Italian open air amphitheater
The Teatro del Silenzio (English: Theater of Silence) is an open air amphitheater located in the city of Lajatico – the hometown of Andrea Bocelli – in the Tuscany region of Italy. In 2006, Bocelli convinced the municipality of Lajatico to build this outdoor venue whose structure utilizes the natural formations of the hilly landscape. Bocelli contributed greatly to its construction.
Bocelli, the honorary president of the theater, performs an annual concert there every July; the theater is silent for the rest of the year.
People.
Andrea Bocelli is honorary president of Teatro del Silenzio with Fabio Tedeschi, the mayor of Lajatico, president; and Enrico Fabbri, the boss of Fabbri, vice-president.
Concerts.
The Teatro del Silenzio annually hosts a concert in July. The concert includes performances by Andrea Bocelli and other guests. To date there have been 13 concerts from 2006 to 2018.
2006.
The inaugural concert occurred 27 July 2006, and was performed in front of over five thousand people and included performances from the following.
2007.
The second concert took place 5 July 2007. The planned rehearsal the previous night was cancelled due to heavy winds, but the concert itself went ahead and included performances from pianist Lang Lang, trumpeter Chris Botti, saxophonist Kenny G, singers Laura Pausini, Elisa, Sarah Brightman, and Heather Headley, conductor Bill Ross, the special guest was 14-time Grammy Award winning David Foster. Performances from Bocelli included "Con te partirò", "Vivo per lei", "Il Mare Calmo della Sera", and "The Prayer". Heather Headley was the other half of the duet in both "Vivo per lei" and "The Prayer". Elisa performed "La voce del silenzio", Laura Pausini sung "Vivere", while Sarah Brightman performed "Time to Say Goodbye" as a duet with Bocelli and "Canto della terra". Dueting with Bocelli on their respective instruments other performers included Lang Lang ("Io ci sarò"), Kenny G ("A te"), Chris Botti ("Italia"), and David Foster playing "Because We Believe" and a medley from Amore.
"Vivere Live in Tuscany", the DVD of the concert was released January 29, 2008.
2008.
Four One Music &amp; Events organized the third concert on 20 July 2008.
Zyrus sang a duet of the song "The Prayer" with Bocelli, having only met for the first time 23 May 2008 when performing at a one-night tribute concert with David Foster at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip.
2009.
For 2009, eight sculptures, by Hans Peter Ditzler, were placed in the theater. The concert took place on July 18. Among Bocelli's guests were Plácido Domingo, with whom he sang "Nessun dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot" and a duet from "The Pearl Fishers", and Katherine Jenkins, with whom he sang "Time to Say Goodbye".
2010.
Sculptures by Swiss artist Kurt Laurenz Metzler, who attended the concert, were exhibited during the 2010 edition of the concert, and Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida, who was also in attendance, donated a Bronze statue she had made of Bocelli, to the city of Lajatico, in the afternoon just before the concert.
Bocelli held the fifth edition of the Teatro del Silenzio, on July 25, to an audience of 10,000, double the amount of the first edition of the annual Festival, held in 2006. His guests included one of the two surviving member of The Three Tenors, Spanish Catalan tenor, José Carreras, and Italian rock singer, Zucchero.
He was also awarded the "Pisano Doc", during the dress rehearsal for the concert, July 24, "in recognition for a great citizen, who with his extraordinary art and his humanity brings great prestige, honor and respect to the city of Pisa."
2012.
The edition was held on July 12, 2012.
2013.
The 2013 edition of the annual concert was held on July 13, 2013. Numbers included a cover of "Love Me Tender" initially performed by Elvis Presley and Italian renditions of Frank Sinatra's "My Way" and Edith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose". Guests included tenor Riccardo Cocciante. As is tradition, Andrea Bocelli performed "Time to Say Goodbye" at the end of the concert.
2015.
The 2015 edition of the concert was the first time that a full opera was performed, the Turandot by Giacomo Puccini. Bocelli played the role of Calaf.
2016.
The 2016 edition of the concert themed 'Le Cirque' was held on July 30, 2016 with a dress rehearsal open to the public on July 29, 2016. The performance mostly consisted of selections from some of the most well known operas with a few 'pop' numbers in the mix. Andrea Bocelli was joined by the legendary South Korean lyrical soprano, Sumi Jo as well as Leo Nucci, Gianfranco Montesor, Svetla Vassileva, Tiziana Carraro, Frederico Longhi, Giuseppe Raimondo, Carmelo Corrado Caruso, Paulo Pecchioli, and I Cantori di Burlamacco. The program was as follows:
Part 1
Part 2
2017.
The 2017 version of the concert was performed on August 3 and was titled 'Il canto della Terra' (the song of the Earth). Performances ranged from artists coming from Argentina, Haiti, Armenia, Spain and many others. World renown dancer Carla Fracci also joined the stage, as well as Andrea Bocelli Foundation's Haitian choir 'Voices of Haiti'
2018.
The 2018 edition was performed twice, on July 28 and July 30, and was once again an opera, this time the Andrea Chénier by Umberto Giordano, the first opera that Bocelli ever learned.
Features.
The site of Teatro del Silenzio also incorporates sculptures by renowned artists. Sculptures have been selected to be exhibited on a platform in the center of the lake. In 2008, Mario Ceroli's "Il Cavallo di Bronzo", a bronze horse was displayed with past sculptures including Arnaldo Pomodoro's "Il Grande Sole", and works by Igor Mitoraj and Kurt Laurenz Metzler.
References.
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