A Bocelli Views

Music

While pregnant, Bocelli's mother, Edi, was mistakenly diagnosed with appendicitis and received a treatment of ice applied to her stomach. Doctors advised her to terminate the pregnancy with an abortion because of the high probability that the treatment would cause a disability in the child. Despite this advice, Bocelli's mother chose not to abort her son. (Bocelli's blindness is not believed to be related to this incident).[7]

In 1992, Italian rock star Zucchero held auditions for tenors to make a demo tape with of the song Miserere from his album of the same name, to send to Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti. After hearing Bocelli on tape, Pavarotti urged Zucchero to use Bocelli instead of him. The demo tape was from Caterina Caselli, who had discovered Bocelli. Caselli is Bocelli's current manager and producer.

Zucchero eventually persuaded Pavarotti to record the song with him and it became a hit throughout Europe. In Zucchero's European concert tour in 1993, it was Bocelli who accompanied him to sing the duet and he was also given solo sets in the concerts, singing Nessun Dorma from Puccini's Turandot.[27] Bocelli signed with the Sugar Music label in Milan after the group's president heard Bocelli sing Miserere and Nessun Dorma at a birthday party for Zucchero.

In December Bocelli entered the preliminary round of the Sanremo Music Festival in the category of Giovani, performing both parts of the duet Miserere. He won the preliminary competition with the highest marks ever recorded in the Newcomers section. On 28 December, he debuted in the classical world in a concert at the Teatro Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia.[27]