Arguably the most dramatic moment in Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe comes as the beloved (and blind) tenor climbs on a horse and takes off for a gallop down the country lanes of his Tuscany estate. Yes, he does ride on his own on a regular basis, he informs his audience.
It’s typical of his matter of fact take on life.
Director Cosima Spender’s Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe saw its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The English-Italian produced documentary offers fans an intimate look at the tenor who’s conquered the classical, pop and rock song charts over a multi-decades long career.
Bocelli told Hollywood Reporter that he’d never do a reality show; the documentary is about as close you will find to a portrait from close-up of the iconic singer. The story unfolds in archival footage and photographs as well as interviews, all expected elements of a bio-pic, but also includes access to the Bocelli clan and friends as filmed at intimate events and gatherings.
The list of the film’s Executive Producers includes both Andrea Bocelli and wife Veronica. Don’t, in other words, expect any sort of critique of his work, but instead, a closer look inside both his daily life (including a lifelong relationship with horses), and legacy.
‘Opera is Music’s Heaven’: The Film
Spender’s approach is cinematic, with a sense of storytelling that begins with preparations for the monumental 2023 concert at the Baths of Caracalla (built by the Romans in AD 216) as a point of reference. Andrea rambles over the terrain, as wife Veronica describes the scene to him. Bocelli recalls the landmark Three Tenors concert that had been held there 33 years earlier, and its impact on both him and the music world.
His recordings play throughout the film, and the story circles back to the 2023 concert towards the end of the film.
“Reality has exceeded my dreams,” he says.
Early Life
Bocelli and his family still live in the Tuscan countryside he grew up in. He describes a love not only for the land but for the language, and says one of his difficulties, touring around the world, has always been the necessity for speaking in other languages.
Andrea recalls his childhood in the Tuscan village of La Sterza, and recounts family history. It was a family that always encouraged his affinity for music, and a very early attachment to opera.
“Opera is music’s heaven,” he says.
As he tells it, he had issues with his eyes from birth, and spent time as a child in hospital with burning eyes from surgeries required for congenital glaucoma that kept him up, and made him cry. Next door was a Russian man who’d play opera records, and the nurses quickly noticed that the sound seemed to soothe him.
Later, at 12, and attending a boarding school for the visually impaired, he was hit on the face with a soccer ball, and the resulting hemorrhaging caused permanent vision loss. In the film, he calls it, “A gift of destiny”.
The film is full of many such insights, including his musical influences, and the connections that led to success. He charts his career, one that became hugely successful, of course, but which took perseverance during the early years. He was in his 30s before he enjoyed widespread success, and his parents despaired.
As a professional, he comes across as precise and hardworking. For singers, there are some good insights; in particular, the importance of learning to sing naturally and in a way that’s unforced, even in higher registers or decibels, by relying on correct technique.
Off stage, he’s a man who still hangs out with friends he’s known since childhood, despite a lifestyle that takes him all over the world. And, at 65, he’s not ready by any means to retire.
Bocelli at TIFF24
Bocelli was in Toronto for the film’s premiere. It’s the kind of bio-doc that is likely to find a home on a streaming service near you soon, but you can catch it at one last screening during TIFF on Friday, September 13; details [HERE].
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.
Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! — local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox HERE.
- REPORT | French Exchange: University Of Toronto Student Maria-Eduarda Mendes Martins Talks About The Académie Francis Poulenc - October 10, 2024
- THE SCOOP | Seven Finalists Have Been Chosen For The 2024 Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition - October 10, 2024
- PREVIEW | Pianist Ricker Choi Talks About His Artivism & Upcoming Concert - October 9, 2024
