A family reunion in grand style, in the presence of Christmas: the majority of the Bocellis, Andrea, 64 years old, the leader, their children Matteo, 25 years old, now also launched into a solo dimension, and then little Virginia, ten years old and grit and clarity of ideas to sell, together they conceived an album, «A family Christmas»: it was released internationally a month ago, and immediately shot to the top of the digital charts, while here in Italy, in a special collector’s edition, the release is scheduled for Friday.
In the fifteen tracks recorded there are classics such as «Feliz navidad», «Over the rainbow» or «Happy Xmas (War is over)» by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, also just launched by Il Volo, while the lineup also includes an unreleased, with the signature of Cheope and Federica Abbate, «The most special day». In the development of the disc, the Bocellis, Andrea alone, or with Matteo, in turn also on his own, or all three together, with Virginia who also carves out a moment for herself, “When Christmas comes to town”. All dressed in white, with the Duomo behind them, the Bocellis are perfectly immersed in the climate, there is no fake snow, which instead abounds in the promotional film.
Moreover, Bocelli senior is not new to this kind of repertoire: another Christmas album, from 2009, had exceeded the threshold of five million copies sold. This time the world media have already gone wild in support of the operation, with the head of the family complaining, good-naturedly, of the pressure that surrounds him always and everywhere: «I admit I’m a little tired, I’m always around, the last piece of tour was in Australia and in between there was the interviews, the televisions, and also the studio recordings. But let it be clear that he continues to consider me privileged to do this job. It’s a complicated period, but I have fun, I sing and now I also have the opportunity to spend more time with my children».
Matteo is also in full swing to deliver his debut album: «We will give the decisive acceleration at the beginning of the new year, to arrive on the market by the summer: we already have about eighty tracks candidates to enter the album, but there is still room to possibly select other proposals. They are pop songs that I am very satisfied with. Sanremo? The festival remains a fundamental step, I went with dad and the feeling was very strong. But it’s too early to go to the race this year, I plan to try in one of the next editions. Sooner or later it will happen.”
Virginia does not show any discomfort in navigating between journalists, microphones and cameras: «The difficult thing for me is before starting to sing live, but then when I unlock everything is easier. I am happy to be able to share these experiences with my family: one of the best visits was visiting the White House together with President Biden, he was very kind to me”.
A Christmas record cannot do without celebrations and celebrations of such a classic anniversary: what happens at the Bocelli house on Christmas day? «We are very traditionalists», replies Andrea, «also because as a child I didn’t always have the opportunity to spend it as I would have liked: from the age of 6 to 12 I spent my time in boarding school, so now we will do things dear to all Italians, in a period of the year dedicated to being together, to meeting each other, to love. In the morning we go to mass and then we meet at the table, where there will be surprises. I particularly care about this record, which wants to be a right accompaniment to peace, spirituality, music and songs also intended as collective therapy ».
Among the opportunities put in place in parallel with this “A family Christmas” is also a special broadcast from 4 December on YouTube, a fairy tale-concert against the backdrop of the castle of Gressoney, later also distributed by the American channel Tbn. Finally, for those who still want something more, the volume On the way will also arrive in bookstores on Friday. Diary of a pilgrim (Sperling&Kupfer), this time entirely by Andrea Bocelli, the chronicle of a three-week journey on horseback on the Via Francigena.
But what would the three generations of Bocelli together on a disc want to find under the tree? Father Andrea replies for everyone: «It will be a sad Christmas for many and worrying for everyone, I hope that music performs a small miracle and leads us to reflect on the authentic values of Christmas, which are those of Christianity, the philosophy that could make this land an earthly paradise”.
A family Christmas, Andrea Bocelli with his children Matteo and Virginia under the Christmas tree