The Journey: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli reminds us we are pilgrims too

It’s a cliché that life is a journey, yet the metaphor is appropriate: life has a purpose, an ultimate destination cannot be seen when one’s travels begin. En route, the traveler encounters people and experiences that can influence him or her. Some will form or inspire, making one a better person; some entertain or comfort; some prove to be obstacles that distract from one’s proper path. So much depends on how one lives and prepares along the journey.

That’s the spirit behind The Journey: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli, which debuts in limited release in theaters during Holy Week. What begins as a reflection on restoring hope after the recent pandemic succeeds as a meditation on the sustaining power of faith.

The setting is Italy as Bocelli, his wife, and friends travel on horseback along the Via Francigena, an ancient pilgrimage road, beginning with a blessing from Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square and terminating at his boyhood home near Lajatico, Tuscany. Along the trail they meet fellow musicians and perform sacred and inspirational music at beautiful monasteries, churches, and amphitheaters that dot the spectacular Italian countryside. Their conversations reflect on their personal journeys of faith and the role music plays in their lives.

The Journey is a sumptuous feast for the senses, with outstanding cinematography and music throughout. Blind since 12, the world-class tenor Bocelli treats viewers to Schubert’s classic Ave Maria, but also duets with Tori Kelly on Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and joins Tauren Wells and Taya in the rousing show tune You’ll Never Walk Alone. Among other solo, group, and instrumental numbers presented is a show-stopping ensemble performance of Amazing Grace.

"Every time I am away, I hope I return a better man, a man of compassion, faith, and devotion," Bocelli says of his travels home, although he might as well be talking about the daily task of all believers, the baptismal call to holiness during one’s earthly pilgrimage.  "That is the journey that never ends."