Last month, Andrea Bocelli tweeted: “Music is a beautiful thing. Dostoyevsky used to say ‘Beauty will save the world’ therefore it’s important to have music as part of our world.”

And then he brought melody to the UAE.

It began with a two-hour teaser. For the Andrea Bocelli concert at the Billionaire Mansion on Saturday, we were asked to show up at 8pm sharp. When I got there at 8.01pm, there was already a queue of well-dressed individuals snaking around the building. We quickly entered and after a photo session for guests and an elevator ride, we were in the club. Eclectic decor, low lights and a steady stream of beverages and canapes — at least to most tables — kept guests busy, until it was time for the concert to begin.

The evening began with a surprising rendition by Tuscan artist Ilaria Della Bidia of Somewhere Over the Rainbow — half in Italian, half in English — which set the tone for a magical night.

Della Bidia has been performing with Bocelli since 2011, and accompanied him through some stellar duets.

Introduced by Flavio Briatore, the tenor was greeted by (apt) absolute silence as he belted out hits, one after another for 40 minutes. He recalled his previous visits to the UAE and lulled the audience with a gentle Can’t Help Falling in Love. The tremor in his voice, the warmth and the inflections were perfectly timed. One couldn’t help but wear a silly grin through this song — no, it wasn’t just me, I checked.

The 58-year-old, who has sold more than 80 million records worldwide during his two-decade career, was on point, as was his younger compatriot Della Bidia, whose vocal texture was often reminiscent of a young Celine Dion.

Speaking of Dion, Bocelli and Della Bidia also performed The Prayer, an ode to Bocelli’s 2014 concert in Dubai where he sung the song with the French Canadian musician. Incidentally, The Prayer won the Golden Globe Award for best original song and was nominated for an Academy Award for best original song in 1999. It’s his best known duet with the multi-Grammy winner.

And then the hypnotic gig was over.

Whether he was at the piano or serenading the room with his legendary vocals, no note was out of place.

He did what great musicians do best — he got on stage and let the music take over. And when he finally ended the night, the cheers fractured the silence.

source: GULF NEWS