Live Review: Andrea Bocelli – 5th July 2024 – BST Hyde Park, London, UK
5 min read
Andrea Bocelli | Photo by Dave Hogan
As the cloud enveloped London and the rain came down in unrelenting bucketloads, opera and classical aficionados flocked in their masses to London’s Hyde Park last night for the next in the prestigious line-up of the hottest concert series that the UK (and possibly the world) has to offer – BST Hyde Park.
Having already this year seen the likes of SZA, Kings of Leon and the electrifying Morgan Wallen deliver masterful sets of career gold to fans over the last week, this weekends string of BST shows is in full, mighty wing with Bocelli bringing his 30th anniversary celebrations to the iconic outdoor space and to the excited ears of a 65,000 strong audience. And with him he was joined by a plethora or musically accomplished guests that completed the line-up of the day including Katherine Jenkins and US Kiss From A Rose hitmaker, Seal, making up a fantastic day prior to and alongside the multi-million selling, world-renowned Italian tenor.
With our feet still feeling the effects of dancing along to Morgan Wallen’s show the night before, we ventured back to Hyde Park, raincoats in hand and umbrellas packed.
Day four at BST Hyde Park festival was an interesting departure from the pop, rock, or country gigs we usually cover, as the headliner was acclaimed tenor Andrea Bocelli and his star-studded list of special guests. The long list of performers joining Bocelli on stage included German film-script composer, Hans Zimmer, Italian gospel and blues artist, Zucchero, Welsh classical icon Katherine Jenkins and Bocelli’s very own son, Matteo adding to the family affair feel of the line-up.
Pop/soul legend Seal was also enlisted for last night show and delivered powerful renditions of Amazing Grace and My Way, and this his iconic hit Kiss From A Rose to the soaked but enthralled crowd. The entire performance was supported by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra who Seal described as “‘like lying on the most comfortable bed you could ever imagine’ when performing alongside them and they certainly made the experience of seeing the incredible line-up yesterday even more elegant and special for everyone in attendance as the goosebump-inducing strings washed over the crowd during each song performed throughout the evening.
Former Hearsay member-turned-classical national treasure, Myleene Klass played host to the night and looked absolutely stunning as she took to the stage in a floor length shining silver number, talking us through the guests for Bocelli’s historic Hyde Park arrival which included Nadine Sierra, the Crouch End Festival Chorus and of course, the incredible Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Taking the stage in a gold-jacketed tuxedo, the first half of the show was strictly classical and started off with Bocelli singing the very powerful La Donna è Mobile before being joined by soprano Nadine Sierra in a stunning duet of the well-known favorite O mio babbino caro. Also joining him for this first set was a host of respected classical performers including Grammy award-winning singer Joaquina, mezzo Isabel Leonard, baritone Luca Micheletti and soprano Henna Munn. There was also a wonderful solo by the the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s flautist Andrea Griminelli which had the enormous Hyde Park crowd mesmerized.
To start the second half of the show, Bocelli was joined by Italian gospel and blues artist Zucchero for a duet of Miserere which showed old footage of Bocelli and Zucchero with the late Luciano Pavarotti emblazoned upon the giant stage screens that lit up Hyde Park. This was followed by a memorable rendition of Zucchero’s famous 80s hit Senza Una Donna, backed by the Crouch End Festival Chorus, a song previously made famous with the help of Paul Young but this time complimented by the rich tones of Bocelli’s impressive and distinctive operatic range.
During the second half, Bocelli introduced to his fans his daughter Virginia to the stage declaring “Next, I’m going to introduce a little girl. Her name is Virginia and she is my daughter”. Joking with her, he told he 12 year old who was dressed in a pink ruffled dress “We will do the song that we both do at home, okay? But now it’s more important to sing well” which got a laugh from the crowd, and despite being only 12 years old, she went on to join her father for an incredible performance of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, showing that talent really does lay within the family genes.
As if that wasn’t enough, Bocelli brought on perhaps his most famous act yet- word famous composer Hans Zimmer. The two performed Nelle Tue Mani (from the Gladiator soundtrack), followed by Chevalier de Sangreal and Time (from Da Vinci Code and Inception, respectively). Special guests, Loren Allred and Joaquina on “Romanza”, was followed by a Bocelli-Allred duet of The Prayer. Wrapping up the show, Bocelli was joined by Zimmer for the famous Con Te Partirò (or Time To Say Goodbye) and a smashing finale of Bocelli singing the famous tenor aria Nessun Dorma, a perfect song to close out an amazing evening of classical music.
It may have been officially the wettest BST Show to date but no amount of rain could have dampened the spirits and the enthusiasm of last nights fans or the performances on stage from some of the Classical worlds most elite. But lets hope tomorrows addition to the series is a little more forgiving and while the weather may not be on our side this year, the always impressive BST line-up certainly is.
::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
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