''Passione'' is the fourteenth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

by Italian tenor

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...

, released on 29 January 2013. The album is a collection of Mediterranean love songs featuring duets with

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series '' In Living Color'', where she re ...

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired de ...

and a virtual duet with the late French cabaret singer

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pi ...

(who died in 1963). It was produced by multiple Grammy-winning producer and

Verve Music Group Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ...

Chairman

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

who co-produced Bocelli's 2006 Latin album '' Amore''. A Spanish version of the album titled ''Pasión'' is set to be released through

Universal Latino Universal Music Latin Entertainment, a division of Universal Music Group, is a record company specialized in producing and distributing Latin music in Mexico, the United States, and Puerto Rico. UMLE includes famous Latin music labels such as Un ...

label.

Background

The album features a collection of Mediterranean love songs featuring duets with

and the late French cabaret singer

who died in 1963. Bocelli sings in six languages,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

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French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, and

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...

. Instrumentalists include Foster on piano, along with

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

vian guitarist Ramon Stagnaro, trumpeter

Chris Botti Christopher Stephen Botti ( ; born October 12, 1962) is an award-winning American trumpeter and composer. In 2013, Botti won the Grammy Award in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category, for the album ''Impressions''. He was also nominated in ...

, and a 63-piece

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

. ''Passione'' includes

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

's “ Love Me Tender”, “

The Girl from Ipanema "Garota de Ipanema" ("The Girl from Ipanema") is a Brazilian bossa nova and jazz song. It was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. It was written in 1962, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Por ...

”, “Sarà Settembre”, a version of

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

’s “ September Morn” with Italian lyrics written by Bocelli and

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

and

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...

'. Bocelli sings “ Quizás Quizás Quizás” with

and “

Corcovado Corcovado (korcovádo) which means "hunchback" in Portuguese, is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a 710-metre (2,329 ft) granite peak located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park. Corcovado hill lies just west of the c ...

” with

, and a virtual duet of "

La Vie en rose "La Vie en rose" (; ) is the signature song of popular French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947. The song became very popular in the US in 1950, when seven versions reached the ''Billboard ...

" with the late French cabaret singer

Edith Piaf Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and var ...

is also included who died in 1963.

Promotion and release

Bocelli released the studio album on January 29 on the

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, and Verve music labels. ;

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

In December 2012, Bocelli performed "

When I Fall in Love "When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in the film ''One Minute to Zero'' as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the firs ...

" and '' The Prayer'' with

Helene Fischer Helene Fischer ( /heˈleːnə ˈfɪʃɚ/; German: eˈleːnə ˈfɪʃɐ born Jelena Petrovna Fischer, 5 August 1984) is a Russian-born German singer. Since her debut in 2005, she has won numerous awards, including 17 Echo awards, four "Die Kron ...

on her German show, and on RTL's ''Ultimative Chart Show''. ;

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

On January 9, Bocelli appeared on the magazine ''C a Vous'' on

France 5 France 5 () is a French free-to-air public television channel, part of the France Télévisions group. Principally featuring educational programming, the channel's motto is ''la chaîne de la connaissance et du savoir'' (the knowledge network). ...

, and sang "

". On the 12, he was interviewed on the radio show ''On Repeint la Musique'' on

France Bleu France Bleu is a network of local and regional radio stations in France, part of the national public broadcasting group Radio France. The network has a public service mission to serve local audiences and provides local news and content from each ...

. On February 1, Bocelli gave an interview to the radio show ''Passion Classique'' on the Radio Classique station. On February 3, Bocelli took part in an episode of ''Là où je t'emmènerai'' on TF1 On February 8, "Laissez-vous tenter" on

RTL radio RTL Radio is a German commercial radio station based in Berlin and the part of the RTL Group. It originated as the German language service of Radio Luxembourg, which began broadcasting after World War II from Luxembourg. It broadcasts adult c ...

featured a short interview with Bocelli and played selections of ''Passione''. On March 31,

Michel Drucker Michel Drucker, CQ (born 12 September 1942 in Vire) is a popular French journalist and TV host. He has been on screen for so long on various shows and different networks, both public and private, that he once said that some people joked that h ...

's ''Vivement Dimanche'' featured a performance of Bocelli singing "La vie en rose". ;

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Bocelli gave an interview about ''Passione'' in his home for María Teresa Campos's show "¡Qué tiempo tan feliz!" on

Telecinco Telecinco is a Spanish free-to-air television channel operated by Mediaset España. The channel was previously known as Tele 5, because it had first begun its experimental transmissions on 10 March 1989, and a year later, it was officially laun ...

. ;

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

On January 23, Bocelli performed on ITV's This Morning and was interviewed by Becky Want on her radio show on

BBC Radio Manchester BBC Radio Manchester is the BBC's local radio station serving Greater Manchester. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience o ...

. On January 25, Bocelli and his partner Veronica were both interviewed by

Alan Titchmarsh Alan Fred Titchmarsh HonFSE (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, broadcaster, TV presenter, poet, and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a gardening journalist, he established himself as a media personality through a ...

on the Alan Titchmarsh Show. On February 6, Bocelli was interviewed by

Bill Turnbull William Robert Jolyon Turnbull (25 January 1956 – 31 August 2022) was an English television and radio presenter and journalist, whose broadcasting career spanned over four decades. He began his career working for radio stations including Radi ...

and

Susanna Reid Susanna Reid (born 10 December 1970) is an English television presenter and journalist. She was a co-presenter of ''BBC Breakfast'' from 2003 until 2014 alongside Bill Turnbull and Charlie Stayt. In 2013, she finished as a runner-up on the elev ...

BBC Breakfast ''BBC Breakfast'' is the BBC television breakfast news programme. Produced by BBC News, the programme is broadcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. The simulcast is presented live, originally from the BBC Television Centre, London before ...

. ;

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

On January 27, Bocelli began promoting the album in the States on QVC. He sang ten songs from the album, including " Quizás, Quizás, Quizás" and "

" with

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

filling in for

and

. The standard edition of ''Passione'', along with a bonus cd with 6 tracks from Bocelli's 2006 album '' Amore'' was offered to QVC viewers. On January 28, Bocelli performed songs from the album at the ''iHeart Radio theater presented by P. C. Richard & Son'', in

32 Avenue of the Americas 32 Avenue of the Americas (also known as the AT&T Long Lines Building, AT&T Building, or 32 Sixth Avenue) is a 27-story, telecommunications building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Completed in 1932, it was one o ...

, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The concert was streamed live on the Internet radio platform

iHeartRadio iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbrella brand for iHe ...

. On January 29, Bocelli performed accompanied on piano by

a solo version of "Quizás, Quizás, Quizás" and " Love Me Tender" on ABC's

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. ...

. On January 30, Bocelli and Foster performed "Sara' Settembre" on The View following a brief interview with

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

and

Sherri Shepherd Sherri Shepherd (born April 22, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, author, broadcaster, and television personality. She currently hosts the daily syndicated daytime talk show, '' Sherri''. From 2007 to 2014, Shepherd was a co-host of the da ...

. On February 1, Bocelli performed "Quizás, Quizás, Quizás" on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by comedian Jimmy Fallon. About pag ...

. On February 12, Bocelli was interviewed about the album, by María Celeste Arrarás, on

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is owned by Comcast. It provides content nationally with pr ...

's Al Rojo Vivo. On April 9, Bocelli sang “Quizás Quizás Quizás” with

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the form ...

Passione Tour

;Tour dates ;Box office score data

Critical reception

The album was well received by critics. Adrian Edwards, of the BBC, praised Bocelli for "his relaxed manner belying an innate artistry as he moves from the classical style into a popular vein with consummate ease. His delivery is such that we hear his core feeling for each language, which colours his special timbre." He also complemented Foster for "the employment of instrumental colours from saxophone, guitar, flute and accordion across the palette, played by distinguished instrumentalists, adds variety to deft arrangements of some very familiar songs." However, regarding the virtual duet with "Piaf", he said "not even modern studio techniques can disguise the shortcomings of the original recording."Bocelli’s delivery is irresistible, and these arrangements can be intoxicating
BBC - January 23, 2013 Stephen Unwin, of the

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet ...

, gave the album 4/5, stating that Bocelli "proves yet again that his voice is universal and his song choices commercially palatable." He also said that "a more interesting duet is La Vie En Rose with the late French cabaret singer Edith Piaf, (who died in 1963), though production from multi-Grammy winner David Foster ensures a meticulously romantic collection of slushy international classics."CD Review: Andrea Bocelli: Passione

- January 25, 2013 Andy Gill,

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

's music critic, gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, mainly praising Bocelli's delivery in “Era Gia' Tutto Prevista”, “

Perfidia "Perfidia" (Spanish for "perfidy", meaning ''faithlessness'', ''treachery'' or ''betrayal'') is a 1939 Spanish-language song written by Mexican composer and arranger Alberto Domínguez (1906–1975). The song is sung from the perspective ...

” and “Roma Nun Fa' La Stupida Stasera”.Album review: Andrea Bocelli, Passione (Decca)

- January 25, 2013

Commercial performance

''Passione'' entered the UK album charts at No.9, making it his eighth album to reach the top ten in the country. The following week, the album jumped two spots to No.7. ''Passione'' become Bocelli's seventh top 10 set on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, by debuting at No. 2 with 94,000 copies sold. Thus the set ties Bocelli's earlier runner-up title, 2009's ''

My Christmas ''My Christmas'' is the thirteenth studio album and first Christmas album released by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. The album is a compilation of seasonal holiday favorites, mainly in English, with a few selections in Italian, German, and Fren ...

'', which spent five consecutive weeks stuck at No. 2, as his highest charting ''Billboard'' 200 album to date. ''Passione'' was however the top selling physical album in the States, seeing as only 10% of its total sales were from Digital downloads. The following week, with three new entries to the chart, the album dropped three spots to No. 5 with 51,000 copies sold, making it the No. 2 holdover of the week. The album remained in the top 10, at No. 9, on its third week, with 48,000 copies sold, down just 6%, perhaps owing to gift purchases made for

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...

. ''Pasion'', the Spanish version of the album, also debuted at No. 59 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with 7,000 sold. The album also topped the ''Latin Albums chart'', Bocelli's second No. 1, following 2009's ''Mi Navidad'', the Spanish version of ''My Christmas''.

Track listings

Love In Portofino

''Andrea Bocelli: Love In Portofino'' was released in cinemas on February 14, 2013. The movie is of a Bocelli concert in

Portofino Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th century ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, recorded in August 2012, where he performed songs from ''Passione'', with an ensemble of supporting artists, including violinist Caroline Campbell, German star

, Brazilian singer-songwriter

Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) * (Sandy) ...

, trumpeter

, and Bocelli's partner Veronica Berti joining him for a duet of "

Somethin' Stupid "Somethin' Stupid", or "Something Stupid", is a song written by C. Carson Parks. It was originally recorded in 1966 by Parks and his wife Gaile Foote, as Carson and Gaile. A 1967 version by Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy Sinatra became ...

", all backed by a 40 piece orchestra. The world premiere of the release, with Andrea Bocelli in attendance, took place in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on January 21, 2013. On March 3, 2013, the film aired continuously on PBS stations nationwide as part of ''

Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise theatrical performances such as plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is p ...

''.THIRTEEN’s Great Performances Production of Andrea Bocelli: Love in Portofino Blooms in March on PBS
PBS

Credits

*Director: David Horn *Executive Producers: Filippo Sugar and David Horn *Executive Producer for Additional Footage: Alfred Chubb *Producers: Andrea Cotromano and Mitch Owgang *Music Production: David Foster

Featured songs

*Cinema Paradiso (featuring Chris Botti) *Senza fine *Anema e core (featuring Caroline Campbell) *Quizás, quizás, quizás (featuring Jennifer Lopez) *A mano a mano *Perfidia *Champagne *Corcovado (featuring Sandy) *Tristeza *La vie en rose *Something Stupid (featuring Veronica Berti) *Besame mucho *Love Me Tender *September Morn *When I Fall in Love (featuring Helene Fischer, Chris Botti) *Roma nun fa' la stupida stasera *Era già tutto previsto *Love in Portofino (featuring Caroline Campbell) *My Way

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Passione
Album website
''Passione''
andreabocelli.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Passione (Andrea Bocelli Album) Andrea Bocelli albums Verve Records albums Albums produced by David Foster 2013 albums Italian-language albums Spanish-language albums