Andrea Bocelli: “Life triumphs over destruction”
Andrea Bocelli is an icon and his voice is a balm that warms the heart. He has been singing in front of huge audiences at the world’s most famous opera houses, concert halls, arenas and on stages under the open sky for close on 40 years. His most recent performance was on Easter Sunday from an empty Milan Cathedral. We spoke with the world-famous tenor about the ‘lessons of coronavirus’, his activities in the foundation that bears his name, his belief in mankind and the days he has spent in isolation with his family.
Andrea Bocelli - Photo: Luca Rossetti
The global pandemic is virtually the single topic of conversation these days. It makes life very difficult, and not only physically but mentally, too. Some are beset by anxiety, some become apathetic or are frightened because they feel they have lost control over their own lives. What is in your soul and on your mind these days?
It is shattering for me when I have to face destruction, death and pain, particularly when this afflicts the most vulnerable, for instance the elderly or children. Over the past few weeks and months, we have had to face up to our own fragility, we have experienced something tragic. But I believe that this tragedy is at the same time an opportunity to rethink our lives, to closely examine those things that are truly important for us, as well as to recognize those ingrained bad habits and attitudes that we must change.
The pandemic is a massive ‘exclamation mark’, a powerful warning to humanity. It indicates that an era has closed, the 20th century. Just as the outbreak of the First World War signalled the closure of the 19th century.
This is the moment for us to slow down and listen to our planet, our own conscience, the word, the message of a higher being. I truly hope that we will learn the lesson, take the experiences to heart, reformulate priorities and change our attitude towards life.
How are you and your family handling the self-isolation period? What kind of activities do you do together at home?
I am in a privileged position because all my children – from the youngest to the oldest – are together with me, under one roof, we meet every day, we don’t have to be separated, and of course I am with my wife, Veronica as well. I make every effort to broaden my knowledge, I read and study a lot, and listen to music. More than anything else, I try to spend as much time as possible with my children, talking to them about anything.
Kép: Almud Music
I now have better insight as my wife looks after our young daughter, Virginia, as she helps her doing homework, and they play or have fun.
Then there is the work of the foundation that bears my name, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, which takes up much of our time and energy.
I know that you love sports, particularly riding. You now have to forego this.
I can’t wait to go riding along the seashore again, and I hope that this will happen very soon. You know, I believe that performers are at the same time athletes. They must train every day to keep their bodies, their minds and their vocal chords in shape, and they have to stay healthy. Happily, both my wife and my children are also very pro-sport, we all try to stay healthy. I work out, for example, with a skipping rope, I use an exercise bike and run on the treadmill.
Kép: Almud Music
Seven years ago, I asked you about the abovementioned Andrea Bocelli Foundation and its goals. What is the biggest mission of the Foundation today and what projects are you most proud of?
ABF has grown enormously in seven years, we have completed nearly 20 major projects and we are extremely proud of our achievements so far. The aim of the Foundation remains maintaining the heritage of contacts, binding those relationships of trust, which we created with many people over the course of years. The Foundation functions as a living laboratory, it comprises many people with close bonds imbued with the love of music, who are united against deep poverty in the developing countries and who are able to brave the challenges of social environmental impacts.
In 2016, central Italy was rocked by an earthquake; the powerful temblors resulted in several thousand deaths and some settlements were totally devastated. We took aid to these settlements and we did everything we could to repair the damage.
We also placed particular emphasis on education: we had so-called seismic-proof schools built in record time.
With the help of wonderful teachers and professional equipment, we are trying to create the optimal conditions for young gifted individuals. We also involve art and music in their everyday lives. ABF has been engaged in the fight against coronavirus from the start: we launched the ABF – With you, for the COVID-19 emergency fundraising campaign. We are using GoFundMe, one of the world’s largest platforms, for the donation campaign. We have been able to use the funds raised to supply Italian health-workers with appropriate personal protective equipment and we have donated four ventilator machines to the hospital in Camerino.
Kép: Almud Music
Italy has also launched an international image campaign that you joined.
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation launched the #WeAreItaly #StayTunedOnIt in order to promote Italy during these difficult days. I myself and many other Italian artists joined this initiative. Through video messages and in other ways we try to ensure that the world does not lose contact with Italian culture. Italian cultural institutions are popularizing many projects that provide Italian and international audiences with very special, virtual cultural entertainment.
As an artist I believe it is my duty to take part in musical events and initiatives that contribute to the welfare of people and that give joy and hope.
Music remains a remarkable, sensitive instrument, precisely because it can express the inexpressible. It is a universal language that teaches us to sense the beauty and wonders of life. If we do not hesitate to seek – and share – this beauty and tiny marvels, then we can change ourselves and the world.
Do you believe that man can change? Do you believe that humanity, which over the millennia has been the cause of so much bloodshed, can make a change for the better in the not so distant future?
I am an optimist. Easter always reminds us that rebirth is truly possible – for believers and non-believers alike. The Resurrection proves that life triumphs over destruction. We must put an end to the destructive, dangerous, unhealthy, degenerate games. The current situation provides just such an opportunity; furthermore, that we improve empathy in ourselves, that we care for those who are around us, who are important for us, and we wake up to the realization of what a privilege it is to be able to live together and to touch one another.
Kép: Almud Music
As a man of faith, I think that the mind of mankind is too small to understand the logic of God. Yet it is to that complex logic that I entrust myself, heart and soul, every single day.
I saw your May and June tour dates on your website. In this respect, too, you appear to be optimistic.
Many of my tours and concerts are booked years in advance, but whether I can hold them depends, naturally enough, on governmental provisions. As soon as I get the green light, I will return to singing. I must admit, I greatly miss the direct contact with the public, that ‘soul-to-soul’ energy apparent in big venues.
If you possessed any superpower to change one thing in the world, what would it be?
It would be wonderful if a new generation could live in a world without war, where good could overcome evil, and where man would be able – through technical development and medical advancements – to do away with pain. In fact, this is far from being impossible. I think that if we come together and work hard, all our dreams can come true.
