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Associated Press

It is one of the most immediately recognisable voices on the planet: Andrea Bocelli’s tenor is beloved across generations, cultures and borders.
This year, he is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his career with a new compilation album, Duets, featuring both previously released and brand-new collaborations of his best-known work – as well as a few surprising contemporary covers.
He will also release a new concert film, Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration, which opens in cinemas in some countries on November 8.
So why duets?
“I’ve loved voices since when I was a child, and I like very much to share the stage with the best artists and voices,” he says.
“So, this album, there are the best duets that I did in my life – from the first, ‘The Prayer’ with Celine Dion, until the last, like ‘Perfect’ with Ed Sheeran, and many, many others.
“And the album has been remastered and remixed. So I hope the sound can be better.”

Sheeran was an interesting collaboration because when Bocelli first attempted to sing Sheeran’s “Perfect”, the English singer-songwriter was not a fan.
“He didn’t like what I did because I sang in a pop style,” he says. “He wanted to listen to my voice, like in an operatic style.”
So Sheeran travelled to Bocelli’s home in Tuscany, Italy, and the song was transformed.
“He was right because this song had a huge success,” Bocelli says.


When asked if there is anyone he would have loved to add to the Duets collection, Bocelli says of course – but “they passed away before I began to sing”.
“For example, I would like very much to sing with Maria Callas or [Renata] Tebaldi or Magda Olivero. Many great, incredible singers. They are not any more with us, unfortunately.”
Three decades into his career, Bocelli has performed for presidents, popes and sold-out stadiums across the globe, in addition to having sold nearly 90 million records worldwide.
“Reality exceeded my wildest dreams,” he says.
How he reflects on that time should come as no surprise.
“I like to sing to the future. Honestly, I don’t like to think with nostalgia to the past,” he says. “My first time on stage, for me it is like yesterday. The time is gone so quickly, so fast. And, yeah, now I like to think to the future.”


So, what does he hope becomes his legacy?
“In Italy, we have a very famous expression: the people that come after us will judge us,” he says with a translator. “So I can’t force the judge[ment] of the people.
“But I feel that my audience has a big affection for me, and this is my goal. When somebody in the street comes to me and says [to] me, ‘Thank you for your voice, for your music,’ I think mission is accomplished.”
On Duets, Bocelli sings in Italian, English, French and Spanish. “There are many languages, but it’s so difficult. I remember the day I tried to sing in Chinese, only few lines, but it has been so hard for me,” he laughs.
He also performs across genres, working with everyone from Latin superstars like Karol G and Jennifer Lopez to country musicians like Chris Stapleton and Shania Twain.
“I would like to try to sing jazz,” he says. “But it’s too difficult for me because you must live in an atmosphere, to learn step by step, day by day. I like jazz but it’s too far from the experience of my life.”

There is little he has not done in the past three decades, but the ultimate goal now, he says, is steeped in faith.
“I have been very lucky and I reached the affection of the people. Now I must try to deserve the affection of God. It is more difficult.”
But he will continue to perform for those who love him. On December 4, he will begin a tour of the United States in San Diego, California.


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Music

Andrea Bocelli on Duets, new album with Jennifer Lopez, Dua Lipa and more

Andrea Bocelli in New York on October 28, 2024. The legendary Italian tenor is releasing a new album, called Duets, and concert film,  Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration, in November. Photo: Matt Licari/Invision/AP

The cover of Andrea Bocelli’s new album Duets. Photo: AP

Bocelli plays the flute during a portrait session in New York on October 28, 2024. Photo: Matt Licari/Invision/AP

Why did pianist Evgeny Kissin cancel Hong Kong recital but not his other Asia tour dates?

Evgeny Kissin and conductor Andris Poga receive the applause of the audience in 2018 after a performance by the Russian-born pianist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. After being named a “foreign agent” by Moscow over his support for Ukraine, Kissin cancelled his November 2024 recital in Hong Kong. Photo: Ka Lam/HKPhil

Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin performs with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2018. Photo: Ka Lam/HKPhil

Kissin (left) is conferred with an honorary degree by the University of Hong Kong in 2009. He is pictured with fellow honorees Rita Fan and philanthropist Robert Ho. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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Willie Nelson and his son Micah, producer on his father’s new album, together in a recording studio. Instagram/@tribeza

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Shu Qi attending the 15th Hong Kong Film Awards at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 1996. Photo: SCMP

Shu Qi at an interview with the Post in 1997. Her first Hong Kong film appearance came in 1995. Photo: SCMP

Shu Qi in a scene from the 1995 film Sex and Zen II.

Leslie Cheung and Shu in a still from Viva Erotica (1996). A Post film reviewer wrote that hers was a “career-making performance”.

Shu in a still from Millennium Mambo (2001), which screened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival and brought Shu much deserved recognition.

Shu and director Hou Hsiao-hsien at the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong in 2008. Photo: SCMP

Shu Qi in a still from The Assassin.

Stephen Fung and Shu in a still from Bishonen (1998). The pair announced in 2016 that they had married in a small ceremony in Prague, in the Czech Republic.

Shu Qi at an interview with the Post in 2010. In 2019, she opened a noodle bar in Hong Kong with two other Taiwanese celebrities. Photo: SCMP

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Ed Sheeran, Shania Twain, Celine Dion and Karol G also feature on the album, while Bocelli is also releasing a new concert film


Ed Sheeran, Shania Twain, Celine Dion and Karol G also feature on the album, while Bocelli is also releasing a new concert film.


Classical music

Fame and celebrity