4 minute read
An Encounter of Souls
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
When you have the chance to interview one of the most famous couples in the world it is a moment of sheer delight. Dina Aletras, did just that. Welcome to the world of Veronica & Andrea Bocelli.
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How do you think the world of Classical Music is changing – what challenges do you think the generations following you will face?
AB – Quality classical music will never be “outdated” therefore there will inevitably be connoisseurs even in future generations. Despite any crisis, as proven by history, good music will never cease. In the future, those who wish to have a greater insight of this art, maybe to make it their profession too, will find themselves at a crossroads, having to make a choice between the immediate yet short-lived benefits of a career in pop music which rarely last (or any other contemporary genres) or the taking a gamble and start a knowledge-based journey which is much deeper and enriching for the soul. There will always be some individuals who will want to go deeper, through a learning process which is undoubtedly a thorny one, made of hardships and sacrifices but which will take them towards what is often defined the “paradise of music”.
Music is obviously vitally important to both of you – do you have a favorite piece of music or composer that you turn to when you need to relax, or focus?
VB – At Bocelli’s it is easier to listen to “live” music and it may come from the piano or Andrea’s and Matteo’s voices or even from the music instruments played by our musician friends who come to visit us. Even our little Virginia studies music and practices the piano. Generally speaking, my musical preferences match Andrea’s. Obviously different moods influence somehow musical choices but overall, we prefer listening to opera pieces (in particular the Italian and French repertoire), and we tend to favour those artists who Andrea has admired since his childhood, such as… Beniamino Gigli, Franco Corelli, as well as Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. When we are in the car we listen to a bit of everything, even the latest pop songs and our “big” guys Amos and Matteo are the most knowledgeable and many times they give us some heads-ups. Lately my daughter Virginia has been listening a lot to Ed Sheeran, who is also Matteo’s friend. But she also likes Pink and Céline Dion, who she has recently discovered: during the last few weeks she is obsessed with “My heart will go on” from the Titanic movie.
What is a day like in the Bocelli household?
AB – Between business meetings and convivial gatherings our residence is like a railway station. Since I travel the world for work my biggest desire is to stay at home in tranquility with my children and people I love. As a matter of fact, my wife and I spend the best vacations at home! Here my day is marked by my studies and the sweet presence of my children. I sing, play the piano and when possible, I meet my friends who often join us for dinner. As I have trouble falling asleep my day ends very late at night and whenever possible starts late in the morning... And the perfect day starts with a little “vice” that Veronica indulges me with: she is so sweet to bring me my coffee in bed...
You’re a married couple and you also work quite closely together. How do you keep a balance between work life and home life?
AB – Plato, one of the most enlightened philosophical minds of all time, in his “Symposium” explained how the soul is divided in two halves, one male and one female, so that it can incarnate in the world: every split soul before birth, during its experience on earth, seeks its missing half while aiming at a golden completeness. Well for me and Veronica we can definitely say that ours was a “encounter of souls”. We have been living together for over 16 years, 24 hrs. a day... Together we have faced and overcome all sorts of situations with tenacity. When two people, after so long, have still the desire to be together unconditionally, it really means that their souls are made for each other, and this so true for us.
VB – “Bocelli teaches us that the sky is blue inside each one of us”, wrote Enzo Biagi one of the greatest journalists of the 20th century. And indeed it is so true. If you live positively you can appreciate the daily trials of life and let the fits of rage roll right off your back. Andrea is excellent at this, as he never gets angry. I have a more passionate nature and it takes me much longer to get over something.
How do you relax – is it difficult to find time to just be a couple?
AB – At Bocelli’s it is difficult to remain alone for example for lunch or dinner we are on average twelve and fifteen, because normally we have people from the management office, people looking after the house, relatives, friends who come to see us. I normally have dinner alone with my wife only on Christmas Eve. However, it is not so difficult to regain that complicity, that understanding, the energies required to start again… In most of the cases it suffices by taking a stroll by the sea…
Photo Credit: Luca Rosetti
If you could pick six guests to dine with, past or present, who would you choose?
AB – Jesus Christ (needless to explain you why), my father to thank him and to experience again the joy to have him next to me, Giacomo Puccini, because his genius has enlightened my days. And many more extraordinary figures, from Blaise Pascal to Lev Tolstoj, from Guglielmo Marconi to Albert Einstein, from Gaetano Donizetti to Giuseppe Verdi… I am simply spoilt for choices.
Luca Rosetti
