Finally, tenor Andrea Bocelli sings for Filipinos
April 19, 2004 | 12:00am
Opera enthusiasts in the country may be assured that when Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli steps on the stage of the Araneta Coliseum on April 30 for his debut performance in the Philippines, he will be delivering the goods – that is, sing hit song after hit song for his legion of fans in the country.
This was the assurance given by Bocelli’s manager Marco Bianchi during the recent press conference formally announcing the tenor’s concert in Manila.
"Maestro Bocelli is 45 years old, not 60," Bianchi declared. "He is very responsible – a professional – and he takes his job seriously. In the 400 shows he has done live, he has never lost his voice. It will not happen in Manila, anyhow."
Philanthropist and Bocelli fan Rosemarie "Baby" Arenas is bringing the Italian tenor to the Philippines after three years of continuous negotiations. He was earlier announced to perform in Manila on Valentine’s Day last year, but plans fell through.
"There was the Gulf war, SARS and the crisis in Mindanao. These were the causes of delay," Arenas explained. "But after continuous negotiations, we persisted and I am finally bringing this world-class tenor to the Philippines. I want to show Maestro Bocelli that the Philippines is the safest and greatest place to come to. I want to bring him and his music to the Filipino people and our country."
Bocelli is considered worldwide as today’s most popular classical crossover artist. Upon the championship of Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, appearing in a number of his charity concerts, he recorded duets with English soprano Sarah Brightman and Canadian pop diva Celine Dion, dramatic breakthroughs that introduced him to a world of pop music enthusiasts. He is also credited for the current popularity of a number of crossover tenors in the pop music scene.
It was Arenas who masterminded the appearances of Pavarotti in the Philippines in 1993, which was marred by Pavarotti’s non-appearance on the first night due to a sore throat.
"When I brought Maestro Pavarotti to the Philippines, I took him to the Philippine International Convention Center. Only 3,000 people saw him because the tickets were all at a uniform price," she explained. "Since Maestro Bocelli is the most sought after tenor in the world, I want more people to see him. At the Araneta Center, more than 20,000 people will be able to watch him, and we can sell some of the seats at just P500. What will be costly is fixing the place up and the security."
Just to improve the facilities of the Araneta Coliseum, Arenas said she shelled out P1 million. She added that she personally checked all the seats at the Big Dome to be sure that concert goers to Bocelli’s show will get the red carpet treatment.
Although no program has yet been announced for the concert, it is expected that Bocelli will be singing most of his hit songs. To ensure that the tenor’s voice is heard clearly throughout the Big Dome, a sophisticated sound system and technicians will be brought in from abroad to oversee the arrangements.
"Maestro Bocelli is not a showman. He does not dance, he is a singer," Bianchi explained. "We want the sound to be perfect. We want the sound in front and in the back of the theater to sound the same way."
Appearing with him is soprano Maria Luigia Borsi. Italian conductor Marcello Rota will lead the Padre Pio Philharmonic Symphony.
ABS-CBN is the media partner and co-presenter of Andrea Bocelli: Live in Manila.
Proceeds from Andrea Bocelli: Live in Manila will benefit the Padre Pio Lend-a-Hand Foundation, Bantay Bata, Philippine National Red Cross, Ateneo AHS ’79 Foundation and the Mt. Pinatubo Hidden Temple Shrine Foundation in Zambales.
Tickets are available at the Mandarin Oriental, Manila, Araneta Ticketron and TicketNet.
This was the assurance given by Bocelli’s manager Marco Bianchi during the recent press conference formally announcing the tenor’s concert in Manila.
"Maestro Bocelli is 45 years old, not 60," Bianchi declared. "He is very responsible – a professional – and he takes his job seriously. In the 400 shows he has done live, he has never lost his voice. It will not happen in Manila, anyhow."
Philanthropist and Bocelli fan Rosemarie "Baby" Arenas is bringing the Italian tenor to the Philippines after three years of continuous negotiations. He was earlier announced to perform in Manila on Valentine’s Day last year, but plans fell through.
"There was the Gulf war, SARS and the crisis in Mindanao. These were the causes of delay," Arenas explained. "But after continuous negotiations, we persisted and I am finally bringing this world-class tenor to the Philippines. I want to show Maestro Bocelli that the Philippines is the safest and greatest place to come to. I want to bring him and his music to the Filipino people and our country."
Bocelli is considered worldwide as today’s most popular classical crossover artist. Upon the championship of Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, appearing in a number of his charity concerts, he recorded duets with English soprano Sarah Brightman and Canadian pop diva Celine Dion, dramatic breakthroughs that introduced him to a world of pop music enthusiasts. He is also credited for the current popularity of a number of crossover tenors in the pop music scene.
It was Arenas who masterminded the appearances of Pavarotti in the Philippines in 1993, which was marred by Pavarotti’s non-appearance on the first night due to a sore throat.
"When I brought Maestro Pavarotti to the Philippines, I took him to the Philippine International Convention Center. Only 3,000 people saw him because the tickets were all at a uniform price," she explained. "Since Maestro Bocelli is the most sought after tenor in the world, I want more people to see him. At the Araneta Center, more than 20,000 people will be able to watch him, and we can sell some of the seats at just P500. What will be costly is fixing the place up and the security."
Just to improve the facilities of the Araneta Coliseum, Arenas said she shelled out P1 million. She added that she personally checked all the seats at the Big Dome to be sure that concert goers to Bocelli’s show will get the red carpet treatment.
Although no program has yet been announced for the concert, it is expected that Bocelli will be singing most of his hit songs. To ensure that the tenor’s voice is heard clearly throughout the Big Dome, a sophisticated sound system and technicians will be brought in from abroad to oversee the arrangements.
"Maestro Bocelli is not a showman. He does not dance, he is a singer," Bianchi explained. "We want the sound to be perfect. We want the sound in front and in the back of the theater to sound the same way."
Appearing with him is soprano Maria Luigia Borsi. Italian conductor Marcello Rota will lead the Padre Pio Philharmonic Symphony.
ABS-CBN is the media partner and co-presenter of Andrea Bocelli: Live in Manila.
Proceeds from Andrea Bocelli: Live in Manila will benefit the Padre Pio Lend-a-Hand Foundation, Bantay Bata, Philippine National Red Cross, Ateneo AHS ’79 Foundation and the Mt. Pinatubo Hidden Temple Shrine Foundation in Zambales.
Tickets are available at the Mandarin Oriental, Manila, Araneta Ticketron and TicketNet.
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