Act 2: Bocelli releases back-to-back opera albums

In this story: Opera vs. pop From lawyer to tenor RELATED STORIES, SITES

From Gary Imlach
CNN WorldBeat Correspondent

FLORENCE, Italy (CNN) -- It's a double dose of opera for Andrea Bocelli fans. The Italian singer plans to release his 11th album, "La Boheme," less than two months after "Verdi."

"La Boheme," written by Puccini, is due out on November 7. "Verdi" hit record stores on September 12. Creating that album was a learning experience, he says.

"'Verdi' is a giant of Italian opera -- always will be a giant of Italian opera," Bocelli says. "(He's) a composer who challenges you as a singer but also teaches you about singing."

NAME THAT TENOR How well do you know your tenors? Play our audio matching game    VIDEO Andrea Bocelli performs 'Di Quella Pira' Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Bocelli has become a giant in his own right. His voice has earned him the unofficial title "fourth tenor," putting him in the league of Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.

Since 1998, he has released five classical/opera albums. They include "Suenos," "Sogno," and "Sacred Arias." Polygram Records released those three last year.

Bocelli says he prefers performing opera to just singing opera because it feels more natural.

"When you sing, you narrate something, you tell a story. Or if you don't tell a story, at least you express emotions," he says. "All this requires the use of gestures, which obviously aren't natural in the context of a concert when you're standing before the audience static, without any reason to move. In opera it's all much more natural, much more fun."

The "fun" has paid off.

"I've been rewarded for all my hard work, especially in convincing the record company of the power of this music, and in a commercial sense too," he says.

Bocelli is equally at home with pop musi and has recorded duets with Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman and Eros Ramazzotti. He has no plans to give up that form of music, despite his string of opera albums.

"There's no need to abandon it," he says. "I have contractual obligations, so sooner or later I'll be recording an album of popular songs. However the songs can only be recorded when they've been written. The operas were written many years ago, so they only have to be studied and sung."

Bocelli says he doesn't like to be labeled an "opera singer" or "pop singer."

"It saddens me if I've been divided up," he says. "I've always felt whole. I think it makes no sense. When all is said and done, I'm a singer. In the end, I represent one voice in the world."

Bocelli, who's in his late 30s, grew up in a rural village in Tuscany in western Italy. Visually impaired since birth, he became totally blind at age 12, following a football injury.

His impairment had no effect on his musical aptitude, which was apparent as a youngster as he excelled on piano, flute and saxophone. But he didn't pursue a career in music until after he earned a law degree at the University Of Pisa.

Following his studies, he studied with famed tenor Franco Gorelli, supporting himself by performing in piano bars. His first break came in 1992 when Adelmo Fornaciari auditioned tenors to record a demo tape of "Miserere," which Fornaciari had co-written with Bono of U2.

Bocelli passed the audition and recorded the song as a duet with Pavarotti. He then joined Fornaciari's 1993 world tour, which thrust him into the international spotlight. In 1994, he released his first album, "Il Mare Calmo Della Sera." He went on to produce 10 more, including "La Boheme."

While Bocelli is enjoying the success of his labors, he admits the performing and album-making can be wearing.

"You have to have a lot of strength and conviction," Bocelli says. "You have to love what you do and find new things to stimulate you. And also, you have to have the strength to say 'no' when you have to say 'no.'"

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Andrea Bocelli - Official site
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