Michael Bolton, the rock singer, has completed a CD of operatic arias titled My Secret Passion.
He sings arias from Werther, Turandot, L'elisir d'amore, Martha, La bohème, Pagliacci, Tosca,
L'arlesiana, and Aida. Renée Fleming supports him in the Bohème duet.
Michael Bolton said that,
after his participation to the November 1995 concert with Pavarotti in Modena, he didn't realize
then, as he prepared for the performance, that he would become so overwhelmed by the power and
emotional depth of this great music, so consumed with the passion to learn it, to embrace it deeply
and to sing it.
Bolton's voice is quite husky and throaty, but his acuti are surprisingly good.
He produces an excellent diminuendo at the end of Celeste Aida.
My feeling is that he is better than Bocelli because of his honesty, but naturally not suited to opera.
François Nouvion
