Despite the heavy rain throughout the day typical of the British summer, spirits remained high on Day 5 of the BST Hyde Park series of concerts.
As host Myleene Klass explained, this was the largest classical concert, not only in Hyde Park, but for the whole of Europe this century.
Andrea Bocelli clearly has a very talented family, with Matteo Bocelli opening proceedings on the main Great Oak Stage.
Playing a mix of classical and contempory songs, Matteo’s voice shone through the clouds, with a mix including ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’, with his own compositions including the song he wrote for Netflix series ‘Scratch’ – ‘All Because of Love’. A true talent, with the glint of charm from his father in his voice.
Following on from Matteo was Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins – a true national treasure.
She could well be headlining Hyde Park herself one day, mixing classics from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, with an unscheduled if beautiful rendition of ‘Singing In The Rain’. Before finishing with Queen’s classic ‘We Are The Champions’, she delighted fans by putting on her Hunter wellies and showcasing a medley of James Bond themes, including ‘Writings on the Wall’, ‘We Have All the Time in the World’, ‘You Only Live Twice’, ‘Nobody Does It Better’, ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ and of course, Adele’s ‘Skyfall’. Not many people could cover the latter and improve on the original, but Katherine’s voice is truly spectacular.
Again, there are few people who could follow Katherine, but of course, the tenor Andrea Bocelli managed it with his incredible voice, charm and wit.
Celebrating over 30 years in music, Andrea was joined by very special guests throughout his two hour performance, all backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Chorus.
The first half comprised classical and operatic pieces, beginning with ‘La donna e mobile’ – before Andrea continued to demonstrate what a talented family he has, with his daughter Virginia joining him on the huge stage, without any sign of nerves despite being only 12 years old.
Throughout the second half of the set, Andrea was joined by more very special guests, including Zucchero, Seal and one of the greatest film composers of all time, Hans Zimmer. Mixing their own unique talents, each were graced with opportunity of playing their own classic tunes with the incredible backing of the orchestra, with Seal’s own ‘Kiss From A Rose‘ taking on a whole new dimension.
Saving the best for last, Bocelli concluded with his passionate ‘Con Te Partirò’ (Time To Say Goodbye), which never fails to leave goosebumps (and a few tears) with its beautiful lyrics and music. Finally, ‘Nessun Dorma’, possibly the best known tenor arias from opera left the crowd leave with huge smiles over their ponchos.
Here’s hoping Hyde Park will welcome more classical concerts in the coming years.
Words: Graham Tarrant
Photos: Dave Hogan/Hogan Media Shutterstock