Romanza

Romanza is the first compilation album by Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, released internationally in 1997.[1]

For other uses, see Romanza (disambiguation).

Romanza
Compilation album by Andrea Bocelli
Released	September 23, 1997 (1997-09-23)
Recorded	1996
Genre	Easy listening operatic pop pop
Length	70:13
Label	Sugar Philips Universal
Producer	Mauro Malavasi Frank Peterson Michele Torpedine (also exec.) Celso Valli Peppe Vessicchio
Andrea Bocelli chronology
Viaggio Italiano (1996) Romanza (1997) Aria: The Opera Album (1998)

Romanza (20th Anniversary Edition)
Compilation album by Andrea Bocelli
Released	18 November 2016
Recorded	1996 2016
Genre	Easy listening operatic pop pop
Label	Sugar Universal
Producer	Mauro Malavasi Michele Torpedine Beppe Vessicchio Celso Valli Frank Peterson
Andrea Bocelli chronology
Cinema (2015) Romanza (20th Anniversary Edition) (2016) Sì (2018)

Although a compilation, Romanza is considered Bocelli's breakthrough album and remains his most commercially successful to date, topping charts all across Europe and Latin America. With over 20 million copies sold worldwide,[2] it is the best-selling Italian album of all-time, and also one of the best-selling albums by a recording artist.

Background

The album is a compilation of Bocelli's two previous pop albums, Il Mare Calmo della Sera, released in 1994, and Bocelli, released in 1995.

Promotion

North America

Being Bocelli's first album released in the United States and Canada, the album and Bocelli himself, were heavily promoted. This included Bocelli being featured in Hotel Bellagio's commercials in North America, as well as his voice being heard on its Fountain show.[3]

PBS also played a big part in Bocelli' early success in the States, with the airing of A Night in Tuscany, Bocelli's first Great Performances special, of a concert filmed in 1997, in his native Tuscany.

Europe

In August, Bocelli first appeared at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, Italy, and then at the World Youth Festiva, in Paris, where he sang, in the presence of Pope John Paul II, to an audience of 800,000 people.[4]

In 1997, Bocelli won three major awards in Germany. On March 3, Bocelli appeared in Hamburg, with Sarah Brightman to receive the ECHO music award for "Best Single of the Year", for "Time to Say Goodbye",[4] on September 14, he received an ECHO Klassik, in Munich, for "Best seller of the year", for his previous album, Viaggio Italiano,[5] and finally, on October 25, Bocelli received a Bambi award, an annual television and media prize awarded by the German media company Hubert Burda Media, in Cologne.[4] All three ceremonies were broadcast live in Germany.

The album was also supported in Germany, by a series of concerts, including 22 open-air concerts in the country, as well as an indoor concert in Oberhausen.[4] The German Tour, started in Locarno, Switzerland, on June 6, and ended in Berlin, on August 30, with other venues including, Hannover, Hamburg, Münster, Rügen, Koblenz, Aachen, Wiesbaden, Kiel, Stuttgart, Leverkusen, Baden-Baden, Dresden, Coburg, Leipzig, München, Kassel, Halle, Essen, Aschaffenburg, Nuremberg.[6]

In the United Kingdom, Bocelli held a concert with Sarah Brightman, at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, in the fall.[7]

Back in Italy, on September 27, Bocelli sang again before the Pope at the International Eucharistic Congress, in Bologna. On October 19, he sang at the TeleFood benefit concert held in Vatican City, and organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization to raise awareness about world hunger.[4]

On December 15 and 20, 1997, Bocelli held a concert in Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, in Paris, France, and a concert in Seefeld, Austria.[8]

Bocelli also performed the French version of "Vivo per lei" with French singer, Hélène Ségara, on television programmes in France and Belgium, the Spanish version of song with Spanish singer, Marta Sánchez, on television programmes in Spain, and the German version of the song with German singer, Judy Weiss, on television programmes in Germany and Switzerland. A music video for each of those three versions was released in those countries. In addition, a music video of the Portuguese version of the song, sang with Brazilian singer Sandy, was also released in Brazil and Portugal, contributing to Romanza's success in the two countries.

Romanza (20th Anniversary Edition)

In 2016, a new special edition of the album was released worldwide to celebrate 20 years since the album's original release. The original album has been remastered and including also three bonus tracks.

Track listing

International standard listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Con te partirò"	Francesco Sartori Lucio Quarantotto	Mauro Malavasi	4:09
2.	"Vivere" (featuring Gerardina Trovato)	Gerardina Trovato Angelo Anastasio Celso Valli	Michele Torpedine Celso Valli	4:41
3.	"Per Amore"	Mariella Nava	Malavasi	4:42
4.	"Il Mare Calmo Della Sera"	Gianpietro Felisatti Malise[9] Gloria Nuti	Torpedine Valli	4:40
5.	"Caruso"	Lucio Dalla	Torpedine Peppe Vessicchio	5:16
6.	"Macchine da Guerra"	Angus Smith	Malavasi	4:08
7.	"Le Tue Parole"	Joe Amoruso Sergio Cirillo	Malavasi	3:57
8.	"Vivo per lei" (featuring Giorgia)	Valerio Zelli Art Mengo Gatto Panceri	Malavasi	4:23
9.	"Romanza"	Malavasi	Malavasi	3:41
10.	"La Luna Che Non C'è"	Dario Farina Antonella Maggio	Torpedine Vessicchio	4:30
11.	"Rapsodia"	Malise[9]	Torpedine Vessicchio	5:28
12.	"Voglio Restare Così"	Andrea Bocelli	Malavasi	3:51
13.	"E Chiove"	Amoruso Cirillo	Malavasi	4:21
14.	"Miserere" (featuring John Miles) (live) (bonus track)	Zucchero Bono		4:05
15.	"Time to Say Goodbye" (featuring Sarah Brightman)	Sartori Quarantotto Frank Peterson	Frank Peterson	4:04

Romanza (Italian and Spanish version) standard listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Por ti Volaré"	Sartori Quarantotto	4:09
2.	"Vivere" (with Gerardina Trovato)	Trovato	4:41
3.	"Por Amor"	Nava	4:42
4.	"El Silencio de la Espera"	Felisatti Malise Nuti	4:40
5.	"Caruso"	Dalla	5:16
6.	"Le Tue Parole"	Amoruso Cirillo	3:57
7.	"Vivo por Ella" (with Marta Sánchez)	Zelli Mengo Panceri	4:23
8.	"Romanza"	Malavasi	3:41
9.	"Voglio Restare Così"	Bocelli	3:51
10.	"E Chiove"	Amoruso Cirillo	4:21
11.	"Miserere" (with John Miles – bonus track)	Zucchero	4:05
12.	"Time to Say Goodbye" (with Sarah Brightman)	Sartori Quarantotto Peterson	4:07

Romanza (20th Anniversary Edition)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Con te partirò"	Francesco Sartori Lucio Quarantotto	—	4:09
2.	"Vivere" (with Gerardina Trovato)	Gerardina Trovato	—	4:41
3.	"Per Amore"	Mariella Nava	—	4:42
4.	"Il Mare Calmo Della Sera"	Gianpietro Felisatti Malise[9] Gloria Nuti	—	4:40
5.	"Caruso"	Lucio Dalla	—	5:16
6.	"Macchine da Guerra"	Angus Smith	—	4:08
7.	"Le Tue Parole"	Joe Amoruso Sergio Cirillo	—	3:57
8.	"Vivo per lei" (with Giorgia)	Valerio Zelli Art Mengo Gatto Panceri	—	4:23
9.	"Romanza"	Mauro Malavasi	—	3:41
10.	"La Luna Che Non C'è"	Dario Farina Antonella Maggio	—	4:30
11.	"Rapsodia"	Malise[9]	—	5:28
12.	"Voglio Restare Così"	Andrea Bocelli	—	3:51
13.	"E Chiove"	Amoruso Cirillo	—	4:21
14.	"Miserere" (with John Miles – bonus track)	Zucchero	—	4:05
15.	"Time to Say Goodbye" (with Sarah Brightman)	Sartori Quarantotto Frank Peterson	—	4:04
16.	"Con te partirò (orchestra 2016 version)" (bonus track – Romanza 20th Anniversary)	Sartori Quarantotto	—	4:14
17.	"Con te partirò (piano and voice 2016 version)" (bonus track – Romanza 20th Anniversary)	Sartori Quarantotto	—	4:03
18.	"Il Mare Calmo Della Sera (2016 version)" (bonus track – Romanza 20th Anniversary)	Gianpietro Felisatti Malise Gloria Nuti	—	4:14
19.	"Con te partirò (orchestra instrumental 2016 version)" (extra bonus – digital only – Romanza 20th Anniversary)	Sartori Quarantotto	—	4:17
20.	"Con te partirò (orchestra and choir 2016 version)" (extra bonus – digital only – Romanza 20th Anniversary)	Sartori Quarantotto	—	4:17

Commercial performance

First in Europe, then charts around the world, the album amassed a multitude of platinum and multi-platinum awards,[10] outselling even Bocelli's 1995 album, Bocelli, with worldwide sales in excess of 20 million copies to date.[2][11]

It is one of the biggest-selling albums of all-time, having sold more than seven million units in Europe alone, selling an impressive 500,000 copies in the Far East, one million in Italy, and more than three million in Spain, and Latin America where it became the best-selling album, by a non-Latino artist, of all-time. With more than 350,000 units sold in Switzerland, it is also the second best-selling album in history there, and with over two million copies sold in France, it is among the top 10 best-selling albums ever in the country.

It also received triple platinum status in the United States with 4.2 million copies sold,[12] being Bocelli's first album released in the States, and Diamond status in Canada, with 1,123,000 copies sold,[13] making Romanza the best-selling album by a foreign artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era, and the fourth best-selling overall, in Canada.[14][15]

To date, the album remains Bocelli's most commercially successful, and is considered his breakthrough album, launching his career worldwide.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1997–2000)	Peak position
Argentinian Albums Chart	1
Australian Albums Chart	2
Austrian Albums Chart	1
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)	2
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)	1
Canadian Albums Chart	5
Danish Albums Chart[16]	1
Dutch Albums Chart	1
European Top 100 Albums	1
Finnish Albums Chart	3
French Albums Chart	1
German Albums Chart	2
Hungarian Albums Chart	4
Italian FIMI Albums Chart	1
New Zealand Albums Chart	8
Norwegian Albums Chart	1
Polish Albums Chart	1
Portuguese Albums Chart	1
Swedish Albums Chart	5
Swiss Albums Chart	1
UK Albums Chart	6
US Billboard 200	35
US World Albums Chart	1
US Catalog Albums Chart	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1997)	Position
German Albums Chart[17]	3
Chart (1998)	Position
German Albums Chart[18]	87

Sales and certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[19] Italian edition	3× Platinum	500,000[20]
Argentina (CAPIF)[19] Spanish edition	3× Platinum
Australia (ARIA)[21]	7× Platinum	490,000^^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[22]	Platinum	50,000^*
Belgium (BEA)[23]	2× Platinum	100,000^*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[24]	Gold	900,000[20]
Canada (Music Canada)[25]	Diamond	1,123,000[13]
Chile	—	120,000[20]
Czech Republic[26]	6× Platinum	182,000
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[27]	Gold	28,592[27]
France (SNEP)[28]	Diamond	2,077,500[29]
Germany (BVMI)[30]	Platinum	500,000^^
Greece (IFPI Greece)[31]	Gold	25,000^^
Hungary (MAHASZ)[32]	Platinum
Italy (FIMI)[33]	Diamond	800,000[34]
Mexico	—	650,000[20]
Netherlands (NVPI)[35]	2× Platinum	200,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[36]	3× Platinum	45,000^^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[37]	3× Platinum	150,000^*
Poland (ZPAV)[38]	Platinum	100,000^*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[39]	3× Platinum	300,000^^
Sweden (GLF)[40]	Platinum	80,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[41]	7× Platinum	350,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[42]	Platinum	300,000^^
United States (RIAA)[43]	3× Platinum	4,200,000[12]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[44]	6× Platinum	6,000,000^*
Worldwide	—	20,000,000[2]
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

PBS Special

Main article: A Night in Tuscany

A Night in Tuscany, Bocelli's first PBS Great Performances special, filmed in 1997, was designed to promote the album.

The concert held in his native Tuscany, at the Piazza dei Cavalieri, in Pisa, saw Bocelli perform two opera duets with soprano Nuccia Focile, sing "Miserere" with Italian rock star Zucchero, who discovered him in 1992, and finally "Time to Say Goodbye" with English soprano Sarah Brightman.[45] The DVD of the full program was internationally released on November 10, 1998.

See also

• List of best-selling albums
• List of best-selling albums in Argentina
• List of best-selling albums in Canada
• List of diamond-certified albums in Canada
• List of best-selling albums in France
• List of European number-one hits of 1997

References

1. Billboard - May 8, 1999 - Page 48 "The album "Romanza" is a compilation of "Bocelli" and "II Mare Calmo Delia Sera," not as stated in the same article."
2. Crossover superstar Andrea Bocelli finds beauty in wide range of music The Columbus Dispatch, Nov 27, 2011.
3. "Bellagio Fountains – Las Vegas". Bellagio.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
4. Andrea Bocelli Chronicle: 1995 - 1997, Official Fan site.
5. "ECHO Klassik 1997 winners" (in German). ECHO. Archived from the original on 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
6. Andrea Bocelli's 1997 German tour, Official Fan site.
7. Sarah Brightman's 1997 concert at Royal Albert Hall, Official Fan site.
8. Andrea Bocelli's 1997 concerts in Torre del Lago, Paris-Bercy, and Seefeld, Official Fan site.
9. Malise is a pseudonym of Zucchero
10. "artist info". Universal Music Group Inc. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
11. Rogers, Paul (September 5, 2013). "Andrea Bocelli at the MGM Grand". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
12. Boyle's 'Dream' Continues At No. 1 On Billboard 200 Billboard Magazine.com Dec 9, 2009 article.
13. "The Nielsen Company and Billboard's 2009 Canadian Industry Report". Businesswire.com, Feb 04, 2010 article. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
14. Top 10 Selling Albums Of The SoundScan Era (1995-2008), Chart Attack, 2009 article.
15. TOP TEN SELLING ALBUMS OF SOUNDSCAN ERA (since 1995) Archived 2012-07-14 at Archive.today, Jam!, 2007 article.
16. "Listen - Danmarks Officielle Hitliste - Udarbejdet af AIM Nielsen for IFPI Danmark - Uge 29". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Copenhagen. 1997-07-20.
17. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
18. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
19. "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
20. "Andrea Bocelli in Latin America". Billboard Magazine 2001 article. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
21. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
22. "Austrian album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in German). IFPI Austria.
23. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
24. "Brazilian album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.
25. "Canadian album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza". Music Canada.
26. "Czech Success" (PDF). Music & Media. 24 April 1999. p. 21. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
27. "Andrea Bocelli" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
28. "French album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
29. "Les Albums Diamant :". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
30. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Andrea Bocelli; 'Romanza')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
31. "Andrea - Gold in Greece" (PDF). Music & Media. 21 June 2003. p. 3. Retrieved 15 December 2019 – via American Radio History.
32. "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2000" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
33. "Italian album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Romanza" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
34. "BREVI". La Repubblica (in Italian). December 30, 1997.
35. "Dutch album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Romanza in the "Artiest of titel" box.
36. "New Zealand album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza". Recorded Music NZ.
37. "Norwegian album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
38. "Polish album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
39. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 948. ISBN 8480486392.
40. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
41. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Andrea Bocelli; 'Romanza')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
42. "British album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Romanza in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
43. "American album certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Romanza". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
44. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2001". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
45. "Andrea Bocelli: A Night In Tuscany (1997) article". The New York Times.

External links

• Romanza on the Billboard charts (United States and Canada)
• Romanza on Ultratop.be