He is famous all over the world and has sold 70 million
albums. In an exclusive interview with the Italian magazine Terrasanta,
the tenor Andrea Bocelli talks about his relationship with God, faith and the
Holy Land, which he visits regularly.Here are some extracts from the interview by Manuela Borraccino. The full interview will appear soon also in The Holy Land Review, - TERRASANTA.
Maestro, what has brought you to the Holy
Land?
I made my first trip in 1998, when the maestro Zubin Mehta
invited me for a concert and to record La Bohème in Tel Aviv
and then I returned to record Arias by Verdi with him as well. I have
taken part in the Festival of Masada several times, it is a place with an
extraordinary sense of history and memory. I have also travelled privately on
several occasions, like last June when I brought my children on a pilgrimage and
we visited the whole of the Holy Land, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. We went down
the Via Crucis and visited the Wailing Wall.
What are your impressions of these
trips?
I am a very religious person and if the Holy Places have always seemed familiar then I owe it to my parents who handed their faith on to me and to my primary school teacher, who every year told us the whole of the Old and New Testaments: as a result, I have known these Places since my schooldays and visiting them for me is a strong experience. When I have the chance to go, I never miss the opportunity.
I am a very religious person and if the Holy Places have always seemed familiar then I owe it to my parents who handed their faith on to me and to my primary school teacher, who every year told us the whole of the Old and New Testaments: as a result, I have known these Places since my schooldays and visiting them for me is a strong experience. When I have the chance to go, I never miss the opportunity.
Is there one place or an episode with which you feel
a special bond?
There is a special atmosphere which it is difficult to explain in words: you have to go there and breathe in the air. The very fact that in a few square kilometres three civilizations and three faiths have flourished and lived side by side, that so many languages are spoken there, is a moving dimension and one that makes you reflect. For me, in addition to the unforgettable memories of the concerts with Maestro Mehta, there are also those of my personal spiritual itinerary. I can say that the strongest emotions are those that I have of walking on the Via Crucis, retracing the steps of the Passion and of the Crucifixion.
There is a special atmosphere which it is difficult to explain in words: you have to go there and breathe in the air. The very fact that in a few square kilometres three civilizations and three faiths have flourished and lived side by side, that so many languages are spoken there, is a moving dimension and one that makes you reflect. For me, in addition to the unforgettable memories of the concerts with Maestro Mehta, there are also those of my personal spiritual itinerary. I can say that the strongest emotions are those that I have of walking on the Via Crucis, retracing the steps of the Passion and of the Crucifixion.
Many visitors, however sceptical they may be, seek a
trace of the Mystery in the Holy Places. Do
you?
For me, faith does not hide any mystery; rather it is a tangible and visible reality. Socrates never wrote a single line, but thanks to Plato’s Dialogues, we take it for granted that he lived. In the same way, Jesus did not write anything himself, but what counts is the message that he left. And there had to be someone who delivered that message. For me this is a reality that leaps out at you. Those places make all this come back to life.
For me, faith does not hide any mystery; rather it is a tangible and visible reality. Socrates never wrote a single line, but thanks to Plato’s Dialogues, we take it for granted that he lived. In the same way, Jesus did not write anything himself, but what counts is the message that he left. And there had to be someone who delivered that message. For me this is a reality that leaps out at you. Those places make all this come back to life.
As well as your repertoire from operas and light
music, you are also one of the greatest performers of sacred music. Is there any
particular piece that you associate with the Holy Land?
When I went into the Holy Sepulchre, naturally I didn’t think about anything like that. However, yes, when I am at home those places come back to me. Sacred music is a very important cultural heritage, the greatest musicians of all times, [composers] from Bach to Mozart to Beethoven have written sacred music and so when I sing sacred arias I always think of these trips.
When I went into the Holy Sepulchre, naturally I didn’t think about anything like that. However, yes, when I am at home those places come back to me. Sacred music is a very important cultural heritage, the greatest musicians of all times, [composers] from Bach to Mozart to Beethoven have written sacred music and so when I sing sacred arias I always think of these trips.
I think that it has always been difficult to emerge and it always will be. It’s a bit of a cliché to say that it is more difficult to emerge today than in the past - it’s not actually like that. I think that you have to have a spirit of sacrifice because without that you can’t go anywhere. You have to cultivate your talent and hope that in your destiny there is that opportunity that can make others discover the service that you can offer society with your work or art. Moreover, I am the living proof that destiny exists, because if there is anyone who was unlikely to go far, it was me.
What do you mean?
I mean that I was born on a farm, in an area without many people and far from places where you could study music, go to the theatre, listen to opera, gain experience… I also had a series of personal difficulties. But reality has gone much further than even the most optimistic of dreams. For me this can only mean one thing: that when God has his designs, all difficulties are removed. So you have to have faith, work hard, and trust in God’s plan for us and the signs of the Lord that point out the way to us.
I mean that I was born on a farm, in an area without many people and far from places where you could study music, go to the theatre, listen to opera, gain experience… I also had a series of personal difficulties. But reality has gone much further than even the most optimistic of dreams. For me this can only mean one thing: that when God has his designs, all difficulties are removed. So you have to have faith, work hard, and trust in God’s plan for us and the signs of the Lord that point out the way to us.
Posted by Stephen Butcher, Warsaw CHRISTIAN POST
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