This is not a fresh collection of operatic material by the phenomenally popular
Andrea Bocelli; those curious about his sound in pure operatic material may still be directed toward the perennial strong seller
Aria: The Opera Album (1998). The present release is a collection of familiar opera arias done
Bocelli style, most of them not drawn from the earlier release, but from a variety of albums and performances dating back as far as 1995. The result is a collection of material that would be difficult for all but the most devoted
Bocelli fans to quickly gather together in one place, and it ought thus to be of interest to that legion. The other attraction here is that most of the pieces are standard hits of the operatic repertory. Much of the material still comes from the years on either side of the year 2000, when
Bocelli was trying to establish credibility in the opera world, and the attitude of confirmed opera-house denizens will probably have been set back then: he does a reasonable job, and he has the emotional directness that so many find attractive, but there are resonances in the work of singers who've devoted to their lives to this stuff that you don't hear here. However, the final "Nessun Dorma!" (track 22), recorded in 2014, sounds good: the tenor's voice has darkened a bit, and it's clear that he has taken care of it well. Recommended for
Bocelli lovers. ~ James Manheim