christmas

Print Story: Andrea Bocelli teams up with David Foster again for Christmas album on Yahoo! Canada News

Tue Dec 1, 7:23 PM

By Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli says he’s developed a strong musical bond with celebrated Canadian producer David Foster.

Linguistically, there’s still a bit of a disconnect, though, he adds with a laugh.

“My English is horrible but his Italian is worse,” the opera/pop singer declared in a recent phone interview from his home in Tuscany, Italy.

“I think that he is not interested in (learning Italian), but he helps me (with) English,” continued Bocelli as a translator listened in on the line to help him if necessary.

Bocelli and Foster recently released their third album collaboration, “My Christmas,” and will perform songs from it together this Thursday at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

The CD features guest duets with Mary J. Blige, Natalie Cole, Reba McEntire, the Muppets, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Katherine Jenkins.

Songs include “White Christmas”/”Bianco Natale,” “Jingle Bells” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

Foster, who hails from Victoria, B.C., and has won multiple Grammy Awards, produced and arranged the disc with Bocelli in Los Angeles and in Tuscany.

“He came here in my house … so we spent a beautiful period,” said Bocelli, 51, who has previously worked with Foster on the albums “Amore” and “Vivere: Andrea Bocelli Live In Tuscany.”

“David is an extraordinary producer, a great man because he has big energy. It’s very nice to work with him. We understand each other very very well. He trusts in me and I trust him.”

“My Christmas” is Bocelli’s first holiday album after selling more than 60 million recordings of popular and classical music worldwide and landing several Grammy nominations.

He said he waited so long to release a festive disc simply because of timing.

“I had this idea a long time ago but it was not in the projects of my company,” said Bocelli, who has been blind since age 12. “Now, everyone was OK with this.”

In choosing the songs for the album, Bocelli – whose repertoire ranges from Verdi to Puccini and Mascagni – went with some of Foster’s suggestions, including “The Lord’s Prayer.”

The rest were tunes that reminded him of his childhood.

“The were like a dream for me because they remind me of my youth and they bring me happiness in my heart,” said Bocelli, who has been playing music and singing since age six and studied law at the University of Pisa.

“When I was a child, we began to sing a Christmas song in church and I played the organ and then in the afternoon after lunch, we sang together at the piano in my house.”

Bocelli is also well-known for his collaboration with another Canadian – Celine Dion.

The two sang together on the tune “The Prayer,” which was on her album “These Are Special Times” and on his album “Sogno.”

The song went on to win a Golden Globe Award for best original song in 1999 after being on the “Quest for Camelot” soundtrack.

Bocelli said he last spoke with Dion about a year ago in Las Vegas and he’d love to work with her again one day:

“Why not?” I would like it.”