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

Quick Facts Compilation album by Andrea Bocelli, Released ...
Romanza
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Compilation album by
ReleasedSeptember 23, 1997 (1997-09-23)
Recorded1996
Genre
Length70:13
Label
Producer
Andrea Bocelli chronology
Viaggio Italiano
(1996)
Romanza
(1997)
Aria: The Opera Album
(1998)
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Quick Facts Compilation album by Andrea Bocelli, Released ...
Romanza (20th Anniversary Edition)
Compilation album by
Released18 November 2016
Recorded
  • 1996
  • 2016
Genre
Label
Producer
Andrea Bocelli chronology
Cinema
(2015)
Romanza (20th Anniversary Edition)
(2016)

(2018)
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Although a compilation, Romanza is considered Bocelli's breakthrough album and is his most commercially successful, topping charts throughout Europe and Latin America. With over 20 million copies sold,[2] it is both the best-selling Italian-language album and the best-selling predominantly non-English language album of all time, as well as one of the best-selling albums worldwide.

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

As Romanza was Bocelli's first album released in the United States and Canada, both 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 in its fountain show.[3]

PBS also played a big part in Bocelli's early success in the States, with the airing of A Night in Tuscany, Bocelli's first Great Performances special, 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 Festival, in Paris, France, where he sang in the presence of Pope John Paul II to an audience of 800,000 people.[4]

In 1997, Bocelli won three 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 three 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] His 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, and 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, 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.

Romanza (20th Anniversary Edition)

In 2016, a new special edition of the album was released worldwide to celebrate 20 years since the album's original release. The original album has been remastered and including also three bonus tracks.

Track listing

More information No., Title ...
International standard listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Con te partirò"Mauro Malavasi4:09
2."Vivere" (featuring Gerardina Trovato)
  • Michele Torpedine
  • Celso Valli
4:41
3."Per Amore"Mariella NavaMalavasi4:42
4."Il Mare Calmo Della Sera"
  • Torpedine
  • Valli
4:40
5."Caruso"Lucio Dalla5:16
6."Macchine da Guerra"Angus SmithMalavasi4:08
7."Le Tue Parole"
  • Joe Amoruso
  • Sergio Cirillo
Malavasi3:57
8."Vivo per lei" (featuring Giorgia)
  • Valerio Zelli
  • Art Mengo
  • Gatto Panceri
Malavasi4:23
9."Romanza"MalavasiMalavasi3:41
10."La Luna Che Non C'è"
  • Dario Farina
  • Antonella Maggio
  • Torpedine
  • Vessicchio
4:30
11."Rapsodia"Malise[9]
  • Torpedine
  • Vessicchio
5:28
12."Voglio Restare Così"Andrea BocelliMalavasi3:51
13."E Chiove"
  • Amoruso
  • Cirillo
Malavasi4:21
14."Miserere" (featuring John Miles) (live) (bonus track)Zucchero 4:20
15."Time to Say Goodbye" (featuring Sarah Brightman)
Frank Peterson4:04
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More information No., Title ...
Romanza (Italian and Spanish version) standard listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Por ti Volaré"
  • Sartori
  • Quarantotto
4:09
2."Vivere" (with Gerardina Trovato)Trovato4:41
3."Por Amor"Nava4:42
4."El Silencio de la Espera"
  • Felisatti
  • Malise
  • Nuti
4:40
5."Caruso"Dalla5:16
6."Le Tue Parole"
  • Amoruso
  • Cirillo
3:57
7."Vivo por Ella" (with Marta Sánchez)
  • Zelli
  • Mengo
  • Panceri
4:23
8."Romanza"Malavasi3:41
9."Voglio Restare Così"Bocelli3:51
10."E Chiove"
  • Amoruso
  • Cirillo
4:21
11."Miserere" (with John Miles – bonus track)Zucchero4:20
12."Time to Say Goodbye" (with Sarah Brightman)
  • Sartori
  • Quarantotto
  • Peterson
4:07
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More information No., Title ...
Romanza (20th Anniversary Edition)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Con te partirò"4:09
2."Vivere" (with Gerardina Trovato)Gerardina Trovato4:41
3."Per Amore"Mariella Nava4:42
4."Il Mare Calmo Della Sera"
4:40
5."Caruso"Lucio Dalla5:16
6."Macchine da Guerra"Angus Smith4:08
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 Malavasi3:41
10."La Luna Che Non C'è"
  • Dario Farina
  • Antonella Maggio
4:30
11."Rapsodia"Malise[9]5:28
12."Voglio Restare Così"Andrea Bocelli3:51
13."E Chiove"
  • Amoruso
  • Cirillo
4:21
14."Miserere" (with John Miles – bonus track)Zucchero4:20
15."Time to Say Goodbye" (with Sarah Brightman)
4:04
16."Con te partirò (orchestra 2016 version)" (bonus track – Romanza 20th Anniversary)
  • Sartori
  • Quarantotto
4:14
17."Con te partirò (piano and voice 2016 version)" (bonus track – Romanza 20th Anniversary)
  • Sartori
  • Quarantotto
4:03
18."Il Mare Calmo Della Sera (2016 version)" (bonus track – Romanza 20th Anniversary)
  • Gianpietro Felisatti
  • Malise
  • Gloria Nuti
4:14
19."Con te partirò (orchestra instrumental 2016 version)" (extra bonus – digital only – Romanza 20th Anniversary)
  • Sartori
  • Quarantotto
4:17
20."Con te partirò (orchestra and choir 2016 version)" (extra bonus – digital only – Romanza 20th Anniversary)
  • Sartori
  • Quarantotto
4:17
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Commercial performance

First in Europe, then on 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.[11]

With more than 350,000 units sold in Switzerland, it is the second best-selling album in history there, and with over two million copies sold in France, it is among the top 10 best-selling albums ever in the country.

It also received triple 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. Actual sales stand at 1,133,000 copies across Canada according to Nielsen,[13] making Romanza the best-selling album by a foreign artist of the Nielsen 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

More information Chart (1997–2002), Peak position ...
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Sales and certifications

More information Region, Certification ...
Certifications and sales for Romanza
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[65]
Italian edition
3× Platinum 500,000[66]
Argentina (CAPIF)[65]
Spanish edition
3× Platinum
Australia (ARIA)[67] 7× Platinum 490,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[68] Platinum 50,000*
Belgium (BEA)[69] 2× Platinum 100,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[70] Gold 900,000[66]
Canada (Music Canada)[71] Diamond 1,133,000[13]
Chile[72] 4× Platinum 120,000[66]
Czech Republic[73] 6× Platinum 182,000[73]
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[74] Gold 28,592[74]
France (SNEP)[75] Diamond 2,000,000[76]
Germany (BVMI)[77] Platinum 1,000,000[78]
Greece (IFPI Greece)[79] Gold 30,000^
Hungary (MAHASZ)[80] Platinum  
Italy 800,000[81]
Italy (FIMI)[82]
since 2009
Gold 30,000*
Mexico 650,000[66]
Netherlands (NVPI)[83] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[84] 3× Platinum 45,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[85] 3× Platinum 150,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[86] Platinum 100,000*
Portugal (AFP)[87] 5× Platinum 200,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[88] 3× Platinum 500,000[89]
Sweden (GLF)[90] Platinum 80,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[91] 7× Platinum 350,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[92] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[93] 3× Platinum 4,200,000[12]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[94] 6× Platinum 6,000,000*
Worldwide 20,000,000[95]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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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.[96] The DVD of the full program was internationally released on November 10, 1998.

See also

References

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