Miami, Florida, December 1, 2009 – Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli, officially welcomed the Christmas season this past Saturday, November 28th, with the first of six concerts throughout North America at the BankAtlantic Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
In front of sold out crowd, Bocelli captivated the audience with the best of his repertoire. The first half of the show was dedicated to a selection of some of Andrea’s favorite opera songs, which included “La Donna e Mobile”, amongst others. He was accompanied by a full symphony orchestra and choir, plus internationally-renowned soprano Ana Maria Martinez.
The second half was dedicated to his pop repertoire and included songs from his most recent album “Mi Navidad / My Christmas.” Andrea’s interpretation of “Ave Maria” while he played the piano set the mood for the rest of the night. Joined by award-winning David Foster, the night took on a new life when Andrea was joined on stage by a small group of children to sing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town;” it was a delight for all who felt the Christmas spirit fill their sprit with joy. But, without a doubt, the most memorable moment came with the interpretation of “The Lord’s Prayer,” a breathtaking arrangement of one of the Catholic religion’s most beloved prayers, sang like an angel by Bocelli himself, accompanied by the enchanting choir; undoubtedly, breathtaking. Other songs performed include “White Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” and “Blue Christmas” – the latter two were interpreted a duo with Australian superstar Delta Goodrem.
Finally, for the encore, Andrea delighted everyone with two of his classic pop songs “The Prayer”, again alongside Delta Goodrem, and “Con Te Partiro,” this time joined by Ana Maria Martinez. To top off the night, as if to place an exclamation point at the end, he concluded with a beautiful and powerful rendition of “Nessum Dorma.”
Bocelli is in New York this week to promote the release of “Mi Navidad/My Christmas”, appearing yesterday on the ‘Today Show’, where he performed “White Christmas”, in addition to being featured in the first ever “Oprah’s Holiday Duet Extravaganza,” where he sang alongside Mary J. Blige as they interpreted “What Child Is This?” – the song Oprah called her favorite new song of the season! (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fSmkDRPiLs)
The next dates on the North American concert tour include: December 3rd at the Air Canada Centre (Toronto, ON); December 5th at the IZOD Center (East Rutherford, NJ); December 8th at the William Saroyan Theatre (Fresno, CA); December 12th at the MGM Grand Hotel (Las Vegas, NV); and December 13th at the Honda Center (Anaheim, CA).
“Andrea Bocelli – Mi Navidad” is available in two versions (1) the CD alone and (2) the ‘Deluxe Edition,’ which includes the CD and a DVD. The DVD contains 30 minutes of the Christmas special being broadcasted on PBS during this month of December. [“My Christmas,” the English-language version of this marvelous production, is also available in stores.]
The repertoire of the CD:
1. “Blanca Navidad” (Spanish)
2. “Gloria In Excelsis Deo” (Spanish)
3. “Santa Claus Llegó A La Ciudad” (Spanish)
4. “The Christmas Song” – a duet with Natalie Cole (English)
5. “The Lord’s Prayer” – with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (English)
6. “What Child Is This?” – a duet with Mary J. Blige (English)
7. “Venid Adoremos” (Spanish)
8. “El Abeto” (Spanish)
9. “Jingle Bells” – with “The Muppets” (English)
10. “Noche De Paz” (Spanish)
11. “Blue Christmas” – special guest: Courtney Blooding (English)
12. “Santa La Noche” (Spanish)
13. “Caro Gesu’ Bambino” (Italian)
14. “Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle” (Italian)
15. “Dios Nos Bendecirá” – from the Disney film “A Christmas Carol” (Spanish)
The release date for the CD “Andrea Bocelli – Mi Navidad” was November 24th; while the ‘Deluxe Edition’ (CD/DVD) went on sale on December 1st.
www.andreabocelli.comwww.venemusic.comSiente Music was created through a joint venture between two international entertainment leaders, Venevision International, part of the Cisneros Group of Companies, and Universal Music Latino, the Latin music division of Universal Music Group.
www.venevisioninternational.comwww.universalmusica.com
About Venevision International
Venevision International is an entertainment company with more than 35 years in the market and whose projects are part of the business development strategy designed by Miguel Dvorak, President and COO of the Cisneros Group of Companies. Venevision International distributes television programming to more than 104 countries, in more than 20 languages, representing, as part of the Cisneros Group, the largest independent producer of Spanish-language programming in South Florida, Venevision Productions, and in South America, Venevision, the leading broadcaster in Venezuela that operates two Pay-TV channels, Venevision Plus and Novelisima, as well. The company also distributes original Spanish-language films to theaters, Pay-Per-View (PPV), Video-On-Demand (VOD), home video (DVD), cable, satellite and broadcast television in the United States and the Caribbean. Venevision International does business in the international arenas of music, with its publishing company, Venevision International Publishing, its concert producer, Vene Show, and its record labels Vene Music and Siente Music; and of mobile entertainment and Internet, through its business units Venemobile and LatCel, as well as the portal NOVULU.
About Universal Music Latino & Universal Music Group
Universal Music Latino is the Latin music division of Universal Music Group, which consists of record labels Decca Record Company, Deutsche Grammophon, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, MCA Nashville, MCA Records, Mercury Records, Motown Records, Philips, Polydor, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Strategic Marketing & Commercial Affairs (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, a new media and technology division. Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi Universal, a global media and communications company.