Il Mare Calmo Della Sera (Musicrama)
Above all, Andrea Bocelli is a communicator, and what he communicates is emotion. The variety of his messages is as impressive as the power he brings to their expression. Love is hopeful in "La Luna Che Non C'e" and "Caruso"; unfulfilled and nearing desperation in "Il Mare Calmo della Sera," "Vivere," and "Qualcuno Non Mi Basta"; idealized in "Rapsodia" and the "Flower Song" fromCarmen. Two different styles of religious devotion are heard in "Panis Angelicus" and "Ave Maria No Morro"; "E Lucevan le Stelle" and "Miserere" are songs of despair. Bocelli's tone is generally strong and well supported, from soft erotic whispers to piercing cries of sheer anguish, and when it takes on a rough edge, it usually seems to be deliberate, for expressive purposes. He mixes popular and classical material in a way that upsets fans of Verdi, Puccini, Bizet, and Cesar Franck--and, in fact, he is much more at home in popular music. But good classical material like this can survive popular treatment, and Bocelli may be attracting new fans toToscaandCarmen.--Joe McLellan