Beloved Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and his son, recording artist Matteo Bocelli, wowed television audiences around the world last night following their surprise appearance at the 96th Academy Awards in Hollywood.
Taking to the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the duo performed a very special rendition of ‘Time To Say Goodbye’, during an emotional segment to honour those in the industry we have lost in the last 12 months.
Now, they are releasing a brand new version of the beloved song, produced and arranged especially for them by two-time Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
The “bold reinvention” of the track, which arrives with a music video and is released through Decca Records, marks the start of Bocelli’s 30th anniversary year in music.
“It is the song of my life, it is the melody that represents me in the eyes of the world: reinventing it, thanks to the collaboration with Hans Zimmer, and singing it together with my son Matteo, represents an exciting challenge.” Andrea Bocelli says via a press release. “It will be a new debut (and it is part of a larger upcoming project), and I am happy that it will take place on the same Oscar stage that already hosted me in ’99 together with my friend Céline Dion.”
With Matteo Bocelli adding: “‘Time to Say Goodbye’ is more than a song to me, it’s my family’s national anthem, it’s the soundtrack to hundreds of memories. Singing it with my father in a new orchestration is a great honour, and to sing it on the Oscars stage is simply a dream come true!”
Hans Zimmer concludes: “It was an honour and a thrilling challenge to find a new musical perspective on a masterpiece; and to provide a cinematic landscape to two of the greatest voices in the world.”
Watch the official 30th anniversary music video for ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ below:
‘Time To Say Goodbye’ sees Andrea and Matteo Bocelli reunite on record following their hugely successful holiday album, ‘A Family Christmas’, and, prior to that, their poignant duet ‘Fall On Me’ – which has now racked up over 115 million views on YouTube for the accompanying music video.
In other news Last year, Entertainment One announced a new documentary on legendary singer.
The film, set to be called Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe, is currently being filmed in Italy and the US and will be released this year.
Directed by Cosima Spender, the movie will reportedly go behind the scenes of Andrea’s personal life and work, including never-before-seen looks at his story and off-the-stage moments with his family and friends.
Bocelli and his wife Veronica Bocelli will serve as executive producers alongside Scott Rodger, Francesco Pasquero, and eOne’s Tara Long, Malcolm Gerrie, Matt Pritchard, and Geno McDermott.
‘Time To Say Goodbye’ is available to download / stream here