Romanza

Romanza
Compilation album by Andrea Bocelli
Released September 23, 1997 (1997-09-23)
Recorded 1996
Genre Adult contemporary, easy listening, operatic pop, pop
Length 70:13
Label Sugar, Philips, Universal
Producer Mauro Malavasi
Michele Torpedine
Beppe Vessicchio
Celso Valli
Frank Peterson
Andrea Bocelli chronology
Viaggio Italiano
(1996)Viaggio Italiano1996		 Romanza
(1997)		 Aria: The Opera Album
(1998)Aria: The Opera Album1998

Romanza is the first compilation album by Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, released internationally in 1997.[1]

Although a compilation, Romanza is considered Bocelli's breakthrough album and remains his most commercially successful to date, topping charts all across Europe and Latin America. With over 20 million copies sold worldwide,[2] it is the best-selling Italian album of all time, and also one of the best selling albums by a recording artist.

Background

The album is a compilation of Bocelli's two previous pop albums, Il Mare Calmo della Sera, released in 1994, and Bocelli, released in 1995.

Promotion

North America

Being Bocelli's first album released in the United States and Canada, the album and Bocelli himself, were heavily promoted. This included Bocelli being featured in Hotel Bellagio's commercials in North America, as well as his voice being heard on its Fountain show.[3]

PBS also played a big part in Bocelli' early success in the States, with the airing of A Night in Tuscany, Bocelli's first Great Performances special, of a concert filmed in 1997, in his native Tuscany.

Europe

In August, Bocelli first appeared at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, Italy, and then at the World Youth Festiva, in Paris, where he sang, in the presence of Pope John Paul II, to an audience of 800,000 people.[4]

In 1997, Bocelli won 3 major awards in Germany. On March 3, Bocelli appeared in Hamburg, with Sarah Brightman to receive the ECHO music award for "Best Single of the Year", for "Time to Say Goodbye",[4] on September 14, he received an ECHO Klassik, in Munich, for "Best seller of the year", for his previous album, Viaggio Italiano,[5] and finally, on October 25, Bocelli received a Bambi award, an annual television and media prize awarded by the German media company Hubert Burda Media, in Cologne.[4] All 3 ceremonies were broadcast live in Germany.

The album was also supported in Germany, by a series of concerts, including 22 open-air concerts in the country, as well as an indoor concert in Oberhausen.[4] The German Tour, started in Locarno, Switzerland, on June 6, and ended in Berlin, on August 30, with other venues including, Hannover, Hamburg, Münster, Rügen, Koblenz, Aachen, Wiesbaden, Kiel, Stuttgart, Leverkusen, Baden-Baden, Dresden, Coburg, Leipzig, München, Kassel, Halle, Essen, Aschaffenburg, Nuremberg.[6]

In the United Kingdom, Bocelli held a concert with Sarah Brightman, at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, in the fall.[7]

Back in Italy, on September 27, Bocelli sang again before the Pope at the International Eucharistic Congress, in Bologna. On October 19, he sang at the TeleFood benefit concert held in Vatican City, and organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization to raise awareness about world hunger.[4]

On December 15 and 20, 1997, Bocelli held a concert in Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, in Paris, France, and a concert in Seefeld, Austria.[8]

Bocelli also performed the French version of Vivo per lei with French singer, Hélène Ségara, on television programmes in France and Belgium, the Spanish version of song with Spanish singer, Marta Sánchez, on television programmes in Spain, and the German version of the song with German singer, Judy Weiss, on television programmes in Germany and Switzerland. A music video for each of those three versions was released in those countries. In addition, a music video of the Portuguese version of the song, sang with Brazilian singer Sandy, was also released in Brazil and Portugal, contributing to Romanza's success in the two countries.

Track listing

International standard listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Con te partirò"Francesco Sartori, Lucio Quarantotto-4:09
2."Vivere" (with Gerardina Trovato)Gerardina Trovato-4:41
3."Per Amore"Mariella Nava-4:42
4."Il Mare Calmo Della Sera"Gianpietro Felisatti, Malise,[9] Gloria Nuti-4:40
5."Caruso"Lucio Dalla-5:16
6."Macchine da Guerra"Angus Smith-4:08
7."Le Tue Parole"Joe Amoruso, Sergio Cirillo-3:57
8."Vivo per lei" (with Giorgia)Valerio Zelli, Art Mengo, Gatto Panceri-4:23
9."Romanza"Mauro Malavasi-3:41
10."La Luna Che Non C'è"Dario Farina, Antonella Maggio-4:30
11."Rapsodia"Malise[9]-5:28
12."Voglio Restare Così"Andrea Bocelli-3:51
13."E Chiove"Amoruso, Cirillo-4:21
14."Miserere" (with John Miles - bonus track)Zucchero-4:05
15."Time To Say Goodbye" (with Sarah Brightman)Sartori, Quarantotto, Frank Peterson-4:04

Commercial performance

First in Europe, then charts around the world, the album amassed a multitude of platinum and multi-platinum awards,[10] outselling even Bocelli's 1995 album, Bocelli, with worldwide sales in excess of 20 million copies to date.[2][11]

It is one of the biggest-selling albums of all time, having sold more than 7 million units in Europe alone, selling an impressive 500,000 copies in the Far East, one million in Italy, and more than three million in Spain, and Latin America where it became the best-selling album, by a non-Latino artist, of all time. With more than 350,000 units sold in Switzerland, it is also the second best-selling album in history there, and with over 2 million copies sold in France, it is among the Top 10 best-selling albums ever in the country.

It also received quadruple platinum status in the United States with 4.2 million copies sold,[12] being Bocelli's first album released in the States, and Diamond status in Canada, with 1,123,000 copies sold,[13] making Romanza the best-selling album by a foreign artist of the SoundScan Era, and the fourth best-selling overall, in Canada.[14][15]

To date, the album remains Bocelli's most commercially successful, and is considered his breakthrough album, launching his career worldwide.

Charts, certifications and sales

Weekly charts

Chart (1997-2000) Peak
position
Argentinian Albums Chart 1
Australian Albums Chart 2
Austrian Albums Chart 1
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) 2
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) 1
Canadian Albums Chart 5
Dutch Albums Chart 1
European Top 100 Albums 1
Finnish Albums Chart 3
French Albums Chart 1
German Albums Chart 2
Hungarian Albums Chart 4
Italian FIMI Albums Chart 1
New Zealand Albums Chart 8
Norwegian Albums Chart 1
Polish Albums Chart 1
Portuguese Albums Chart 1
Swedish Albums Chart 5
Swiss Albums Chart 1
UK Albums Chart 6
US Billboard 200 1
US World Albums Chart 1
US Catalog Albums Chart 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1997) Position
German Albums Chart[16] 3

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[17]
Italian edition		 3× Platinum 500,000[18]
Argentina (CAPIF)[17]
Spanish edition		 3× Platinum
Australia (ARIA)[19] 7× Platinum 490,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[20] Platinum 50,000*
Belgium (BEA)[21] 2× Platinum 100,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[22] Gold 900,000[18]
Canada (Music Canada)[23] Diamond 1,123,000[13]
Chile 120,000[18]
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[24] Gold 28,592[24]
France (SNEP)[25] Diamond 2,077,500[26]
Germany (BVMI)[27] Platinum 500,000^
Hungary (MAHASZ)[28] Platinum  
Italy (FIMI)[29] Diamond 800,000[30]
Mexico 650,000[18]
Netherlands (NVPI)[31] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[32] 3× Platinum 45,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[33] 3× Platinum 150,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[34] Platinum 100,000*
Sweden (GLF)[35] Platinum 80,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[36] 7× Platinum 350,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[38] 3× Platinum 4,200,000[12]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[39] 6× Platinum 6,000,000*
Worldwide 20,000,000[2]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

PBS Special

A Night in Tuscany, Bocelli's first PBS Great Performances special, filmed in 1997, was designed to promote the album.

The concert held in his native Tuscany, at the Piazza dei Cavalieri, in Pisa, saw Bocelli perform two opera duets with soprano Nuccia Focile, sing "Miserere" with Italian rock star Zucchero, who discovered him in 1992, and finally "Time To Say Goodbye" with English soprano Sarah Brightman.[40] The DVD of the full program was Internationally released November 10, 1998.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Billboard - May 8, 1999 - Page 48 "The album "Romanza" is a compilation of "Bocelli" and "II Mare Calmo Delia Sera," not as stated in the same article."
  2. 1 2 3 Crossover superstar Andrea Bocelli finds beauty in wide range of music The Columbus Dispatch, Nov 27, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Bellagio Fountains – Las Vegas". Bellagio.com. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Andrea Bocelli Chronicle: 1995 - 1997, Official Fan site.
  5. ↑ "ECHO Klassik 1997 winners" (in German). ECHO. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  6. ↑ Andrea Bocelli's 1997 German tour, Official Fan site.
  7. ↑ Sarah Brightman's 1997 concert at Royal Albert Hall, Official Fan site.
  8. ↑ Andrea Bocelli's 1997 concerts in Torre del Lago, Paris-Bercy, and Seefeld, Official Fan site.
  9. 1 2 Malise is a pseudonym of Zucchero
  10. ↑ "artist info". Universal Music Group Inc. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  11. ↑ Rogers, Paul (September 5, 2013). "Andrea Bocelli at the MGM Grand". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Boyle's 'Dream' Continues At No. 1 On Billboard 200 Billboard Magazine.com Dec 9, 2009 article.
  13. 1 2 "The Nielsen Company and Billboard’s 2009 Canadian Industry Report". Businesswire.com, Feb 04, 2010 article. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
  14. ↑ Top 10 Selling Albums Of The SoundScan Era (1995-2008), Chart Attack, 2009 article.
  15. ↑ TOP TEN SELLING ALBUMS OF SOUNDSCAN ERA (since 1995), Jam!, 2007 article.
  16. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Andrea Bocelli in Latin America". Billboard Magazine 2001 article. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  19. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  20. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Andrea Bocelli in the field Interpret. Enter Romanza in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
  21. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  22. ↑ "Brazilian album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.
  23. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza". Music Canada.
  24. 1 2 "Andrea Bocelli" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  25. ↑ "French album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  26. ↑ "Les Albums Diamant :". Infodisc.fr (in French). Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Andrea Bocelli; 'Romanza')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  28. ↑ "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2000" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
  29. ↑ "Italian album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana.
  30. ↑ "BREVI". La Repubblica (in Italian). December 30, 1997.
  31. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.
  32. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza". Recorded Music NZ.
  33. ↑ "Norwegian album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  34. ↑ "Polish album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  35. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  36. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Andrea Bocelli; 'Romanza')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  37. ↑ "British album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Romanza in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  38. ↑ "American album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  39. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2001". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
  40. ↑ "Andrea Bocelli: A Night In Tuscany (1997) article". The New York Times.
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