Antonia Felix's book will certainly be of great appeal to those fans, with its attractively produced collage of text and photographs. While there aren't exactly any new revelations, Felix has culled together a number of sources to give us an intimate picture of Bocelli in his most important contexts. After a brief narrative of his childhood and the accident that accelerated his growing blindness, we learn of Bocelli's struggle between practical common sense (in the form of the law career he successfully began) and his dream of making a life centered on music. How the latter came to be--through Bocelli's beginnings as a casual lounge singer, his chance association with Italian pop artist Zucchero, and other similar encounters--has an almost fairy-tale aura in Felix's retelling. We also learn of the central importance of Bocelli's family life, his Catholic faith, and his philosophy of determined optimism.

Felix provides some background on Italian operatic tradition to help place Bocelli in cultural context. There are thumbnail sketches of such figures as Verdi and Puccini and discussions of their importance for Bocelli; readers unfamiliar with operatic history but attracted to this aspect of Bocelli's career will find them helpful. This isn't the kind of biography that gives all relevant perspectives: in her discussion of one pivotal moment of Bocelli's career--his performance in La Bohème in 1998--Felix blithely passes over the negative press accounts and the substance of their criticisms. The tone throughout is rather that of a glowing admiration for her subject. That said, Felix writes in lucid, unfussy journalistic prose, and though a more thorough consideration of the Bocelli phenomenon remains to be written, her portrayal will be of great interest to fans who know the singer only from his presence on disc. The book is beautifully produced and richly illustrated with black-and-white as well as color photos. --Thomas May

Product Description
Like a force of nature, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has soared to stardom and the top of the music charts with a voice that thrills the soul. Tuscany's most exciting and beloved export since Luciano Pavarotti is a phenomenon with an astonishing 30 million CDs sold, two World Music Awards, best-selling albums of both popular and classical romantic songs, and wildly popular sellout concerts on nearly every continent.

ANDREA BOCELLI: A CELEBRATION reveals the entire story behind the man with a voice that the Washington Post describes as "radiant . . . with a soulful purity that is absolutely mesmerizing." This detailed biography chronicles the singer's childhood in the Tuscan countryside, his early ambitions and passion for singing, the disease and accident that caused his blindness at age twelve, the uncompromising philosophy of his strong and loving family, the Italian musical legacy that has shaped him, and the spiritual beliefs that sustain him. It is the story of one unique celebrity's step-by-step transformation from lawyer to piano lounge singer to greatest crossover artist of all time.

Lavishly illustrated, this book contains never-before-published photographs from the Bocelli family album and scores of photographs that depict every stage of Andrea Bocelli's career. Based on original interviews with family members, the mayor of his hometown, and several of the singer's closest colleagues-including conductors and co-stars who have performed with him extensively-author Antonia Felix weaves a fascinating portrayal of a compelling performer and remarkable human being.

The author, Ms. Felix, takes the reader on an interesting journey. Her writing style is very engaging and educational, especially for those new to classical music. From his birth with a rare form of congenital glaucoma, all the way to White House to sing for President Clinton, Andrea Bocelli's story has the aura of a fairy tale. But the author firmly grounds the reader in reality. Maestro Bocelli is now a famous man; however, we see his life before and after, and perhaps come away thinking that it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

From his childhood in the hills of Tuscany, through his years in Pisa for law school, we see the struggle of a young man who never allowed his blindess to close his vision of the world. The author's recounting of his law school years, along with his early forays into piano bars, was very intriguing. The story how he met his wife, Enrica, will captivate the reader with its candor, along with his feelings after their first meeting. "When she touched my hand, I knew I had met the love of my life."

Many would say that Maestro Bocelli, a former public defender, was lucky to achieve his fame. One of his countless demo tapes fell into the hands of the manager of Italian pop vocal star, Zucchero, who was looking for a tenor to accompany him on a certain song called, "Miserere." His inital choice was Maestro Luciano Pavorotti, who after hearing the demo, could not believe it came from an unknown piano bar singer. In the end, the Maestro told him, "This guy Bocelli will sing it better than anyone." And with that endorsement, the path was paved for Andrea Bocelli to become a household name in Europe.

This is a very vivid tale about a determined man. The reader may get the impression that he would prefer to sing to his horse, Gisele, rather than combat his admitted stage fright in front of his passionate fans. Or perhaps take to the slopes with gold medalist, Alberto Tomba, who taught Maestro Bocelli how to ski. Or parachute out of a plane on a dare. But this is a rare man with a lifelong passion for singing, and the author paints a complete portrait of him. The reader will come away with an added respect for the man with the angelic voice.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.


Very well done   January 31, 2002
Richard D. Cappetto (Moodus, CT United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is a beautiful book, well written and lavishly filled with wonderful pictures of Andrea and His family, surroundings and special events. This book gives a nice short history of Bocelli's life and a detailed look at his musical career, it is very much a good biography and a good history of Bocelli, it is a good sister book to Andreas auto Biography "The Music Of Silence" which is really detailed about Andrea youth up to his young adulthood and gives his thought's about all the important events of his life, but is not detailed about his career. Felix's book Besides covering HIS Career up To 99 in Great detail she also gives us a nice understanding about those who influenced Andrea musically (the greats of Opera) and about Opera itself. I also agree with the last reviewer it is a nice coffie table book due to the size and the beatiful pictures. Together the books (Andrea Bocelli : A Celebration by Antonia Felix and The Slience of Music : Andrea Bocelli) give a great picture of ANDREA in so many ways, and are a must for every Bocelli fan.