WHO'S BETTER, PAVAROTTI OR ANDREA BOCELLI?

"Who's Better, Pavarotti or Andrea Bocelli?" by Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach The debate rages, in nearly any review of an Andrea Bocelli album on amazon.com, one of the most annoying debates going on these days. It comes to the fore regarding his album, "Verdi." Do we ask if Jonathan Rhys-Myers is "better" than Peter O'Toole? There are some people who go beyond their craft, who are more than the sum of their parts. (And how can I think enough to analyze when Jonathan Rhys-Myers' face is on the screen? Please!) I'm an emotional intelligence coach. In my field, the academicians find it terribly important to differentiate between "compassion" and "empathy," and to differentiate among "mood," "feelings, and "emotion." I'm a linguist (among other things), so I just can't put "between" in the last sentence, because it's incorrect though "among" sounds stilted. But on many other grammatical points, I bend, and also keep it to myself. Are you interested in hearing me explain when it's correct to us "between" and when "among"? (I didn't think so!) I could bore you till your eyes glaze over with the nuances in my fields, and trust me they are extreme, but my clients could care less. If you catch my drift. We want something user-friendly, and we know what we like; we don't analyze why. We love Andrea Bocelli. His singing makes us feel. He makes us feel. Feel good, feel sad, feel miserable, long, yearn. No song has ever touched me like his duet "Time to Say Goodbye" with Sarah Brightman, except Opera Band's "Prayer in the Night" (which isn't even opera, is it?), and Pavarotti's "Panis Angelicus," and many others, each in its time, each in its own way. I have 50 absolute favorites, don't you? But this "Time to Say Goodbye" with Sarah Brightman ... hold on to your insides. Who could be better than Pavarotti? His "Nessun Dorma" leaves me weak in the knees, gasping for air. The power of that man's voice is astounding. I idolize Pavarotti, I sit at his feet ... who doesn't, but I don't eat caviar at every meal. I like some soul food. I like a good pot of ragu bubbling on the back burner, and that's Bocelli. He's young. He's blind. He's got little kids. He chooses, or they choose for him, great songs. He's got that Italian thing going on for him, in a way Pavarotti never bothered to do, or couldn't. Most artists go with the flow, and develop in keeping with their natures, none of which is meant to trivialize Bocelli's talent. It's just that it all comes together in a way that makes his work appealing beyond technique or voice quality. (Bocelli sings Nessun Dorma on his Viaggio Italiano CD.) The fact that one of these men goes by one name only should be at end to one discussion and the beginning of another. Yes, I think, after reading a review, I guess Bocelli's voice is "small." Compared to Pavorotti's, but not compared to mine, and it's "big" enough coming through my earphones or car speakers. But, speaking of Verdi, I think Nicholas Clapton's Liber Scriptus is beyond words, but I can't listen to it for too long; it's too much. It's at the edge. Bocelli can sing to me all day, all night, all right! Also I'm learning Italian, and Bocelli's enunciation is easy to pick up. I've included this album in my EQ Foundation Course (which is heavy on the arts for reasons we music lovers know) and also in my Club Vivo Per Lei / I Live for Music ( http://www.susandunn.cc/vivoperlei.htm ). Bocelli does great things, like doing that duet, Vivo Per Lei, with 5 different female stars from 5 different nationalities, in different languages. Vivo Per Lei (I Live for Music) is on his Romanza CD, along with Miserere. Bocelli is like Liszt - able to capture the imagination of the public and accessible to many. I leave it to the critics to count the number of angels that can fit on the head of a pin. Let me ask you this: Which do you like better? Homemade apple pie with crumb topping or Reine de Saba? Are you kidding? Bring it on! P.S. Andrea Bocelli has brought a lot of young people into the vicinity of opera, and what's not to like about that? He's an easy sell. There's enough of the grand Verdi to go around. Buy the album and enjoy it! Then buy 5 more and send them to five young adults who heard the commercial on TV but shudder at the very word "opera" and watch the magic happen. Bravo! Then take my Favorite Music Survey (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=710641429182 ) and voice your opinion. I'd like to hear from you. Pavarotti was gracious enough to give Bocelli the nod for "Miserere." I concur. Bocelli has the propensity, or is it proclivity ... zzzzzzzz.