sei fantastico!
Greetings to fans all over the world from Britha Skyum,
Denmark.
It was really great!
But I will tell the story from the beginning: on Saturday at
6.18AM, I took the train from Hamburg to Aarhus,. It was sunny
and blue sky, a little bit like in Italy. During the journey I
heard music by Walkman, and sure it was Andrea's music, my
favorite discs "Cieli di toscana" and "Arie Sacre".
In Aarhus it was also sunny the whole day, but one hour before
the concert started it began to rain. The audience took place
with much expectation and than he entered the stage, with a
thick woolen shawl around his neck. At first I thougt he had a
cold, because it had moderate temperatures, but this fear was
unfounded, his voice was great!
The program was nearly the same as on his US tour. He began with
"Vesti la giubba" (Bajazzo), which is really a very difficult
beginning, but he did it very well, nevertheless he was nervous.
Than he followed with
"Aranjuez, my dream" and "Ombra mai fu" (Händel), and he sang it
with very much feeling, also Turiddu's Farewell (Cavalleria
Rusticana).
Right in the moment he sang "E Lucevan le stelle" (Tosca)
it began to rain again very heavily, so Andrea took the occasion
to say that he will do it faster, so that the audience will not
get so much wet. It followed the final first-act duet from La
Boheme ( unfortunately not the duet from Madame Butterfly
like on the US tour).
I guess music from Puccini and Andrea's voice are a perfect
combination, so these two arias have been the highlight of the
first part, and the audience spent much applause.
The second part was spared from rain, there was even sometimes a
little bit blue sky. The Odense Symphonie Orchester which had
some problems at the beginning, became better already with
"Wilhelm Tell Overture" (Rossini) in the first part and now with
an animated "Mercurial Overture," because of its very good
conductor Steven Mercurio.
The next two songs with Andrea, "Vaghissima sembianza" and
"Occhi di fata," I experienced sitting on my knees beside the
seats of the first row and making some pictures as close as
possible (I was sitting in the 24th row).
It was fantastic, also the duet from La vedova allegra
(Lehar), which Andrea did not sing in the performance in Verona
1999. His duet partner, Maria Luigia Borsi started with some
nervousness, but she got better from song to song.
Than Andrea announced "a surprise," the Mario Lanza song,
"Because," and he said, "There is only one problem, it is in
English." But it was absolutely no problem for him to sing just
as two italian songs "Torna a
Surriento" and "O Sole mio." This kind of music is perfect for
his voice. I am a great fan of Andrea and I know his voice has
sometimes some debility, he himself said, he never is perfect.
But he compensates this debility with very much feeling and a
wonderful sound which is going directly into heart.
He has got more self-confidence in his appearance since the last
open air concerts I have seen with him in Germany 1997/98. He
still had stage fright at the beginning, but in the second part
of the concert he seemed to be more relaxed. He introduced
Steven Mercurio as "my crazy conductor," and in the first encore
("Melodramma"), he accompanied himself with a flute. Altogether
he sang three encores, as highlight and closing "Time To Say
Goodbye".
This evening was a great event and he got very much applause and
standing ovations. I am looking forward to the next concert in
Rotterdam in september.
Ciao
Anne
Hamburg, Germany
German:
Es war einfach super!
Aber von Anfang an: ich bin am Samstag morgen um 6.18h mit dem
Zug losgefahren an einem herrlichen Sommertag bei Sonnenschein
und blauem Himmel, Wetter beinahe wie in Italien. Im Gepäck ein
Walkman, natürlich mit Musik von Andrea, meine Lieblings-CDs
Cieli di Toscana u.Arie Sacre.
Auch in Aarhus war sommerliches Wetter, allerdings bewölkte es
sich immer mehr und pünktlich 1 Stunde vor Konzertbeginn kam der
erste Schauer.
In froher Erwartung nahmen alle ihre Plätze ein, und dann war es
endlich soweit:mit einem dicken Wollschal um den Hals betrat
er die Bühne (was anfangs Befürchtungen wegen einer
Erkältung wach werden ließ, denn es war eigentlich relativ
mild). Die Angst war unbegründet, er war sehr gut bei Stimme!
Die Akustik war, wie so häufig bei Openair-Konzerten, nicht
berauschend, die Stimmen waren zu laut im Verhältnis zum
Orchester. Andreas Programm war fast dasselbe wie auf der
USA-Tour, er begann mit "Vesti la giubba"(Bajazzo), was als
Auftrittsarie sicher nicht ganz einfach zu singen ist, aber es
gelang ihm trotz einiger Nervosität recht gut.
Es folgten "Aranjuez,my dream" u. "Ombra mai fu"(Händel), beides
sehr gefühlvoll vorgetragen, und Turiddus Farewell (Cavalleria
Rusticana).
Bezeichnenderweise fing es bei "E Lucavan le stelle"(Tosca) an
zu regnen, was Andrea vor dem abschließenden Duett aus La Boheme
zu der Bemerkung veranlasste, er werde sich beeilen, damit die
Zuschauer nicht so nass würden.
Ich finde, Puccini liegt ihm stimmlich am Besten, und obwohl
schon häufig gehört, waren die letzten beiden Stücke der erste
Höhepunkt des Konzerts (leider sang er nicht das Duett aus
Madame Butterfly), auch das Publikum schien das zu spüren,
langanhaltender Beifall vor der Pause.
Der zweite Teil wurde von Regen verschont, es gab sogar etwas
blauen Himmel. Auch die Stimmung wurde noch besser nach einer
mitreißenden "Mercurial Overture" von dem Odense Symphonie
Orchester, das Anfangsschwierigkeiten hatte und erst mit der
"Wilhelm Tell" - Ouvertüre besser in Schwung kam, dank Dirigent
Steven Mercurio. Die nächsten beiden Lieder erlebte ich im
wahrsten Sinne des Wortes kniend vor Andrea neben den Sitzen der
ersten Reihe, um ein paar Photos zu machen ( ich saß in der
24.Reihe), ich hoffe, die Mühe hat sich gelohnt.
Musikalisch war es jedenfalls mitreißend, ebenso das Duett aus
Die lustige Witwe, in Verona 1999 ja nicht mit ihm zu hören.
Seine Partnerin Maria Luigia Borsi, auch sie mit
Anfangsschwierigkeiten und Nervosität, steigerte sich mit jedem
Auftritt und ihr "Je veux vivre" (Romeo u. Juliet) war
hörenswert. Dann kam, von Andrea als "surprise" angekündigt und
"there is one problem, it is in English" das Lied "Because" und
es war überhaupt kein Probleme für ihn, ebenso wenig wie "Torna
a Surriento" und "O Sole mio", auch diese Art von Musik liegt
ihm sehr.
Ich finde man sollte zugeben, dass seine Stimme ab und zu kleine
Schwächen hat, er sagt ja selbst, dass er nie voll zufrieden
ist, aber er gleicht dies aus mit unheimlich viel Feeling in der
Stimme und mit einem wunderschönen Timbre, das zu Herzen geht.
Sein Auftreten ist seit den letzten Konzerten, die ich gesehen
habe (1997/98) selbstsicherer geworden, das Lampenfieber ist ihm
zu Anfang anzumerken, aber im 2.Teil war er ziemlich locker,
stellte Steven Mercurio als "my crazy conductor" vor und
begleitete sich selbst auf der Querflöte bei der ersten Zugabe
(Melodramma). Insgesamt gab es 3 Zugaben, wobei ihm zum Schluss
etwas die Puste ausging, was allerdings nach der Leistung des
Abends nicht verwunderlich war. Als Highlight und Abschluss
natürlich "Time To Say Goodbye".
Es war auf jeden Fall ein tolles Erlebnis, der Applaus war auch
dementsprechend .Ich freue mich jetzt schon auf das
Rotterdam-Konzert im September.Anne Karin aus Hamburg ,
It hadn't been an easy trip to Aarhus - 3.45am start from
home, an hour's wait sitting on a plane on the tarmac waiting
for it to finally take off, a bus ride, then a taxi ride, until
finally arriving at my destination, I find that the funny little
'hotel' is actually joined onto the stadium where Andrea would
sing! All tiredness and fed-upness disappeared as I saw the
preparations going on at a frantic pace all around the area.
People swarming all over the stadium, people arriving, leaving,
flowers arriving, food, equipment, etc. 'Things' being delivered
and set up. The usual pandemonium and excitement that preceeds a
huge and monumental event. In just a few hours Andrea himself
would be walking out onto that enormous stage, and you could
feel the excitement in the air.
There was something pretty special about getting changed for the
evening to the sound of Signor Bocelli serenading us through the
open window with his rehearsal. There were definitely some perks
to staying in this quirky little hotel. As we took our seats
later, clutching our plastic bags (actually Disney-style
weatherproofs (without Mickey on the back- should have been
Andrea!)), the thick clouds came rolling up and the sky looked
pretty menacing. By the way, this was an outdoor event!! Like
troopers we ignored it and quickly forgot the weather as Steven
Mercurio made his appearance and the orchestra began with
Overture to La Forza Del Destino. The Odense Symphony Orchestra
were extremely good. (We were really lucky with our seats. We
were in the fourth row but right in front of Andrea.) After this
you could feel the tension in the air, it was as if everyone was
holding their breath, waiting for Steven to come back with
Andrea. And suddenly he was there, smiling, and looking
confident and so gorgeous - slim, handsome and with the 'new
look' we are now all used to: hair brushed back emphasising that
oh so handsome face. He was also wearing a big scarf
to help protect, I imagine, from the cold, very damp evening -
either that or he had forgotten his tie!! He began with Vesti La
Giubba from Pagliacci, which I didn't really know - but
do now! Wonderful. What a start. He seemed really relaxed, with
no trace of nerves. His voice was strong, confident - and no
clenched fist in sight (not that I noticed). Actually I was
delighted with the programme. There were many new pieces (for
me), things I had not heard before, or not heard him sing live
before, along with pieces I adore, and all performed to
perfection. Andrea seemed pleased, I thought, with the way
things were going, with his performance, and the response, and
smiled a lot. Big, genuine smiles of pleasure. He also pleased
me by talking more than I had heard him before. Where in the
past I have seen Steven speak on his behalf, but on this
occasion Andrea was obviously feeling confident enough to do it
himself. He was delightful.
So too was Maria Luigia Borsi. She may be young and new on the
scene, but she seemed confident, very accomplished, with a
beautiful voice. Although there didn't seem to be the rapport,
the connection, call it what you will, that he has with his
familiar partners (I imagine these two don't know each other
well enough yet), for example, when they sang Tace Il Labbro
from The Merry Widow (Andrea finishing on the high full
note on this occasion (wow)), sadly there was no physical
contact at all which unfortunately looked wrong (unlike that
glorious occasion in Pisa when he and Gasdia danced in the
middle of this (no version will ever be the same!). But they
sang well together, she looking up at him with what to me seemed
like awe. I think it is fantastic that Andrea gives new young
talent this kind of huge break, huge opportunity, to sing and to
tour with him. I think I am right in thinking that she is very
new, and relatively inexperienced. Please somebody put me right
if I'm wrong. He could be taking a chance, but he wants to give
them the chance he was given. Which is just wonderful.
You could hear a pin drop when Andrea sang Turiddu's Farewell
from
Cavalleria Rusticana, or was it just me holding my
breath. It was so
beautiful. And he had a very appreciative audience I have to
say. What we lacked in numbers, was made up for by the reception
and response he received. Although they hadn't sold the number
of tickets expected, I guess it was only about 40%, I think the
response made up for this, and I hope because of it Andrea
wasn't aware of the half empty stadium. Nationality-wise, I
think we were a pretty mixed bag as usual, far outweighing the
number of "locals" I'm sure. We even spoke to a lady from
Australia at dinner who was seeing Andrea live for the first
time and was really excited. How I envied her - that first time
is SO special.
Andrea said he had a surprise for us which was the song
"Because," which he said "unfortunately is in English". He sang
it fantastically, of course,and the pronunciation just gets
better and better. (I still think he has a little trouble with
the "thees" and "thys" - who wouldn't!! ) The first half went
really quickly, Andrea and Maria ending with "O Soave
Fanciulla," which as always 'brought the house down'. I can't
remember during which song the rain started, thankfully only
very briefly, but at the end of the song Steven, being Steven,
made some comment about us all getting wet, which brought a
broad smile to Andrea's face.
Well, I won't go on and on, listing everything he sang and the
way he sang it, although I would like to (actually it helps me
to re-live it as I write) but it was magical. Andrea sang
beautifully, perfectly, the audience loved him, it was a magical
night. But over oh so quickly.
But I will just tell you that Andrea had a wonderful surprise
for us at the end of the evening for his first encore. Steven
produced a flute for him, and Andrea introduced himself that he
would sing Melodramma, his "favourite song from his new CD" -
and then he played the flute parts at the beginning and in the
middle. Fabulous, just fabulous. What can this man not do? As if
he doesn't have enough to do concentrating on his voice, the
words, the orchestra...and then to get his playing right too. No
wonder he has "stage-afraid." Wonderful, wonderful man! The last
two encores were "E Mi Manchi Tu" and of course he and Maria
finished with "Time to Say Goodbye." The audience really did not
want him to go. Andrea finished by thanking the orchestra, "this
crazy conductor" Steven Mercurio and of course Maria Luigia
Borsi. Many beautiful songs, many smiles, many encores, many
memories.
I'm sure that I have forgotten to mention many wonderful things
about that evening (I'm not very good at this), and probably
obvious things, and maybe it's too soon after the concert and I
will remember later, but I'm sure and hope that others who were
there will write about them. Another fan recently has written
about what it is like when this god from a poster on a wall
suddenly turns into flesh and blood in front of you on the stage
- awesome, absolutely awesome.
Sue P
England"
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