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50 of 51 found the following review helpful:
 Spiritually uplifting Feb 01, 2000
By G. Howe
"Sacred Arias" was my first Bocelli CD (it hasn't been my last!). As a pastor, seminary student, and lover of classical music (especially sacred music) I was drawn to it the moment I saw it. And, when I first listened to it, I was not disappointed. I find each of the arias to be tremendously inspiring. But, the "Sancta Maria" brought tears to my eyes when I first heard it. This CD provides me with 62:22 minutes of worship as I listen to each of these beautifully sung praises and prayers that have served as a testimony of faith over time. It is obvious that these pieces are dear to Bocelli's heart because his heart is definitely in his interpretation of them. A note for reviewer Nicole Kimberly of January 25, 2000. She had asked for the choral music for the "Gloria a te, Christo Gesu." It probably is not available yet. If I am not mistaken, this piece was written specifically for the Roman Catholic Jubilee Celebration of the new milennium, and Bocelli publically debuted this hymn at the start of the Vatican Christmas Service Christmas day, which marked the beginning of the Jubilee Celebration. Bocelli was honored by being selected by the Pope to sing this hymn for that special celebration.
97 of 105 found the following review helpful:
Bocelli sings well here, even if he can't sing opera Jan 22, 2000
By Andre
I watched the PBS special sometime around the holdays which featured this album of Bocelli's. Hearing the wonderful acoustics in that glorius church took the somewhat well-known songs to an almost ethereal level. It was wonderful to hear other versions of Ave Maria that I haven't heard performed in a long while. Overall, I guess I can't say much more than what the critic Thomas May wrote. Yes, Bocelli doesn't have much color nor much style of phrasing, but he still has that wonderful quality to transport the human spirit to a different level. He can definitely do it with this album, seeing as it contains many smooth tempoed free-flowing art songs and traditional pieces. The focus on this recording was not on arias, and thus no one should be stating that he can't sing these classical pieces because they hate the way he sings opera. I feel that this compilation of sacred songs(even though some are not) is a good one, with a sweet, lulling voice singing them. Bocelli sings well, and if one does like his voice, they will love this CD. People who don't like him shouldn't even bother listening, because all they'll find is something wrong. If they don't like him, why are they even looking at his recordings?... Anyways, I do digress, this is a wonderful CD.
77 of 83 found the following review helpful:
The Tenor Sings Gregorian Nov 30, 1999
This is a very fine album which I enjoy immensely. Andre Bocelli's tenor voice is a pleasure to listen to. He has scored 5 Stars with me. His various versions of "Ave Maria" are splendidly performed. It is a best-loved religious song. "Panis Angelicus" is sung so well, so meaningful, which is the way the song is to be sung. The song is from 1871, when Franck was a resident organist at St. Clotilde in Paris. The work was originally scored for tenor, organ, cello, harp, and double-bass. Mr. Bocelli has done an album worthy to be in anyone's collection, especially if you are a 'music lover.' The material that is covered on the album is directly related to 'The Mass' as it has been sung in the past generations of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, most specifically done in Gregorian Chant. The listener is taken back to a time pre-Vatican II. A most pleasing voice has taken me back to my childhood singing in the choir, as I have sung most of these songs also. And, I was pleasured by these wonderful songs then and now. Another beautiful song is "Pieta, Signore." Someone whom may enjoy this album may also enjoy listening to Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavorotti, and also, Michael Bolton. They all are tenors with beautiful voices. The song "Ave Maria" has also been sung by the three above-mentioned artistes. This album is comparable to the other artistes' rendition's of "Ave Maria" that has been sung also by the above. I would highly recommend this album to any one who appreciates the sound of an excellent tenor such as Andre Bocelli.
33 of 34 found the following review helpful:
THE Christmas Album for 1999 Dec 07, 1999
By Vince Page
This CD is notable for it beautiful Panis Angelicus (the bread of Heaven), Adeste Fideles (O come, all ye faithful) and Silent Night. It is also a rare collection of several different Ave Maria versions on one CD. The CD comes with English translations of every song side-by-side with the Latin words, so singing along in either language is no problem. I found it to be very heartwarming and just a lot of fun.
48 of 54 found the following review helpful:
 Good, but a little disappointing Dec 03, 1999
After seeing Bocelli perform on tv and how magical his voice sounded with such apparently little effort, I rushed out to purchase one of his cd's. I thought this cd would be a sure winner with his voice and sacred music combined but quite honestly none of his three renditions of Ave Marie really moved me. Don't get me wrong, he is a fabulous talent and this cd is nice background music for the holidays. However, I was looking for music to turn up loud and really be moved by and this cd just wasn't it. I will be trying another of his cd's in hopes of capturing some of the magic I know is possible from his voice.
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