Dove Unombra Sconsolata mi Cerca Andrea Molesini

Even as "the fourth tenor" has become one of the world's most popular and renowned classical and operatic singers, Andrea Bocelli has been teasing pop fans over the years by recording brilliant duets with the likes of Celine Dion and Sarah Brightman. Who better to helm the Tuscan-born vocal giant's first pure pop album than David Foster, who has made foreign language singing all the rage by introducing the world to Josh Groban? Amore features songs from various musical eras, from the 1920s through the '80s, which Bocelli sings in his native Italian, Spanish, and French.

This knockout CD of Vivaldi motets is a thrilling ride. They are scored for soprano and strings and show the wonderful variety of effects Vivaldi had at his disposal (faster, more dramatic arias use the metaphor of a ship in storm-tossed seas, searching for calm winds and safety): in other words, the same stuff he uses in his operas. But here, because these motets are religious in nature, it is the soul in flux that is wishing for God, or a saint, to guide it. Vivaldi will use the lower strings to give the feeling of menacing weather while the singer navigates through outlandishly difficult coloratura (fast runs, octave leaps, high stacatto effects); conversely, each motet also contains a slow, introspective aria which requires a long, soft vocal line.

This 2015 version of Puccini's Turandot has been cannily marketed and has sold well. The marketers had ideal material to work with. Those coming to the opera from the crossover pop recordings of tenor Andrea Bocelli probably needed little more motivation to purchase the album than his name on the cover: he can turn out a crowd even in places where opera is very rare, such as Indonesia.