Andrea Bocelli, widely regarded as one of the finest opera singers and performers of all time, has performed a stunning live concert in the empty Milan Duomo cathedral to spread a message of comfort and hope for Italy. His performance consisted of relaxing sounds and sombre hymns, as the Italian society continues to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic.
Dubbed the Music for Hope concert, Bocelli performed four solo hymns that were broadcast live via chillout radio, which were broadcast live around on the world via YouTube on Easter Sunday. The cathedral’s organist, Emanuele Vianelli, was the only accompaniment. Bocelli performed the following hymns:
- Panis Angelicus
- Ave Maria
- Sancta Maria
- Domine Deus
Bocelli then concluded the concert with his rendition of Amazing Grace, which was incredibly moving as it featured a montage depicting the empty streets of several world cities (London, New York, and Paris).
A message of hope
Bocelli followed up his performance by posting a message on YouTube, calling for unity, prayer, and harmony as the world seeks to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. Milan is the capital of Lombardy, which remains the worst-affected region in all of Italy. Currently, it has over 10 000 COVID-19 deaths, which is approximately half of the nation’s total death toll. It also has more than 57 000 confirmed cases.
Italy remains one of the COVID-19 hot zones and was one of the first nations outside of China to endure a horrific outbreak. Because their health system was not adequately resourced to handle the massive influx of COVID-19 cases, they continue to face capability issues and barely have enough ventilators for the growing number of patients. While recent signs are indicative of Italy flattening the curve, they still have over 150 000 cases (third highest in the world behind the US and Spain).
A performance that reached millions
Bocelli, who is now 61, provided a stunning performance that drew more than 22 million viewers before the day was over. Throughout the 20-minute performance, there were times when the cathedral’s hollow, empty interior served to reverberate the strength of Bocelli’s voice. While some Bocelli enthusiasts may have questioned the quality of his phrasing or intonation, there was no doubting the passion or emotion he brought.
Bocelli last sang at the Duomo cathedral back in 2015 for the World Expo, which was held in Milan that year. It was a very different scene then, with thousands of fans packing the plaza, holding their phones in the air in the hope of catching a brief snapshot of the man himself.
Was it all filmed live?
Amazingly, every hymn was sung and performed live, beginning a little after 7 pm in Italy and 1 pm East Coast time in the United States. The only segment of the performance that was pre-recorded was the concert’s climatic rendition of “Amazing Grace”, which took place on the cathedral’s steps outside. Supposedly, it took only two takes to film it entirely and without fault, largely because there was an audio glitch in the first take.
Where can I watch the concert?
You can hop onto YouTube and watch the concert in its full duration. Bocelli’s music label, Universal, is also considering an audio release of the performance to a select number of streaming services, which will include a full music video of his “Amazing Grace” performance, along with behind-the-scenes footage of the entire filming process for the live concert.
While there were initial concerns as to whether YouTube would be able to handle an increase in viewership, it has been reported that there were no issues as a result of the exponential rise in traffic.
