Internationally-renowned singer Andrea Bocelli serenaded the hearts and souls of weary nations on Easter Sunday with a powerfully transcendent solo performance delivered from the Duomo cathedral of Milan, Italy.
Live-streamed worldwide on YouTube, the “Music for Hope” concert featured only Bocelli and his operatic voice singing timeless pieces of Christian art in an empty cathedral; its beauty so radiant, nothing other than God Himself could justify its existence. After performing such hymns like “Ave Maria” and “Santa Maria,” the concert closed with Bocelli on the steps of the cathedral where he sang “Amazing Grace” amid footage of empty streets from around the Western world: Paris, London, and New York.
Here’s how The Hollywood Reporter described the moment that was equal parts triumphant and melancholic all at once:
Though many are unable to gather for Easter Sunday as the novel coronavirus continues, Italian music icon Andrea Bocelli aimed to spread a message of hope to Italy and the world by performing a live concert.
By invitation of the City and of the Duomo cathedral of Milan, Bocelli gave a solo performance titled “Andrea Bocelli: Music for Hope” in Italy that was live-streamed worldwide on YouTube. Prior to his performance, footage of the empty streets of Italy were shown as the singer’s voice could be overhead offering hope that the day will serve as a “universal symbol of rebirth,” amid the pandemic.
Prior to the performance, Bocelli, a devout Catholic, hailed the Christian Easter as a “universal symbol of rebirth” that both believers and non-believers should look to as a source of hope.
“On the day in which we celebrate the trust in a life that triumphs, I’m honored and happy to answer ‘Sì’ to the invitation of the City and the Duomo of Milan,” he said. “I believe in the strength of praying together; I believe in the Christian Easter, a universal symbol of rebirth that everyone – whether they are believers or not – truly needs right now.”
“Thanks to music, streamed live, bringing together millions of clasped hands everywhere in the world, we will hug this wounded Earth’s pulsing heart, this wonderful international forge that is reason for Italian pride,” he continued. “The generous, courageous, proactive Milan and the whole of Italy will be again, and very soon, a winning model, engine of a renaissance that we all hope for. It will be a joy to witness it, in the Duomo, during the Easter celebration which evokes the mystery of birth and rebirth.”
This past Good Friday, President Trump delivered an Easter message of his own when he promised Americans that the country will recover when we defeat the invisible enemy of COVID-19.
“I asked all Americans to pray that God will heal our nation and bring comfort to those who are grieving, to give strength to the doctors, nurses, and health care workers, to restore health to the sick and to renew the hope in every person who is suffering,” he said. “Our nation will come through like never before. I thank the many families who have prayed for me and for my family. Your prayers are felt and I am forever grateful.”