Andrea Bocelli - Sacred Arias (1999)

International tenor sensation Andrea Bocelli makes a pilgrimage to the eternal city of Rome for a beautiful holiday concert, featuring works selected from the beloved Italian repertoire that has been sung by every great tenor since Caruso. From Gigli to Pavarotti, this is sacred music that not only captures the thrilling pyrotechnic vocal display of grand opera, but also reflects the deepest spiritual feelings of the world's great composers. Among the treasured arias featured are Schubert's and Gounod's "Ave Maria" and Verdi's "Ingemisco" from his "Requiem," as well as such Christmas standards as "Silent Night" and "Adeste Fideles". Accompanying Bocelli in this program is the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, one of the world's oldest musical institutions, and its chief conductor, Myung-Whun Chung.

It is appropriate that Andrea Bocelli's concert of sacred arias take place in Rome, for in no other locale will the millennium have such immediate resonance. Rome will be the center of a universal jubilee celebrating the two-thousandth anniversary of Christ's birth. This ancient city, which is older than Christianity itself, has been a seat of power and government for so many centuries that the world has long referred to it as "The Eternal City."

It is a place of the spirit, where the past lives side-by-side with the present – a panorama of monuments, gardens, and piazzas. Rome is actually a city within a city, the home of two capitals, one secular and one sacred, and a cultural center boasting vast riches in art, history, and architecture. It is also home to a people proud of their heritage and confident in their future.

In this program of sacred arias performed in the venerated Roman church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, which is filled with art treasures, Andrea Bocelli reminds us that one of the most eloquent ways mankind has found to praise the Creator and offer thanks for life and the bounty of this earth has been through song. The Church was the cradle of music, and through the ages it has inspired some of the most beautiful melodies ever written. One of the oldest of these is an "Ave Maria" by Giulio Caccini, which Andrea Bocelli performs in a moving new setting by contemporary composer Steven Mercurio.

One review said it all "You need an evening free of distractions, a bottle of your favourite wine and a darkened room; then just settle back and enjoy. Breathtaking!"

DVD Track Listing:

1. Ave Maria (Caccini/Mercurio) [ 3:32 ]
2. Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod) [ 3:00 ]
3. Ombra Mai Fu (Handel, Serse) [ 3:05 ]
4. Hallelujah (Handel, Messiah) [ 3:16 ]
5. Ave Maria (Schubert) [ 2:33 ]
6. Cujus Animam (Rossini, Stabat Mater) [ 5:36 ]
7. Amen (Rossini, Stabat Mater) [ 5:59 ]
8. Ingemisco (Verdi, Requiem) [ 4:07 ]
9. Sanctus (Verdi, Requiem) [ 2:23 ]
10. Domine Deus (Rossini, Petite Messe sollonnelle) [ 4:33 ]
11. Va Pensiero (Verdi, Nabucco) [ 5:07 ]
12. Pietà, Signore (Niedermeyer) [ 7:46 ]
13. Panis Angelicus (Franck) [ 4:11 ]
14. Sancta Maria (Mascagni/Mercurio) [ 3:49 ]
15. Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful) (Trad.) [ 3:17 ]
16. Mille Cherubini in Coro (Schubert) [ 4:08 ]
17. Astro del Ciel (Silent Night) (Gruber) [ 2:53 ]

Extra 1. The Hymn of the Great Jubilee (Father Jean-Paul Lécot) [ 4:22 ]
Extra 2. Recording "Sacred Arias" (Making of) [ 7:39 ]

For more information see: http://www.amazon.com/Andrea-Bocelli-Sacred-Arias-Video/dp/6305934347 & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_Sopra_Minerva



Additional technical info:

• Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.0), English (PCM Stereo), Italian (Dolby Digital 5.0), Italian (PCM Stereo)
• Subtitles: Spanish, German, French, Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Philips
• DVD Release Date: June 20, 2000
• Run Time: 77 minutes
• Average Amazon Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305934347