DANIEL ALEGRE: Buongiorno.
Hello, good morning.
I'm Daniel Alegre.
I'm responsible for Google's
global partnerships.
And it's just an
incredible morning.
It's great to see so
many people out here.
There are a few seats
up here in the front.
Please come up, for
those who are standing.
Yes, please.
Please come up.
[LAUGHTER]
Oh, no, no.
That's for Veronica.
No, no.
OK.
Thank you.
Great excitement.
Obviously, you're
not here to see me.
That's too bad.
Andrea Bocelli.
What can be said about
this inspirational artist
and human being?
I'll give it a shot.
Maestro Bocelli has recorded
15 solo studio albums, three
greatest hits albums,
and nine complete operas,
selling over 80 million
records worldwide.
In 1998, he was named one
of People Magazine's 50
most beautiful people.
In 1999, he was nominated
for the Best New Artist
at the Grammy Awards.
The Prayer, his duet
with Celine Dion,
won the Golden Globe
for best original song
and was nominated for an Academy
Award in the same category.
With the release of his
classical album, Sacred Arias,
Bocelli captured a listing
in the Guinness Book
of World Records as
he simultaneously
had the top three positions on
the US Classical Album Charts.
Never done before.
Seven of his albums have
since reached top 10
in the Billboard 200.
With five million
units sold worldwide,
Sacred Arias became the
biggest-selling classical album
by a solo artist of all time.
And now, with over 20 million
copies sold worldwide,
his 1997 album, Romanza,
became the bestselling album
by any Italian artist
in his genre in history.
Maestro Bocelli was
made grand officer
of the Order of the Merit of
the Italian Republic in 2006.
And he was also honored
with the Hollywood
Walk of Fame for his
contribution to live theater.
Maestro Bocelli
recently released
Cinema, his 15th
studio album, featuring
renditions of classical
film soundtracks and scores.
And in 2011, something that
is very important to him
and very personal,
Maestro Bocelli
founded the Andrea
Bocelli Foundation,
whose goal is to enable
the less fortunate or weak
to have the possibly to have
a better future of beauty
and opportunities.
It is incredible to have
such an individual here
and an internationally-renowned
artist, dedicated family man,
and philanthropist with a true
purpose to change the world.
Maestro Bocelli will
be accompanied today
by pianist Eugene Kohn, who
will be joining us up here.
And if we give them a very,
very, very warm welcome,
maybe we'll also be
able to convince them
to sing a song or two for us.
Ladies and gentlemen,
please join me
in giving Andrea Bocelli
a warm welcome to Google.
[APPLAUSE]
ANDREA BOCELLI: Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you for this invitation.
All my friends will be very
jealous because honestly,
me too, I was very
curious to be here.
And thank you also
for the presentation.
Also, I think that if somebody
here is able to use Google,
I think it's possible to
find every kind of news
about me online.
So thank you very much
for this opportunity.
I tell you, sadly, that
I prefer to speak Italian
because my English is horrible.
So I want to be clear to
answer to your questions.
But I know I have a
very nice interpreter.
So I'll give you
the words and I will
answer to every kind of
question you want to pose me.
DANIEL ALEGRE: Great.
Well, first, thank
you and welcome.
Welcome to Google.
And I'd say probably
everyone here
in the audience has
friends who are saying
they are so jealous that we get
to see-- experience-- Maestro
Bocelli here live, including my
mother, my sister, my brother,
and my father.
You just flew in from Seattle.
I know I also
appreciate you being
here at such an early hour.
Because I think you landed
from Seattle around 2,
3 o'clock in the morning.
How are you feeling
this morning?
ANDREA BOCELLI: I flew
by Italy yesterday.
Then I had a concert
yesterday evening.
And now I'm here, so it means
that I'm still strong enough.
DANIEL ALEGRE: OK, good.
Well, you were supposed to
perform on Saturday at San Jose
SAP Arena, and the
concert was moved
to Friday because of the
success of the San Jose Sharks.
So for anyone who is--
[APPLAUSE]
So I guess we have some
San Jose Sharks fans here.
But you perform in some of the
largest, most beautiful venues
in the world, whether it's
Carnegie Hall, the Wiener
Staatsoper, the
Metropolitan Opera House.
And you travel everywhere
around the world,
meet celebrities, meet
all the different popes.
I guess the question is,
how do you stay grounded?
You know, what is normal
for Andrea Bocelli?
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING  ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I think
that whatever you
do every day becomes normality.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: If I think of
every day of my life of today--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And if
I could have foreseen
when I was a child what
would happen today--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I
would have gone mad.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Because when I was
dreaming to become a singer--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I thought I would
sing in some Italian theater.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Maybe some radio
interview in my home country.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Nothing
more than that.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I would've
been happy with that.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Instead,
reality exceeded my dreams.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And slowly, it
became something normal for me.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Although
I'm very grateful for all
the populations, all the people
that gave me so much affection
and trust.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And in
particular, the United States
have been very, very nice to me.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And the symbol
of this link with the United
States has been the
concert in Central Park.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: In these
cases, I try not
to think about what I'm doing.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: To fight
anxiety and tension.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: It's better to
forget what you're doing.
Just think, this is normal,
this part of our lives.
DANIEL ALEGRE: You said
that, from a very early age,
you knew that you wanted to
be a singer and performer.
Do you remember when that was?
What, was it from
the very early age,
or was it an event in your
life that spurred that desire?
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: It wasn't my fault.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: It's
always been others that
cultivated this dream in me.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Since I
was a little child,
I always loved opera singers.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And I
try to imitate them.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And it was partly
the curiosity of the adults
that always got me to sing.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So I started
singing at birthday parties--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: The church,
anywhere, at school.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: My classmates,
they were always
asking me to sing at school.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: This
was a good excuse
to stop the lesson at school.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So step
by step, I started
thinking that, well,
this might be my future.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I
mean, people ask me,
what do you need to
do to become a singer?
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And I say
that the best thing to hope
for a career in singing--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: --is
to realize that it's
others that want
you to sing, not you
that wants to sing for others.
DANIEL ALEGRE: And
you actually had
a potential different career.
You studied law very
early in your life.
And you could have been a
partner at Bocelli & Bocelli
Law Firm.
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
DANIEL ALEGRE: What happened?
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: In my family,
several of my relatives
were lawyers.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So I thought
the most obvious step
would be to study law
and do the same career.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: But heaven
sometimes comes to save humans,
and they save them from
having a terrible lawyer.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And
it made me become
a singer for this reason.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So nothing
should be wasted in life.
In Pisa, my hometown, there
is a prestigious university.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So when I
was at the university,
I had many amazing
years, and I even enjoyed
studying law at some point.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I confess, I've
never read a contract of mine.
[LAUGHTER]
DANIEL ALEGRE: Hopefully, you're
surrounded by a good attorney
now.
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
DANIEL ALEGRE: Do you
mind just walking us
through what was a
key turning point
in your professional career.
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
DANIEL ALEGRE: And what role did
Maestro Pavarotti have in it.
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So
Luciano Pavarotti
was key in two
different moments.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So
first, when he said--
he had the courage to say I
would have been a good singer.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Until then, no
one in the music business
had ever wanted to invest in me.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Everyone said,
you're good, you're good,
but no one ever put
a dollar or two.
They made me do a--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So Pavarotti was
key in this sense, of course.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And
the second moment
that's even more important
than the first one--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: --was when
I had the opportunity
to sing close to him.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I listened to him.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And I
thought, oh my god, I need
to start from scratch again.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Because I had
understood that my technique
was very rough.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And thanks to
this, I started from scratch.
And thanks to this, I can
now sing like pretty easily.
DANIEL ALEGRE: And
I'm curious, what
is it like to sing
alongside Maestro
Pavarotti or other
well-known opera singers?
Is it intimidating?
Is it collegial?
How does that work?
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: When I first sang
with him, we were at his place.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: We were three--
myself, him, and the pianist.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: That was,
you know, a situation
where I felt at ease because
there was just the three of us.
And it was like a
familiar situation.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: But
then, when we had
to sing in front
of a big audience,
that was a different story.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I got sick.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And my I sang
with high temperature.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: But I had an
angel on my side and I made it.
DANIEL ALEGRE: And
after more than 20 years
of performing live, do you still
get nervous going up on stage?
And if you do, how
do you handle that?
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: You're
always nervous when
you sing in front of a
public, because a voice is
an intimate thing.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: It's something
that comes from the inside.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Singing
in front of someone
who came to hear you
is like, you know,
getting yourself naked
in front of them.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So there's always
this sense of [ITALIAN],
you never know how
you feel when you are
in front of these audiences.
DANIEL ALEGRE: And
what does the song
"Time to Say Goodbye" mean
to you and to your career?
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
Well, honestly, it
has been very important
because it's a song
that everyone loves.
I think there is a
secret inside it.
I don't know what
it is, but there
is a very special message.
DANIEL ALEGRE: And
it also made you
as a well-known household name.
And it's been recorded in
Portuguese, Spanish, French,
multiple languages.
Do you still like performing
it or does it become a burden
after so many times?
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: What
I like to do is
to see how much
people like my songs.
DANIEL ALEGRE: That's great.
And I think that leads me to
an obvious question for someone
who has such a passion
for music and for art.
How does it feel for you
that your passion is also
a profession?
The commercial expectations
relative to your love
for music, do they
work hand in hand?
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: You'll
hardly believe me--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Here we have
a few-- sorry-- witnesses
like my Veronica, my
wife, and my brother
that can witness it for you.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I don't care
what happens around me
from the business point of view.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Sometimes,
I come to a concert
and I don't know nothing.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Many people
ask me, how many--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I don't know
how many records I've sold.
People tell me things,
but I don't believe them.
DANIEL ALEGRE: That's
what the attorney is for.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Exactly.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: The firm gives
a much higher, bigger numbers
to the newspapers.
But then to me, they
give me another number.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Seriously, I've
never been too interested
in these things.
My only concern is to sing well.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Everyone needs
to do well what he does.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: There's people
who take care of the business.
I will take care of
singing well, the notes.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And
if any one of you
could attend one of
the studio sessions
that I do with
Eugene here, that has
worked with some of the
best people in the world--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So Eugene worked
with Renata Tebaldi, Callas--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
Corelli, Domingo.
INTERPRETER: --Corelli, Domingo.
Well, you know.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
Pavarotti, everyone.
INTERPRETER:
Pavarotti, everyone.
EUGENE KOHN: I haven't worked
with anybody more talented
than you, Andrea.
ANDREA BOCELLI: No, come on.
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
[APPLAUSE]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: But now he needs
to, you know, stay with me.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Life
is funny sometimes.
There's turning points.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I
was saying, if you
were attending one of the
studio sessions with Eugene--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER:
--you'd be surprised
that there's never one note
that goes well, that is good.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: He corrects
every single note.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So if I
want to optimize my work,
there's no time to
think about business.
DANIEL ALEGRE: And I will say,
I did witness backstage Eugene
doing exactly what
Maestro Bocelli mentioned.
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
DANIEL ALEGRE: And I
know that in your home,
you possess a very
sophisticated recording
studio where I
believe you recorded
your last album, "Cinema."
And I think you're
starting to see
a trend in speakers
of going into smaller
and smaller speakers and
potentially loss of fidelity.
How important is fidelity
sound to music enjoyment
relative to access to music
at any point in your life?
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I've
been crazy in love
for recording since I was a
little child, since I heard
for the first time my voice.
And at home, I used to
have a small recording
that I used to enjoy a lot.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
It's so magic, no?
To listen to our voice in
a small box is incredible.
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And
since then, I started
collecting a countless number
of technological pieces.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I visited every
single shop here in America
where they were
selling recorders.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And
besides that, I'm really
fascinated by technology.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Technology, like
beauty, will save the world.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So like
every other thing,
man can do good or
bad use of technology.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: But I have
trust, I have faith in man.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And I'm sure
that man eventually will
make good use of technology.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Technology
made huge steps.
Just imagining a small
box, you can have thousands
of songs, thousands of books.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: All this required
a lot of money in the past,
of course.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Now it's
all in your pocket.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: This is an
incredible opportunity
to grow, to learn more.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And this means
equality, in one word.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Not
a forced equality,
forced by blood and
weapons, but something
that comes from the heart.
DANIEL ALEGRE: You
mentioned the inspiration
that you got from
Maestro Corelli
when you first heard him, how
important Luciano Pavarotti was
for your career.
How important is it for you
to mentor young artists?
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
DANIEL ALEGRE: Or to
inspire new artists?
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I haven't
had the chance to do it.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: It's a huge
responsibility, obviously.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: There's a
young student at home.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: One of my songs
that I would like to try.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I'll do my best,
and let's see what I can do.
DANIEL ALEGRE: So
is it safe to assume
you're not going to push
your sons to be lawyers?
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI: No.
DANIEL ALEGRE: To
follow their passion.
ANDREA BOCELLI: Yeah.
DANIEL ALEGRE: In 2011,
I know that giving back
to the community and the
importance of giving people who
don't necessarily have a
chance and opportunity in life,
you founded the Andrea
Bocelli Foundation
with the aim of supporting
those living in poverty
in overcoming barriers caused
by illness and disability.
If you don't mind, I would
like to just show a quick video
of the Bocelli Foundation.
Maybe we can talk about
it in just a second.
Please roll the first video.
[VIDEO PLAYBACK]
[MUSIC - ANDREA BOCELLI, "LA
 FORZA DEL SORRISO"]
[END PLAYBACK]
[APPLAUSE]
DANIEL ALEGRE: I
have to tell you
how unique it is to hear
a video here and then
hear the harmonizing
of Maestro Bocelli
at the same time
out of my two ears.
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
DANIEL ALEGRE: What have been
the greatest achievements
of the Foundation
to date, and how
do you think it's
made a difference?
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: The
biggest achievement
has been certainly to take a lot
of children out of the streets
and give them food, give
them education, give them
hope for the future.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Naturally, this
is a long, infinite time.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: We don't
know if-- you start,
but you don't know if
you complete your path.
But yeah, when there is
a lead, there is a way.
ANDREA BOCELLI: Yeah, where
there's a will, there's a way.
INTERPRETER: --a
will, there is a way.
DANIEL ALEGRE:
And I also noticed
that your lovely wife Veronica
and your son were in the video.
Do they participate in the
Foundation actively as a family
as well?
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: My family's
heavily involved in all this.
My wife Veronica became vice
president of the Foundation
from the very beginning.
And my son Amos recently
also became part of it.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: My brother
is also involved.
And he also lends his
architectural skills
for all the works that
we are doing in Haiti.
DANIEL ALEGRE: That's wonderful.
And they're both joining us
here in the audience as well.
So hopefully you'll get
a chance to see them
after the interview.
If you don't mind,
I would like to play
another video, a short video
about the Fight Night Auction.
And then maybe can talk
about it in just a second.
Can you show the
second video, please?
[VIDEO PLAYBACK]
[MUSIC - ANDREA BOCELLI, "LA
 DONNA E MOBILE"]
[END PLAYBACK]
DANIEL ALEGRE: Do
you mind telling us
a little bit about the
Fight Night auction
and where the
proceeds go towards?
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Our initiatives
are aimed mainly at Haiti,
as you can see.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Although
my foundation also
operated in Italy,
for example, when
there was the earthquake
in Emilia-Romagna.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And there's a
third branch of intervention
that's in collaboration
with the MIT of Boston.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: The idea
is to help people
who can't see to use a device
that will help them have more
mobility and move more easily.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: There's
a lot of blind people
who live alone in big cities.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: These are people
that found themselves alone,
lonely through all
the time, and then
had to face the difficulties
of living in big cities.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Now sure,
this is a hard bet to win.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: But
this is the message
I sent everywhere in the world
to companies like Google,
for example.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: With the
hope that, together,
we can tackle this problem.
DANIEL ALEGRE: I think we'll
have time for one or two
live questions.
So prepare yourself for that.
And usually when we have
people come here to Google,
and particularly considering
the impact that you
can have globally to
people around the world--
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
DANIEL ALEGRE: --we
ask, what can Google
do for you, for your foundation,
or for you personally,
Andrea Bocelli?
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So certainly, one
thing that comes to my mind
is collaboration with Google
to win this bet that I just
talked about.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Naturally, I came
to know about Google Glass
and I found it very
interesting work.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: There's
already some devices
that tell you like
who's the person that
is coming towards
you or the shops
that you are walking beside.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: But the problem
is much simpler and much
more complicated
at the same time.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: If you are
blind and walk in a city,
you need to know which
are the obstacles that you
need to avoid.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: This seems simple
because there's already cars
that are self-driving, right?
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: All our
cars have sensors
that tell us if there's
obstacles on all sides.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: But we are still
far from resolving the problem
that we're trying to
face at the moment.
ANDREA BOCELLI: But where there
is a will, there is a way.
INTERPRETER: There is a way.
[APPLAUSE]
DANIEL ALEGRE: Are there
any live questions?
There are two microphones
here, and also the Dory,
but I see-- can you please
go up to the microphone?
I think we'll have a
chance for two questions.
And hopefully, we'll
be able to convince
Maestro Bocelli to grace
us with one or two songs.
Please.
AUDIENCE: I really
liked the "Cinema" album
and how it's just a great
tribute to film and composers,
you know, Ennio Morricone
and Hans Zimmer and such.
I was wondering if
you ever thought
of working with one
of these composers,
and who would you
like to work with,
if you had a composer of choice
or even maybe a director?
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Except for
Verdi, Pucinni, Lorenzetti,
or Rossini.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: There's a
contemporary [INAUDIBLE] first.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: There's one
in particular, Sartori,
who wrote all the songs
for me and who I admire.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And he's the author
of "Time to Say Goodbye"--
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: --and of many
other songs that I sang.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Then there's
Pierpaolo Guerrini,
who comes from my own land.
ANDREA BOCELLI: He's
my sound engineer.
He has a very nice recording
studio close to my house.
And he wrote some very
interesting songs for me.
For example, "Melodramma,"
"L'abitudine"-- it's a duet.
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: These
are the two composers
that wrote the pop songs
that are more-- that suit
me best for my skills.
AUDIENCE: Thank you.
DANIEL ALEGRE: Please.
Next question.
AUDIENCE: Sure.
So I'm interested
in how you practice.
So I was wondering if you
could mention or demonstrate
some vocal exercises
that you use
that may be beneficial for
aspiring classical singers.
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI: Wow.
[LAUGHTER]
No?
DANIEL ALEGRE: Sure.
ANDREA BOCELLI: I think it would
be very boring for everybody.
There are many, many
different exercises,
but very, very
boring, believe me.
They are scales, arpeggios--
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI: And
also phrases, you know,
that I have repeated and
repeated and repeated again.
So I think it's not
the best place where--
AUDIENCE: Thank you.
DANIEL ALEGRE: And then I
think one final question.
AUDIENCE: So this is kind
of a little-- first of all,
thank you for coming.
This is great for all of us.
Awesome.
Is there a short story that
you haven't typically shared?
Like something odd that's
happened before a concert
where, I don't know, your
voice wasn't cooperating
or just something funny
that's happened that you'd
like to share with us.
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
DANIEL ALEGRE:
Welcome to Google.
[LAUGHTER]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Well,
actually this morning
will be in one of the things
that I will tell to people
that will ask me about that.
[LAUGHTER]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: The
career of an artist
like me is made of a lot
of occasions and, you know,
anecdotes that happened
throughout life.
So it's hard to pick one.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: One
of the first times
that I sang at
Madison Square Garden.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So I
wake up in the morning
and I have high temperature.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Sore
throat, cold, everything.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So I call everyone,
like my brother, my manager,
a few friends from Italy.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: So I told them,
like, I'm sorry, I can't sing.
And they were all around my
bed as if I was about to die.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Of course, the
manager was the most worried
of everyone.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: And there
was 19,000 tickets sold.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: Would you like
to know how much you're
getting tonight?
[LAUGHTER]
ANDREA BOCELLI: I said, OK,
let me go in the bathroom.
[LAUGHTER]
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I got up.
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
INTERPRETER: I locked
myself in the restroom.
ANDREA BOCELLI: And I began
to do, [SINGING SCALES]
My voice was very rough.
But I continued.
[SINGING SCALES]
I stayed close in my
bathroom for half an hour.
And at the end, I came out and
I said, OK, I'll try it tonight.
And after 10 hours, because
the concert was at 8 o'clock,
more or less, I sang-- I sung?
I sang.
INTERPRETER: Sang.
ANDREA BOCELLI: I sang.
Because where there is
a will, there is a way.
[APPLAUSE]
DANIEL ALEGRE: Well,
you got your answer
to the vocal exercises:
lock yourself
in a bathroom for half an hour.
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
DANIEL ALEGRE: Well, where
there is a will, there is a way.
We are willing to see
if there's a way we
can lure you to perform a song.
We have a piano, Eugene,
here, and a microphone.
ANDREA BOCELLI: No.
DANIEL ALEGRE: Any chance
we can convince you?
ANDREA BOCELLI: I
hope that-- now I
really hope that it's true
that where there is a will,
there is a way.
Because my voice is very tired
after the concert yesterday.
But I really want to try
to do something for you.
Forgive me if I--
DANIEL ALEGRE: Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
EUGENE KOHN: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
DANIEL ALEGRE: Surprised?
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN] Ah.
EUGENE KOHN: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI: Ready, Eugene?
EUGENE KOHN: Yeah.
ANDREA BOCELLI: I'm not.
Say.
[MUSIC - ANDREA BOCELLI & EUGENE
 KOHN, "AVE MARIA"]
[APPLAUSE]
EUGENE KOHN: Bravo.
ANDREA BOCELLI: Thank you.
Thank you very much.
[MUSIC - ANDREA BOCELLI & EUGENE
 KOHN, "SERENATA"]
[APPLAUSE]
[MUSIC - ANDREA
BOCELLI & EUGENE KOHN,
"L'ALBA SEPARA DALLA LUCE"]
[APPLAUSE]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
EUGENE KOHN: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
DANIEL ALEGRE: Bravo!
Bravo!
[MUSIC - ANDREA BOCELLI & EUGENE
 KOHN, "BE MY LOVE"]
[APPLAUSE]
DANIEL ALEGRE:
Ladies and gentlemen,
what a unique experience to
have Maestro Bocelli here
to answer our questions
and obviously perform.
Such a angelic voice.
And thank you for
everything you're
doing for people who are
passionate about music
around the world, and also
touching people's lives
everywhere.
Thank you so much, and Google's
doors are always open for you.
Maestro Bocelli.
[APPLAUSE]
EUGENE KOHN: Bravo,
Andrea, bravo!
INTERPRETER: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ANDREA BOCELLI:
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
EUGENE KOHN: Bravo.
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
[VIDEO PLAYBACK]
[MUSIC - ANDREA BOCELLI, "LA
 FORZA DEL SORRISO"]
[END PLAYBACK]
