Customer Reviews
A must have CD! Botecelli at his best here!! - By: Jana L. Perskie, 24 Aug 2005 
Romanza" was my first Andrea Boticelli album & still remains my favorite. I think this is the tenor's most definitive collection, showcasing his sweet, rich sound, powerfully held long notes, & exquisite sense of cadence. Supposedly, this was the CD geared to "bridge the gap" between pop & opera. Boticelli certainly exhibits a diverse style with this top-notch selection of romantic songs.
When I originally bought "Romanza," backin the 20th century, I did so because of Botecelli's interpretation of "Con te Partiro," (Time To Say Goodbye"), which is still an exceptional song after all these years. It is dedicated to German World Light-Heavyweight boxing champion, Henry Maske & was performed at his farewell contest. Botecelli begins the album with his superb rendition of this piece, & ends with a duet of same with soprano Sarah Brightman. Simply outstanding!! The chorus was rewritten for the CD to incorporate the lyrics, "Time to say goodbye."
Other favorite cuts include: "Vivere," also a duet, this time with Sicilian soul songstress Gerardina Trovato; "Per Amore" is an intense & intensely beautiful ballad, as is "El Silencio de la Espera," which I simply love. When the song comes on I belt-out the lyrics along with Botecelli - when I am alone with him, of course; "Caruso" is poignant, emotional, poetic, with a wonderful piano backup; "Vivo per Lei" features Giorgia. Her voice blends almost seamlessly with Andrea'sin this lovely ballad. "Miserere," a live duet featuring John Miles, is wonderfully bluesy & one of my favorite tracks. The contrast between Miles' raspy voice & Boticelli's soaring tones is fantastic!
Andrea Boticelli's classically trained, expressive voice combined with the lush instrumental melodies & elegant material make this CD a must have!
JANA
One of the finest tenor voices in the history of all music. - By: Inkwell Quillers, 04 Aug 2001 Andrea Bocelli has one of those voices that need no vibrato or embellishment whatsoever. His voice is so pure & strong, it could fill a concert hall with no accompaniament. His fame owes nothing to Tuscany or the romance associated with it, his voice carries its own appeal. It seems such a shame that as soon as a great tenor leaves the field of opera, he is drubbed by the critics. He has a tone & depth without compare, & it is all here on this album. Heart rending melodies from a more classical bearing combined with contemporary popular music, all featuring the powerful yet compassionate voice of Bocelli. If by becoming popular he has alienated the opera goers, then it is to the benefit of the majority. A voice like his comes along every thousand years, & we should all enjoy it without prejudice.
This is a long review...... - By: , 17 Mar 2001 .....so therefore, just bear with me, okay? I'm just so damn sick & tired of the so-called "critics" who keep trashing the hell out of this truly talented man. I know everyone has the right to his own opinion, but I have the habit of telling whoever hates Bocelli to go hate him somewhere else.
Now then, onto the album review. Con Te Partirò opens the album. Everyone knows the song. It was the one that made him all thatin Europe, & it shows, because of its absolutely sweet melody. Many people have said that this & Time To Say Goodbye are the only songs on this album they listen to & not the whole CD. Not me. I like some others here as well. Vivere, taken from the now out of print Il Mare Calmo Della Sera album, is more slow rock, but I like it. Per Amore,in my opinion, is one of the best selections on the album. Now THAT song does my homeboy justice! And speaking of Il Mare Calmo Della Sera, the title track from the 1994 CD comes next. It's nice except for the second verse, where Andrea sounds a little screechy.
"Caruso," however, is one track I really don't care for, because there's too muchin the way of piano that tries to hide Bocelli's voice. And he doesn't seem to shine through very much on that otherwise memorable selection, which has also been covered by none other than Luciano Pavarotti. But Macchine Da Guerra makes up for lost ground. What the lyrics (and the translations) say is absolutely on the nose, because nothing's going well nowadaysin the real world. "Le Tue Parole" is one of two songs here that has a sort of Latin bentin it. Pretty cheeky. Vivo Per Lei was originally sungin half Italian half German on the 1995 Bocelli album. Here it is again,in all Italian this time. This selection is an absolute wonder. :)
Which brings us to "Romanza," the emotional Mauro Malavasi period piece. Another one of the best on this CD, Andrea gives it his all on this selection to such an extent that he actually moves you instead of just make you think twice before crying. So lovely. The next track, "La Luna Che Non C'è," is absolutely outstanding. Why it wasn't released as a single is beyond me, because it reminds me of hits by the likes of Céline Dion, Luther Vandross, Toni Braxton, & the like, only better than some of them & as "power ballads" really ought to sound like, & not like so many of them wherein instead of hitting the high notes the so-called "divas" just yell out their lines. (No offense to Céline or Whitney Houston, but, respectively, My Heart Will Go On & I Will Always Love You turn from hits to missesin my book.) "Rapsodia" is pretty damn good, too, but runs 20 seconds too long.
In case you didn't know, "Voglio Restare Così" was actually written by Andreain dedication to his wife. The song sounds more techno than expected, but it's a nice piece. I just like it better as performed on the "Nightin Tuscany" video/DVD. "E Chiove" sounds very adult contemporary, very Latin-like, just plain gorgeous. Miserere, which was written by Zucchero & Bono (of U2 fame), is here as performed with John Miles at Night at the Proms 1995. Another winner for Bocelli even though my mother doesn't think it's all that. Time To Say Goodbye, the previously mentioned reincarnation of Con Te Partirò, saves the day & has to be hands down the best song on the CD. I've lost favor for Sarah Brightman, but this song still remains a favoritein my house.
WHEW! 15 songs, a lot of writing for each of them, am I right? There are beautiful pictures of Andrea & liner notesin the booklet. The front cover is one of the best things about the CD. Even though I like the pictures from Sacred Arias much better, that front shot of Andreain fiery red (which symbolizes true passion & the color of this CD) really holds me down. If you liked Canto Della Terra & the album Sogno as a whole you MUST listen to this album! I hope this review helped you.
This CD is for all music lovers. It takes me away. - By: , 14 Jul 2000 Andrea Bocelli is captivating. I listen to "Romanza" at home &in my car. He will stir you to new dimensions while listening. This album has a bit of opera, but is probably more of a popular hits collection to be enjoyed by all. Watching him perform is even better. He doesn't display the usual animation that most performers do, & because of it, his presence grabs hold of the audience like a magnet. His voice will do the same.
Andrea Bocelli is just excellent! - By: , 23 Jun 2000 My favourite songs on this CD are Romanza, Con Te Partiro (otherwise known as Time to Say Goodbye, the duet he did with Sarah Brightman) & La Luna Che Non C'e to name just a few. This CD is very enjoyable to listen to & personally I wouldn't have put this CD under the classical section, I would have put it under popular music along with his album Sogno as it is very easy listening, not heavy Opera at all. Andrea Bocelli's voice is perfect to relax & unwind with; he puts youin your own little world! A word to those who may be put off about all the lyrics beingin Italian; the English lyrics are printed along side the Italian lyrics, but believe me had he sung these songsin English it wouldn't have been the same, Italian is the language of Opera & after listening to these songs over & over again, it's amazing how much you can understand! Even if you're not really an Opera fan, give this CD a go; I'm sure you won't be disappointed!
