The Teatro del Silenzio (English: Theater of Silence) is an open airamphitheater located in the city of Lajatico – the hometown of Andrea Bocelli – in the Tuscany region of Italy. In 2006, Bocelli convinced the municipality of Lajatico to build this outdoor venue whose structure utilizes the natural formations of the hilly landscape. Bocelli contributed greatly to its construction.
Bocelli, the honorary president of the theater, performs an annual concert there every July; the theater is silent for the rest of the year.[3]
People
Andrea Bocelli is honorary president of Teatro del Silenzio with Fabio Tedeschi, the mayor of Lajatico, president; and Enrico Fabbri, the boss of Fabbri, vice-president.[4]
Concerts
The Teatro del Silenzio annually hosts a concert in July. The concert includes performances by Andrea Bocelli and other guests.[5] To date there have been 13 concerts from 2006 to 2018.[6]
2006
The inaugural concert occurred 27 July 2006, and was performed in front of over five thousand people and included performances from the following.[7]
The second concert took place 5 July 2007. The planned rehearsal the previous night was cancelled due to heavy winds, but the concert itself went ahead and included performances from pianist Lang Lang, trumpeter Chris Botti, saxophonist Kenny G, singers Laura Pausini, Elisa, Sarah Brightman, and Heather Headley, conductor Bill Ross,[10] the special guest was 14-time Grammy Award winning David Foster.[11] Performances from Bocelli included Con te partirò, Vivo per lei, Il Mare Calmo della Sera, and The Prayer.[11] Heather Headley was the other half of the duet in both Vivo per lei and The Prayer. Elisa performed La voce del silenzio, Laura Pausini sung Vivere, while Sarah Brightman performed Time to Say Goodbye as a duet with Bocelli and Canto della terra. Dueting with Bocelli on their respective instruments other performers included Lang Lang (Io ci sarò), Kenny G (A te), Chris Botti (Italia), and David Foster playing Because We Believe and a medley from Amore.
Sculptures by Swiss artist Kurt Laurenz Metzler, who attended the concert, were exhibited during the 2010 edition of the concert, and Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida, who was also in attendance, donated a Bronze statue she had made of Bocelli, to the city of Lajatico, in the afternoon just before the concert.
Bocelli held the fifth edition of the Teatro del Silenzio, on July 25, to an audience of 10,000, double the amount of the first edition of the annual Festival, held in 2006. His guests included one of the two surviving member of The Three Tenors, SpanishCatalan tenor, José Carreras, and Italian rock singer, Zucchero.
He was also awarded the Pisano Doc, during the dress rehearsal for the concert, July 24, "in recognition for a great citizen, who with his extraordinary art and his humanity brings great prestige, honor and respect to the city of Pisa."
'La Strada' di N. Rota (Orchestra el Teatro 'Carlo Felice' di Genova)
'Pagliacci' di R. Leoncavallo – Prologo e Vesti la Giubba (Leo Nucci & Andrea Bocelli
'Rigoletto' di G. Verdi – Caro Nome, Piangi Fanciulla, e La Donna e Mobile (Sumi Jo, Leo Nucci e Andrea Bocelli
'Lucia di Lammermoor' di G. Donizetti – Verranno a te sull'aure (A. Bocelli e Sumi Jo)
'Carmen' di G Bizet – Les voici (Coro del Teatro Carlo Felice di enova e i Cantori di Burlamacco)
'Aida' di Verdi – Gran Finale Atto 2 (Ensemble)
Part 2
'Danza delle Spade' di A. Khachaturian (Orchestra)
'La Frza Del Destino' di Verdi – Invano Alvaro (A. Boceli e Leo Nucci)
'Sunrise' di G. Allevi (G. Allevi e Orchestra)
'La Danza' di G. Rossini (A.Bocelli e G Alllevi)
'Andrea Chenier' di U. Giordano – Si, Fui Soldato e Vicino a te S'aqueta (A. Bocellu e Svetla Vassileva)
'Marcia dei Gladiatori' de J. Fucik (Orchestra)
Il trovatore' Verdi – L'onda de' suoni mistici/Di quella pira (Bocelli, Vassileva, e Matteo Bocelli
'Un Ballo in Maschera' Verdi – Eri tu che macchiavi e Su, profetessa... (L. Nucci, A. Bocelli)
'La Boheme' Puccini – Atto 2 (Ensemble)
'Nelle tue Mani' (A. Bocelli)
2017
The 2017 version of the concert was performed on August 3 and was titled 'Il canto della Terra' (the song of the Earth). Performances ranged from artists coming from Argentina, Haiti, Armenia, Spain and many others. World renown dancer Carla Fracci also joined the stage, as well as Andrea Bocelli Foundation's Haitian choir 'Voices of Haiti'
2018
The 2018 edition was performed twice, on July 28 and July 30, and was once again an opera, this time the Andrea Chénier by Umberto Giordano, the first opera that Bocelli ever learned.
Features
The site of Teatro del Silenzio also incorporates sculptures by renowned artists. Sculptures have been selected to be exhibited on a platform in the center of the lake. In 2008, Mario Ceroli's "Il Cavallo di Bronzo", a bronze horse was displayed with past sculptures including Arnaldo Pomodoro's "Il Grande Sole", and works by Igor Mitoraj and Kurt Laurenz Metzler.
A panoramic view of the theater and the surrounding landscape.
