Top Ten Naples

Naples in 1750 was one of the ten biggest cities in the world, and it spawned two of the biggest musical stars of the era: the castrati Farinelli and the much lesser known Caffarelli, whose real name was Gaetano Majorano. This release consists of arias written for Caffarelli, and you might treasure it for the flamboyant, high-volume singing of countertenor Franco Fagioli, who arguably comes as close as any of his contemporaries to conveying what the high-powered sound of the castrati was like (in the understandable absence of the genuine article). Or, you might be grateful to hear the music associated with Caffarelli, who in his own time had a reputation for being troublesome and has generally ignored by the historical opera revival movement.

Andrea Bocelli has been called "the fourth tenor"; the blind, Tuscan-born vocalist has emerged as one of the most popular voices in the arena of light classical and crossover vocals and has made inroads into the world of opera as well. His participation in Pavarotti's 1992 hit Miserere album and Zucchero Fornaciari's 1993 world tour brought him international attention. Bocelli has been most successful as a pop ballad singer, having recorded duets with Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, and Eros Ramazzotti.

Bocelli is the second studio album by Andrea Bocelli, released in 1995 on the Polydor GmbH label. This album is the follow-up to his debut album, Il mare calmo della sera. In Germany, the album was certified 4× Platinum for shipping two million units, making it one of the best-selling albums ever in the country. From his childhood on the family farm in rural Tuscany to the worldwide stage, Andrea Bocelli has achieved phenomenal success. His singing is only partially the point and his fame owes much more to the aura of romance and the romantic archetype that's attached to him. This is basically for the die-hard fan who simply must have all Bocelli titles in possession. Bocelli was his first release, before the singer had hit the big time and before he had been marketed as a bona fide opera singer. Much of the same material was later released on Bocelli's big seller Romanza. As far as his opera chops go, Bocelli has won the approval of Pavarotti but likely will not wow enthusiasts.