Vittorio

Product Description

With his romantic voice and dashing good looks, Vittorio has quickly become one of the top tenors of his generation. The 28-year-old native of Rome started singing arias around The house by the age of four. Not yet into his teens, he was invited to sing Tosca with Luciano Pavarotti at the Rome opera house. Pavarotti was so impressed by his adolescent co-star that he raved about him to the press who in turn dubbed him the little Pavarotti. After a successful audition for Simon Cowell's classical crossover group Il Divo, Vittorio opted instead to pursue a solo career that would allow him to bring his irresistible blend of classical and pop music to the masses while still continuing to appear in several opera productions each year.

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Unlike Russell Watson, to whom he is being compared (along with Andrea Bocelli), Vittorio Grigolo is a real opera singer. He sang as a boy treble with Pavarotti many years ago and has sung in
West Side Story, Verdi's
Otello (the smallish role of Cassio), and Fenton in Verdi's
Falstaff on stage in major opera houses. He is clearly a tenore di grazia–a true, light tenor, with a graceful, easy top, no sense of pushing or forcing–and would probably be ideal for the operas of Donizetti. But the crossover bug has bitten Vittorio. He signed a more-than-a-million-dollar contract with his record label, which, he says, will still allow him to sing opera three times a year. On this CD, Vittorio exhibits a beautiful, light sound, capable of high pianissimi and spinning out a long, lyrical line. Aside from “Maria” from
West Side Story, which he sings with great charm and appeal, the music recorded here is of a pop nature, the arrangements of the easy-listening, lounge-lizard variety. A pretty voice, a guy with style. If you listen to Watson and Groban, you'll need this CD.
–Robert Levine