The international superstar tenor lends his unique voice to a lush symphonic salute to the movies, Andrea Bocelli: Cinema, celebrating some of the greatest celluloid songs and scores of all time written by a varied range of Italian and Hollywood composers. The concert special also reunites Andrea Bocelli with legendary music producer David Foster, whose first collaboration with the tenor was Foster’s own Academy Award-nominated song “The Prayer,” a duet with Celine Dion in 1999.
Ariana Grande, and Nicole Scherzinger, as well as film stars John Travolta, Ali MacGraw, Ryan O’Neal, and Andy Garcia also joined Bocelli at the concert, filmed on September 18 at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater.
The songs in this new concert – many from Oscar-winning scores – are also featured on Bocelli’s new album Cinema which will be released globally on October 23 on Sugar Music/Universal Music Group and Verve Music Group in the USA. These cinematic songs are etched in the culture and hearts of several generations including epic theme songs featured in films such as Doctor Zhivago, Love Story, The Godfather, Life is Beautiful, Il Postino, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and many more, as well as popular songs from stage musicals, immortalized by their film versions, such as West Side Story and Evita. As a special bonus, there’s a brand new song fashioned from the popular Gladiator score.
Hollywood luminaries John Travolta, Ryan O’Neal, Ali MacGraw, and Andy Garcia join Bocelli onstage to speak about the films from which the songs derive.
The special airs on THIRTEEN’s Great Performances Friday, November 27 at 9 p.m. (check local listings) as part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival.
Bocelli has said he believes film music is “an exceptional artistic treasure trove.” His legendary voice, backed by fresh arrangements, brings new life to some of the greatest musical masterpieces for film by legendary composers from Leonard Bernstein to Ennio Morricone.
Bocelli sings in five different languages (Italian, French, Spanish, English and Sicilian) and, through the magic of digital wizardry, partners in a virtual duet with global superstar Ariana Grande on the heart wrenching duet “E più ti penso” from the medley “Once Upon A Time in America/ Malena,” and in person with Nicole Scherzinger on the epic musical anthem “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from Evita.
The concert was arranged for Bocelli’s extraordinary voice by musical director David Foster. Bocelli’s prior Great Performances specials have consistently been some of PBS’ most popular concert performances, including Andrea Bocelli Live in Central Park and Andrea Bocelli: Love in Portofino.
With over 80 million albums sold worldwide, the acclaimed singer has been honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His Central Park concert in 2011 joined the roster of the park’s legendary live performances. And he had the honor of performing live in front of three United States presidents, three popes, and royal families all over the world.
Program Song List
“Maria” from West Side Story
Lyrics by Leonard Bernstein – Stephen Sondheim; Music by Leonard Bernstein
“Se” from Cinema Paradiso
Music by Ennio Morricone – Andrea Morricone
“Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer; Music by Henry Mancini
“Cheek to Cheek” duet with Veronica Berti from Top Hat
Lyrics and Music by Irving Berlin; Italian Lyrics by Andrea Bocelli
Dancers: Paul Karmiryan, Tiffany Maher, Walker Redick, Nicole Spencer; Choreography by Jennifer Foffano
“Be My Love” from The Toast of New Orleans
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn; Music by Nicholas Brodszky
“E più ti penso” (virtual duet with Ariana Grande) from Once Upon a Time in America
Lyrics by Mogol – Tony Renis; Music by Ennio Morricone
“Brucia La Terra” from The Godfather
Lyrics by Kaballà; Music by Giovanni “Nino” Rota
“La Chanson De Lara” from Doctor Zhivago
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster; Music by Maurice Jarre; French Lyrics by Ithier Hubert
“Mi Mancherai” from Il Postino
Lyrics by Marco Marinangeli; Music by Luis Bacalov – Riccardo Del Turco – Paolo Margheri
“Historia De Amor” from Love Story
Music by Francis Lai; English Lyrics by Carl Sigman; Spanish Lyrics by Marilena Amarai
“Por Una Cabeza” from Scent of a Woman
Lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera; Music by Carlos Gardel
Dancers: Paul Karmiryan and Tiffany Maher; Choreography by Jennifer Foffano and Paul Karmiryan
“No Llores Por Mí Argentina” duet with Nicole Scherzinger from Evita
Lyrics and Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber – Tim Rice; Spanish Lyrics by Ignacio Artime – Jaime Azpilicuieta Perez
“The Music of the Night” from The Phantom of the Opera
Lyrics by Charles Hart – Richard Stilgoe; Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
“L’amore È Una Cosa Meravigliosa” from Love is a Many Splendored Thing
Lyrics and Music by Paul Webster – Sammy Fain; Italian Lyrics by Alberto Curci
“Sorridi Amore Vai” from La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful) with The Adderley School for the Performing Arts Children’s Choir
Lyrics by Noa – Gil Dor; Music by Nicola Piovani; Italian Lyrics by Roberto Benigni
“Nelle Tue Mani” (Now We Are Free) from Gladiator
Music by Lisa Germaine Gerrard – Klaus Badelt – Hans Florian Zimmer; Italian adaptation by Matteo Curallo
Additional arrangements were composed by Humberto Gatica and Tony Renis, both of whom previously collaborated with David Foster on the Amore program.
About PBS Arts Fall Festival
Andrea Bocelli: Cinema on Great Performances is part of the fifth PBS Arts Fall Festival, an eight-week series hosted this fall by Grammy Award-winning international music superstar Gloria Estefan. Friday nights from October 9 to November 27, 2015, the Fall Festival features legendary artists, dazzling musical performances and captivating entertainment, including a UNITY Latin tribute to Michael Jackson’s music, and complementary digital content. PBS Arts is a cornerstone of the Friday primetime lineup, reaching more than 15 million viewers last season and underscoring PBS’ ongoing commitment to give audiences the best of the arts on-air and online. Most programs will be available online at http://video.pbs.org/ after their broadcast premiere.
