DETROIT -- Blind Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli stepped from the confines of pop music to the grand stage of opera last week, singing the lead in Massenet's "Werther" at the Detroit Opera House.
His silky voice leading the way, Bocelli courted music critics and aficionados of fine arts in his much anticipated North American opera debut.Clad largely in evening gowns and suits, those who came to listen appeared receptive, applauding the moment Bocelli took the stage Friday night astride a white horse, opposite mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves.
Bocelli had the romantic title role, hoping to swoon a score of critics who were at the opera house to judge whether the best-selling singer who made his name in pop could carry the day in live opera.
Reviews were mixed.
After initially voicing doubts about Bocelli's capacity to maintain his sound and amplitude, Opera Magazine's Michael H. Margolin said Bocelli's performance improved as it went along.
"This is the first time for him working on a stage like this," Margolin said. "I think the man should be given a medal of bravery for just doing it."
Just seven months ago, Bocelli himself questioned aloud whether he could, saying at the time that he didn't feel "credible enough yet."
"I still have to suffer a little while longer," he said.
"When I was younger, if I had shown up to audition in an opera house, they would have suggested I check into a lunatic asylum."
Bocelli has said that if opera proved a comfortable fit, he wouldn't mind forsaking his pop career.
The singer, who was blinded by a soccer injury at age 12, has made inroads, evident in works that recently held the top two spots on classical's Top 10 charts: "Aria-The Opera Album" and "Viaggio Italiano." Both albums have been certified gold, which means at least 500,000 copies of each have been sold.
The last time Bocelli took on a full-length role, he starred as Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini's "La Boheme" in a production on the Italian island of Sardinia. In "Werther," he sang the title role in the tragic opera about a man who kills himself after the woman he loves marries another. The opera is based on a 1774 novel by Goethe.
The Detroit Opera performed a new production of "Werther," directed by Mario Coraddi. The set was rented from the San Diego Opera Company. Christopher Schaldenbrand sang the role of Albert and Ying Huang was Sophie.
About 96 percent of the tickets were snapped up for Bocelli's six planned performances here through Nov. 14. Tickets range from $50 to $250, dwarfing the typical price at the Detroit Opera House of $18 to $98.