Andrea Bocelli led a star-studded spectacular line-up on Friday night at BST Hyde Park to celebrate 30 years in music
Andrea Bocelli led a star-studded line-up for day four of American Express presents BST Hyde Park, to celebrate 30 years in music at the largest classical concert to take place in Europe this century. Even the rain couldn’t deter swarms of fans attending the show, for a magical evening where Bocelli was joined by a star-studded list of special guests, including Hans Zimmer, Seal, and Zucchero.
The phenomenal set took place in two parts. Bocelli kicked off his performance with the powerful “La Donna è Mobile,” before leading through a string of some of the most renowned classical tracks, joined on stage by some spectacular classical singers, including Joaquina, soprano Nadine Sierra, mezzo Isabel Leonard, baritone Luca Micheletti and soprano Henna Munn. Each performance was supported by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, including flautist Andrea Griminelli – who had a simply jaw-dropping solo – and violinist Rusanda Panfili, and the Crouch End Festival Chorus.
The second section of the show consisted of some more pop and soundtrack pieces, kicking off with a magical Bocelli-Zuccherro duet, “Miserere”, while old films of Pavorotti, Bocelli and Zuccherro played on the screens, before Zucchero had his moment alone to sing his famous 80s hit “Senza Una Donna.” This performance was followed by a beautiful duet with Seal on ‘Amazing Grace’ and then ‘My Way,’ before Seal had his own moment on his iconic hit “Kiss From A Rose” – brought again to life with a magical orchestral accompaniment. The evening got more and more special, as Bocelli then duetted with his daughter Virginia on ‘Hallelujah,’ and then Hans Zimmer for “Nelle Tue Mani”, taken from the “Gladiator” soundtrack, and “Chevalier de Sangreal” from Da Vinci Code and “Time” from Inception. The evening was rounded off with the ever famous “Con Te Partirò” or “Time To Say Goodbye” and “Nessun Dorma”. It was a truly magical evening that saw Bocelli mesmerise a captivated – if sodden – audience, and it’s to be hoped that BST make this classical moment a part of the line-up in future years.
