Andrea Bocelli, an Italian classical artist, performed a solo composition a few years back titled “Con Te Partiro” (Time to Say Goodbye). The story goes that Sarah Brightman, another renowned classical artist, was so enchanted when she heard the solo version in a restaurant that she asked staff about it. Having tracked Bocelli down, the song was re-recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and the pair’s performance in November 1996 delighted the crowd. It took the duet composition just one week to storm the British charts, and eventually it became a classical sensation all around the world.
Since being discovered by Luciano Pavarotti in 1992, Bocelli, 38, has taken master classes with the maestro. He has sung for the Pope, with Pavarotti, Bryan Adams and Bryan Ferry. He was born with a visual defect and, at the age of 12, he lost his sight completely after an accident playing football. Bocelli is adamant that, for him, his blindness was in no way a tragedy. “The tragedy is that people continue to make a fuss out of something which they consider tragic, not I.” Since then Bocelli has collaborated with Zucchero (Senza Una Donna) and even U2.
I must have heard “Time to Say Goodbye” on the TV or the radio, but I didn’t know the artists and so I couldn’t find this song. Finally, I traced it down today, and the tremendous power of the composition has embraced me. The duet composition resounds an emotional personal experience, aptly backed by a haunting melody and fabulous vocal performances. Niche!