Bocelli set for Milan Winter Olympics opening night (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Now, this year's host, Italy, will kick off the Winter Olympics with opening ceremonies in two locations. There are 16 sports to come, eight on ice, eight on snow, involving some 3,000 athletes who've traveled from 92 nations, Milan and the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo in the heart of the Dolomites. Most of the indoor ice competitions, such as figure skating and ice hockey, will be hosted in Milan, while alpine skiing will be in Cortina. Snowboarding and free skiing will take place in Livigno. The opening ceremony will be held in Milan's famous San Siro Stadium. Well, it will feature musical performances from Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli. My colleague, Mariam Mashiri, caught up with the world-renowned tenor ahead of his performance.

[00:00:51] Speaker 2: Andrea Bocelli, a very warm welcome to BBC News, it's an absolute pleasure to have you on the programme and such an exciting time as well as we look forward to the Winter Olympics kicking off. And let me ask you, first of all, you are, of course, one of Italy's most renowned artists worldwide. You performed in incredible settings, in incredible moments. How excited are you about performing in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics?

[00:01:28] Speaker 3: So, this is my second experience of this kind because years ago I took part in the opening of the Winter Olympics with a piece written by David Foster. This year it's an even greater emotion because, as I've always said, I'm a patriot and I like representing my country. What makes me happiest is my country's ability to organise an event of this importance and complexity.

[00:01:55] Speaker 2: Assolutamente. Let's talk a little bit about your music and the way in which it has, in the past, been a symbol of unity in Italy, including, of course, your unforgettable solo performance in the Duomo of Milan during the Covid pandemic.

[00:02:16] Speaker 4: Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.

[00:02:26] Speaker 2: Do you think that sport and music have the ability to bring people together?

[00:02:34] Speaker 3: There are three things that are extremely important for humanity and for a better future. Truth, goodness and beauty. Within beauty, of course, belongs sport and music. As Dostoevsky said, beauty will save the world. I believe it's true. On that occasion, it wasn't a concert or a performance, but a gesture meant to give hope and optimism to a world that was going through an extremely difficult moment.

[00:03:05] Speaker 2: Let me ask you a little bit about Celine Dion, another icon in the industry. She famously said, if God had a singing voice, he must sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli. How did that make you feel?

[00:03:19] Speaker 3: Celine Dion paid me a great compliment, but she didn't know she was condemning me for life to answer this question. It was a joke, though, meant to show her esteem and friendship. I have a great affectionate relationship with Celine Dion and great artistic respect.

[00:03:38] Speaker 2: Now, Andrea, you're about to embark on the US leg of a world tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of your first international album, Romanza. It remains the best selling Italian language album of all time, an incredible feat. What can you tell us about the tour?

[00:03:58] Speaker 3: This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of this album, which objectively had enormous success. These concerts I'll be doing with a new organization will therefore be completely renewed. There will be something new for me, too, hopefully for the best. I will certainly bring some of the songs from that record. But at the same time, I will continue, as I've always done around the world, to bring great Italian music, the great opera arias and the romanze that have made Italy so famous in the world of music.

[00:04:27] Speaker 2: What is your absolute favorite song that you've ever sung, the one you'd take with you if you could?

[00:04:34] Speaker 3: If we're talking about songs in the strict sense, I must give proper gratitude to the song that made me so famous, which is Time to Say Goodbye. If we speak more broadly about pieces, Nessun Dorma from Turandot by Giacomo Puccini is one of the pieces I sing most willingly and that always brings the greatest reaction from the audience.

[00:05:08] Speaker 2: Bellissima. Thank you so much, Andrea. It's been an absolute pleasure to talk to you. Thank you. I hope that you have a wonderful time at the opening ceremony. And once again, thank you for joining us on BBC News.

[00:05:19] Speaker 4: Thank you very much. Bye bye.