Celebrate With 'Sentimento'

Andrea Bocelli is the biggest selling classical artist in history with worldwide sales topping 45 million. He's currently celebrating the release of his new CD, "Sentimento," which is a classical collection of love songs.

Bocelli has sold more than 10 million albums in the U.S and more than 45 million worldwide. Surprisingly, it's only been about five years since the tenor became an international star, and he's managed to break numerous records on both the classical and popular music charts.

Bocelli's new classical CD, "Sentimento," was released on Nov. 4. It was the inspiration of Lorin Maazel, the new music director of the New York Philharmonic who not only conducted the London Symphony Orchestra but also orchestrated each selection and is the recording's violin soloist.

Past classical Bocelli CDs include, "Aria," "Sacred Arias" and "Verdi," as well as his acclaimed recordings of Puccini's "La Boheme" and Verdi's "Requiem." It is in his classical recordings that Bocelli has become the biggest selling classical recording artist ever.

Bocelli's last pop CD was released last year and was called "Cieli de Toscana." During the summer, he visited The Early Show to perform a few songs from this album, like "Mille Lune," "L'Incontro," and "Il Mistero Dell'Amore." "L'Incontro" is a song that begins with a poem recited by U2's Bono on the CD. Bocelli recited that portion for us and performed the song with singers from the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

Bocelli says of his pop recordings, "It's the soundtrack to the lives of so many, a medium through which powerful emotions can be shared with an enormous audience. For me, pop music should be based on a genuine inspiration that comes from the experiences of life, conveyed from the heart to soul."

His first pop recording, "Romanza," featured his duet with Sarah Brightman, "Time To Say Goodbye," which catapulted him to super-stardom.

With the release of the pop album "Sogno" in 1999, four of Bocelli's albums simultaneously held spots on the U.S. pop album chart...the first time such a feat had been achieved by any act since Garth Brooks in 1992 and before by U2 in 1986.

In 1999, "Sacred Arias" was to become Andrea's most successful classical album to date. He simultaneously held the No 1, 2 and 3 positions on the U.S. classical album chart; an unprecedented first that saw him achieve a listing in the Guinness Book of Records. In fact, Bocelli has been No. 1 on the U.S. classical chart week in and week out for virtually 3 1/2 years.

Born in Lajatico in rural Tuscany, not far from the ancient city of Pisa, Bocelli regards himself as not just from Tuscany but also of Tuscany. Describing himself a "product of the countryside," he believes his character and personality owe much to Tuscan family life and the culture and traditions of the region.