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Arts & Culture

Andrea Bocelli - Landmarks Live In Concert: A GREAT PERFORMANCES Special

(from l to r) Andrea Bocelli and Conductor Zubin Mehta perform at Florence’s historic Palazzo Vecchio, Italy, in LANDMARKS LIVE IN CONCERT.
Courtesy of GREAT PERFORMANCES/ PBS
(from l to r) Andrea Bocelli and Conductor Zubin Mehta perform at Florence’s historic Palazzo Vecchio, Italy, in LANDMARKS LIVE IN CONCERT.

Airs Friday, July 27, 2018 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2

The international superstar performs at Florence’s historic Palazzo Vecchio.

“Andrea Bocelli – Landmarks Live In Concert – A GREAT PERFORMANCES Special” continues the new Landmarks arts strand on PBS.

The series is hosted by, Chad Smith, the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers who conducts one-on-one interviews with the artists exploring their favorite locations around each Landmark.

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In addition to his numerous international awards, Bocelli is both a Grammy and Emmy nominated artist as well as one of the most successful and best-selling singers in the history of classical-crossover music. 

In this special performance from the spectacular Palazzo Vecchio in Florence Italy, Bocelli is joined by world renowned conductor Zubin Mehta, sopranos Carly Paoli and Maria Aleida, baritone Gianfranco Montresor, and violinist David Garrett.

Andrea Bocelli – Landmarks Live In Concert: Preview

Host Chad Smith takes an up-close and personal tour of Bocelli’s villa in Tuscany as well as the City of Florence.

Bocelli and Smith sit down for a musician-to-musician conversation providing a very special opportunity to hear the tenor talk about his home in the hills of Tuscany, his family and, of course, his music.

They also sit down for an impromptu musical jam session.

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Andrea Bocelli on Tuscany

After his Tuscany afternoon with Bocelli, Smith heads back into town for a unique tour of Florence with Mayor Dario Nardella, as they go inside the Palazzo Vecchio for an exclusive tour and discuss the history of this magical place where (as Nardella says) "the modern history of humanity was born."

Smith later makes his way to "the real Florence on the other side of the river" (the modern day home to the genuine craftsmen of Florence) as he visits Bocelli's favorite silk shop, the Antico Setificio Fiorentino Factory (built in 1786) for a rare tour and education on silk weaving that is crafted the same way in 2017 as it was when the doors opened 230 years ago.

As the sun finally sets on Florence, Smith’s day winds down with a visit to the most famous landmark in Florence, the Duomo Cathedral (construction began 1296 and took 150 years to complete).

With longtime Bocelli family friend Stefano Gabrielli as his night life guide to Florence, Smith shows us a bit of Florence at night and finally ends the day with "a dinner" at the famous Cammillo restaurant in the heart of the city.

O Sole Mio - Andrea Bocelli

Musical Program:

  • “Amor, Vida De Mi Vida”
  • “O soave fanciulla” from “La Boheme” (with Maria Aleida)
  • “O sole mio” (with David Garrett)
  • “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici” from “La Traviata” (With Carly Paoli)
  • “Time To Say Goodbye” (With Carly Paoli) 
  • “Au fond du temple saint” from “The Pearl Fishers” (with Gianfranco Montresor)
  • “Nessun dorma” from “Turandot”

WATCH ON YOUR SCHEDULE:

This full episode is available to stream on demand with KPBS Passport, video streaming for members ($60 yearly) using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn more and activate your benefit now.

CONNECT:

GREAT PERFORMANCES is on Facebook, and you can follow @GPerfPBS on Twitter.

Andrea Bocelli is on Facebook, and you can follow @AndreaBocelli on Twitter.

CREDITS:

LANDMARKS LIVE IN CONCERT is a production of City Drive Films. Daniel E Catullo III, CEO of City Drive Films is creator, director and executive producer. The series is co-produced with Bungalow Media + Entertainment. Its CEO, industry veteran Robert Friedman also serves as executive producer. For GREAT PERFORMANCES, Bill O’Donnell is series producer; David Horn is executive producer. Stephen Segaller is executive-in-charge for WNET. GREAT PERFORMANCES is produced by THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET.