A Family Christmas gift from Andrea, Matteo and Virginia Bocelli

A wonderful release from Andrea Bocelli and two of his children has been putting a smile on my face this holiday season.

A Family Christmas is not only a showcase for the world-renowned tenor, it also introduces us to his talented children who join him on this recording. Each Bocelli gets a chance to shine on the record with solo tracks, duets and trios in the mix.

For 10-year-old Virginia Bocelli, this marks her first appearance on an album, having previously joined her father for a spine-tingling performance of “Hallelujah” during 2020’s hugely popular Believe in Christmas concert. She provides the tender openings to “Away in a Manger” and “Over The Rainbow” and performs solo on “When Christmas Comes to Town.”

At 24, Matteo Bocelli has launched his own successful solo recording career after signing to Capitol Records in 2019. He shot to fame in 2018 after duetting with his father on the hit song “Fall On Me” from Andrea’s best-selling album, Sì, which debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. and U.K. charts. Matteo and his Dad reunite on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and Matteo duets with Virginia on “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” before taking a solo turn on “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” which closes the album.

For Andrea Bocelli, one of the most celebrated classical singer in modern history, the chance to work with Matteo and Virginia on this album has been a source of great joy. As well as performing with his son and daughter on many of the Christmas songs, Andrea takes the lead on “The First Noël” and “Buon Natale.”

This is not strictly a 'classical' record, but I can see that it should become a 'classic' Christmas record - with many repeat plays as the years roll on...

Here's a sampling of the music you'll hear on this release: