(by Patrizio Nissirio) (ANSAmed) - ROME, SEPTEMBER 18 - Andrea Bocelli is due to arrive in Jordan on Monday for a concert in Jerash - the Gerasa of Antiquity, conquered by the Romans in 84 BC - featuring some of the most popular opera arias and his biggest pop hits.
The tireless tenor from Tuscany is in the Middle Eastern country for the first time after a busy three days in Italy that saw him fall from a horse, thankfully without injury, perform in the annual televised Celebrity Fight Night at the Coloseum on Saturday, and present The Music of Silence, a film inspired by his life, directed by Michael Radford and starring Luisa Ranieri. The Greek-Roman city of Jerash is known as the 'Pompeii of the East' due to the excellent state of conservation of its archaeological remains. Bocelli is to perform in the so-called Oval Forum, a large public plaza surrounded by Ionic columns that will accommodate both the musicians and the audience. He will be accompanied on stage by Jordanian soprano Dima Bawab, who said in an interview with the Jordan Times that she decided to become an opera singer after hearing one of Bocelli's albums. The concert has great artistic but also symbolic value for a country that in recent years has seen its tourist industry badly affected by the crises in the Middle East, starting from the war in neighbouring Syria that has forced millions of refugees over the border. However, Amman has not surrendered to the instability and is trying to promote its 'pearls', from the archaeological site of Petra to the Wadi Rum desert and the Dead Sea, with a tourist programme that already seems to be bearing fruit.
Visitor numbers rose by 14.5% in the first half of 2017 over the same period last year and the rest of the season appears to have consolidated the trend, thanks to a rise in tourists from Europe and North America. (ANSAmed).
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