Andrea Bocelli, his music and will to power

 
The fourth tenor: Italian tenor. Antara/Apriyanto
He may have only supported the stance of the Catholic Church, which reigns over Italian life, but when opera singer Andrea Bocelli said he thanked his mother for not having an abortion while pregnant with him, we could not help but think that the world should be grateful for having him around to sing with that beautiful voice.
Bocelli may not be able to stop wars between nations or find the cure for cancer but his beautiful tenor is certainly a gift to the world, as his millions of fans would tell you.
High-minded critics may have frowned upon his lack of technique and poor phrasing. This is what New
York Times classical music critic Anthony Tomassini said of his show at the Detroit Opera House, “His sustained notes wobble and his soft high notes are painfully weak.”
But ask his fans and they will disagree. They certainly like him — if his multi-platinum records and sold-out gigs are anything to go by.
Considered as one of the biggest crossover success, Bocelli has recorded 13 studio albums of both
pop and classical music, two greatest hits albums, and eight complete operas, selling over 70 million copies worldwide.
As an indication of his appeal to the masses, in 1998, Bocelli was named one of People magazine’s 50 most beautiful people. His name was even put on a plaque of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as a mark of appreciation for his contribution to live theater in March 2010.
Surely 70 million people can’t be wrong.
His legion of fans also proves that it is almost futile to consider music or genres in music as always tied to material wealth, or that there is a direct correlation between socio-economic status and cultural expression.
It would be easy to conclude that seeing Bocelli’s live performance at the Grand Ballroom of Ritz-Carlton Hotel over the weekend, with the attendance of some of the city’s crème de la crème, ministers and high-ranking government officials as well as the super rich, is indeed a proof of such correlation, that the adoption of certain musical genres follows one’s socio-economic standing in society.
But the chauffeured and the well-heeled Bocelli fans make up only a tiny percentage of his 70 million-plus fans. The majority of his fans are probably just college students or office workers who can’t stand rock and roll but find it difficult to digest lengthy and serious opera.
And for the latter type of music fans, Bocelli represents what French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu calls “cultural capital”. Bourdieu’s “cultural capital” refers to the appropriation of aesthetic alternatives in which some choices are more highly valued than others and that such an adoption has little or nothing
to do with the ownership of material wealth.
More than 3,000 ardent fans of Bocelli who flocked the concert venue certainly valued the tenor
of this visually impaired tenor singer more than any other performers in the genre or in the music scene in general.
These Bocelli devotees had no problems sending thundering applause and a standing ovation over and over for the rendition of “Amor ti Vieta”, “Meco All’Atar di Venere” or “O Mio Babbino Caro”.
And dissecting the technical side of Bocelli’s performance and the impressive work of his backing orchestra and choir would be superfluous as the flawless performance itself was certainly soul-stirring, a fitting reminder that certain forms of art, when performed by the right performers can speak directly to the heart and soul of man.
Seeing Bocelli’s performance, its aural and visual spectacle, something that an opera in general
should deliver, certainly reminded the audience why all those high-profile politicians and businessmen attended his concert in the first place.
There is a certain air of heaviness with which Bocelli and all opera performers carry their tunes, whether or not they sing about Greek or Shakespearian tragedy or just a plain unrequited love song. Such a performance requires the audience to pour their hearts into the story or whatever emotions being promoted by the performers on stage.
Those politicians and businessmen certainly have stepped into the dark corners of human lives in their pursuit of money and power, and opera no doubt helps provide a kind of grandiose soundtrack to their travails.
It is said that Napoleon Bonaparte was a big fan of opera and that he attended the majority of performances in all seasons.
But many have said his seeming love of opera may have stemmed from his need for love and approval.
Not only did he always arrive late, but once he was there, what went on stage had to stop and everybody had to applaud him. This in a way made him part of the opera.
Napoleon in his unique way has outdone all aristocrats before him who flaunt opera as a symbol of wealth and prestige.
He made it the symbol of his power.
The night Bocelli performed, everyone in the audience wanted to be with Napoleon.