Andrea Bocelli sings moving ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ duet with son Matteo at Oscars ceremony
11 March 2024, 12:18 | Updated: 11 March 2024, 17:36
The Italian tenor took to the stage at the Oscars with son Matteo to sing an emotional duet, as the ceremony paid tribute to those we have lost.
Andrea Bocelli made a surprise appearance on stage at last night’s Academy Awards, for a heartfelt father-son duet of his most famous single, ‘Time to Say Goodbye’, in a brand new arrangement by film composer Hans Zimmer.
The pair were joined by a string quartet and a team of dancers, as screens behind them paid tribute to the actors, musicians, and industry figures we lost in the last year, including composers Ryuichi Sakamoto and Robbie Robertson, and legendary actor Matthew Perry.
Marking the beginning of a year in which Andrea Bocelli celebrates a 30-year strong career, the performance was a debut of a new version of the beloved tune ‘Con te partirò’, which cemented Bocelli as a household name after its premiere in 1995.
“It is the song of my life,” Bocelli said. “It is the melody that represents me in the eyes of the world: reinventing it, thanks to the collaboration with Hans Zimmer, and singing it together with my son Matteo, represents an exciting challenge.”
The star tenor also shared that the new single is “part of a larger upcoming project”, hinting at further surprises his 30th anniversary year has in store, including a headline performance at BST Hyde Park in London this summer.
Read more: Andrea Bocelli’s children: Who are Matteo, Amos and Virginia Bocelli and what do they do?
Read more: When Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli sang a glorious Neapolitan love duet in 1994
Matteo Bocelli added to his father’s comments: “‘Time to Say Goodbye’ is more than a song to me, it’s my family’s national anthem, it’s the soundtrack to hundreds of memories.
“Singing it with my father in a new orchestration is a great honour, and to sing it on the Oscars stage is simply a dream come true!”
The pair have previously duetted on a 2018 single, ‘Fall On Me’, as well as a festive family album in 2022 together with the youngest Bocelli family member, Virginia.