Five stars
It was a night to remember for young people from St Aloysius' College who performed with the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli on Saturday evening for the singer's rescheduled Scottish gala performance. The Junior Schola joined the star for a few of his songs, including a jaunty rendition of Mamma and a rousing finale of Con Te Partiro, fittingly Time To Say Goodbye. Proud parents could be seen wiping their tears away in the premium seats (a whopping £120 a pop) and, as a childhood memory, this night could take some beating.
With a balanced programme that included a heady second act, Bocelli just about managed to justify the eye-watering prices at the Hydro (tickets started from £45, for nosebleed-inducing Level 3 seats). The echo, which has been present in many other gigs at the new arena, seemed to have been tackled by additional speakers being placed at the front of the stage, just in front of the orchestra and Maestro Marcello Rota.
Special guests added to the feeling of occasion: soprano Svetla Vassileva gave a stunning solo performance of O Mio Babbino Caro, injected actorly humour during Funiculi Funicala and even whirled Bocelli around during the closing number from Act One from Verdi's La Traviata. Classical guitar duet group Carisma accompanied Bocelli's Granada but then played a mesmeric Cavatina, commanding breathless silence from the audience.
A star was born, however, when Tony and Grammy award winner Heather Headley graced the stage in a stunning cornflower blue evening dress and winning charismatic smile. The singer, who wowed in The Bodyguard in London's West End, gave a nuanced performance of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, before joining Bocelli for Canto Della Terra, a masterclass in blending the musical-theatre voice with a more operatic style.
La Vie En Rose (a digitally-enabled duet with Edith Piaf herself), Quizas Quizas Quizas and Love In Portofino (all from his newly-released album), showcased Bocelli's versatility as an artist and his keen awareness of vocal texture and light and shade. A simply volcanic Nessun Dorma closed the show before the singer received a final standing ovation.
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