Andrea Bocelli's new studio album is a collection of the most famous Italian songs - including Mamma, Funiculi Funicula and Santa Lucia. They are the songs which have enchanted Andrea since childhood. Released to coincide with his 50th birthday, the album is a personal tribute to his musical heritage. Popularized through concert, radio and record and the film industry by the great tenors of the 19th and 20th centuries, this selection of songs is a celebration of the Italian tenor tradition. Thanks to the legendary voices of Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Franco Corelli, Mario Lanza and Luciano Pavarotti, these songs have become a huge global export and fueled the romance of generations to come. Incanto is also a homage to Love. It includes a group of songs which have told love stories in music for the past 170 years. The repertoire is a tribute to the many faces and places of love: love for a mother (Mamma); love for a woman (O surdato 'nammurato , Era di maggio , Un amore cosi grande , Non ti scordar di me ); love for a place (the pier in Santa Lucia, Mount Vesuvio in Funiculi Funicula ); love for a city (Napoli, Granada) and love for a country (Italy). Love for Italy, and a particular affection for Naples are prevalent themes throughout Incanto. Andrea has chosen one contemporary Neapolitan song - the "tarantella" Pulcinella, which highlights his fond connection to Naples and the city's unique position in the past, present and future of Italian song. The deluxe edition sets Andrea's songs in the romantic context of 1950s Naples. The archive materials provide a nostalgic snapshot of 1950s glamour, when Naples was the honey-pot for the rich and famous. The footage captures the spirit of romance and optimism during the days of Andrea's childhood - a sense of optimism prevalent in post war Italy around the time of Andrea's birth is captured by the visual themes of the album. The incomparable natural beauty of southern Italy is celebrated, as well as the magical aura of the 1950s and La dolce vita, which has enchanted generation upon generation since. The DVD also includes an interview with Andrea shot in different locations in Naples.

Andrea Bocelli Photos

Amazon.com 

(Amazon.co.uk Review) Incanto is the first studio album from Italian operatic star Andrea Bocelli since 2006's Amore, stop-gapped of course by the following year's Vivere. Now 20 albums deep and heading for 70 million sales worldwide, there doesn't seem to be much Bocelli can do wrong, though perhaps key to his success is his refusal to rest on his laurels--to always present a considered and varied selection of material. On Incanto he again offers a well-selected mix of folk songs, operatic evergreens, and musical hits. Opening with a stunning collaboration with singer Veronica Berti on “Un Amore Cosi Grande" (“A Love So Great"), the album gets off to an impassioned start. A romantic thread is weaved through “O Surdato Nnammurato", Cesare Andrea Bixio's “Mamma", and “Voglio Vivere Cosi", while album highlights include Neopolitan classic “Santa Lucia" and the 19th-century folk song “Funiculi Funi! cula"--an ode to the first funicular on Mount Vesuvius. Add to that the soaring “Because" and the sweeping “Era De Maggio" (featuring Anna Bonitatibus), and you have what is arguably Bocelli's best collection since Romanza. --Danny McKenna

There will be a nationally televised concert special airing on PBS - Andrea's first full pop concert that was recorded in July with the Tuscan country side as a backdrop. The concert repertoire includes all the songs the will be on the forth coming Greatest Hits CD and features guests Chris Botti, Kenny G, Lang Lang and more. Look for PBS to broadcast this program multiple times during their upcoming December 2007 pledge period reaching over 10 million households.

"Vivere" translates from Italian to English as "To Live"

Andrea Bocelli Photos

More from Andrea Bocelli

The Best Of Andrea Bocelli - Vivere (CD & DVD Deluxe Edition)

Under the Desert Sky

Under the Desert Sky

Amore

Romanza

Cieli di Toscana

Andrea

Sogno

Sacred Arias

The deluxe limited edition (CD & DVD) sets Andrea's songs in the romantic context of 1950s Naples. The limited deluxe package features 14 newly recorded songs and video footage of Incanto The Documentary - a Documentary about a time period in Italy when Naples & Rome were the "center of the world of romance." The footage shows scenes of Italy in `50's along with the iconic figures who lived, loved and laughed in this bygone era. The DVD also includes a music video of "Un Amore Cosi Grande" the opening track from Incanto, all in a hard bound book / "O" card package.

The archive materials provide a nostalgic snapshot of 1950s glamour, when Naples was the honeypot for the rich and famous. The footage captures the spirit of romance and optimism during the days of Andrea's childhood - a sense of optimism prevalent in post war Italy around the time of Andrea's birth is captured by the visual themes of the album. The incomparable natural beauty of southern Italy is celebrated, as well as the magical aura of the 1950s and La dolce vita , which has enchanted generation upon generation since. The DVD also includes an interview with Andrea shot in different locations in Naples. Andrea Bocelli's new studio album is a collection of the most famous Italian songs - including Mamma , Funiculi Funicula and Santa Lucia . They are the songs which have enchanted Andrea since childhood. Released to coincide with his 50th birthday, the album is a personal tribute to his musical heritage. Popularized through concert, radio and record and the film industry by the great tenors of the 19th and 20th centuries, this selection of songs is a celebration of the Italian tenor tradition . Thanks to the legendary voices of Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Franco Corelli, Mario Lanza and Luciano Pavarotti, these songs have become a huge global export and fuelled the romance of generations to come. Incanto is also a homage to Love . It includes a group of songs which have told love stories in music for the past 170 years. The repertoire is a tribute to the many faces and places of love: love for a mother (Mamma); love for a woman (O surdato 'nammurato , Era di maggio , Un amore cosi grande , Non ti scordar di me ); love for a place (the pier in Santa Lucia, Mount Vesuvio in Funiculi Funicula ); love for a city (Napoli, Granada) and love for a country (Italy). Love for Italy , and a particular affection for Naples are prevalent themes throughout Incanto. Andrea has chosen one contemporary Neapolitan song - the "tarantella" Pulcinella , which highlights his fond connection to Naples and the city's unique position in the past, present and future of Italian song.

Andrea Bocelli Photos

Amazon.com 

(Amazon.co.uk Review) Incanto is the first studio album from Italian operatic star Andrea Bocelli since 2006's Amore, stop-gapped of course by the following year's Vivere. Now 20 albums deep and heading for 70 million sales worldwide, there doesn't seem to be much Bocelli can do wrong, though perhaps key to his success is his refusal to rest on his laurels--to always present a considered and varied selection of material. On Incanto he again offers a well-selected mix of folk songs, operatic evergreens, and musical hits. Opening with a stunning collaboration with singer Veronica Berti on “Un Amore Cosi Grande" (“A Love So Great"), the album gets off to an impassioned start. A romantic thread is weaved through “O Surdato Nnammurato", Cesare Andrea Bixio's “Mamma", and “Voglio Vivere Cosi", while album highlights include Neopolitan classic “Santa Lucia" and the 19th-century folk song “Funiculi Funi! cula"--an ode to the first funicular on Mount Vesuvius. Add to that the soaring “Because" and the sweeping “Era De Maggio" (featuring Anna Bonitatibus), and you have what is arguably Bocelli's best collection since Romanza. --Danny McKenna

The Nutcracker marked the initial choreographic effort of Baryshnikov, universally hailed as one of the world’s greatest dancers. Under Baryshnikov’s inventive direction, the traditionally lighthearted story of a small girl’s dream on Christmas Eve is transformed into a more complex theatrical experience. Broadcast regularly on PBS, this American Ballet Theatre performance (directed in the studio by Tony Charmoli) stars Gelsey Kirkland as Clara and Mikhail Baryshnikov at the peak of his artistic ability as the Prince/Nutcracker.

Amazon.com 

The American Ballet Theater version of the Tchaikovsky classic, a 1977 studio rendition directed by Tony Charmoli, has become a holiday perennial on PBS stations and home video. It's a favorite of parents who want to give their kids the gift of culture--and with good reason. There's a loose fairy tale plot to keep dance neophytes interested, and Boris Aronson's eye-candy production design is a series of lavish dioramas. From an imperial-era Russian Christmas party out of Tolstoy, a young girl named Clara (Gelsey Kirkland) is whisked in dreams to an imaginary world populated by the animated creations of the wizard toy maker Drosselmeier (Alexander Minz), who prances on his stick-thin limbs like a Dickens illustration come to life. The main attraction is, of course, Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the greatest classical dancers of the century, at his absolute peak of athleticism and precision. An opening slow-motion montage diagrams his fabled smoothness of execution, elegant airborne trajectories that have a feather-light perfection. Music lovers who know only "The Nutcracker Suite" will relish the chance to hear this great score all the way through, conducted with lilt and vigor by Kenneth Schermerhorn. --David Chute

An expanded softpak with all 22 CD tracks as well as a 60-minute bonus DVD. 60-minute bonus DVD features behind-the-scenes recording session footage with Yo-Yo Ma and the guest artists, photo gallery and 5 complete music videos:
James Taylot "Here Comes The Sun"
Diana Krall "You Couldn't Be Cuter"
Alison Krauss"The Wexford Carol"
Chris Botti "My Favorite Things"
Renee Fleming "Touch The Hand Of Love"