Andrea and Matteo Bocelli Deliver a Stirring “Time to Say Goodbye” at the 2024 Oscars
A Moment of Musical and Emotional Resonance
On the evening of March 10, 2024, during the 96th Academy Awards, the world witnessed a moment of pure musical transcendence as Andrea Bocelli took to the Oscar stage, joined by his son Matteo Bocelli, for a deeply moving performance of “Time to Say Goodbye” during the ceremony’s solemn “In Memoriam” segment. Their duet, framed by a newly orchestrated arrangement from Hans Zimmer, transformed the iconic song into a sweeping cinematic tribute — a convergence of music, legacy, and heart.
The audience, immersed in the emotional weight of the moment, watched as father and son filled the grand hall with a sound both familiar and reborn — a shared expression of artistry and love that transcended generations.
Re-imagining a Masterpiece
Originally released in 1995 under the Italian title “Con te partirò”, the song found global fame a year later through the English-Italian duet version “Time to Say Goodbye.” For this special Oscars performance, Andrea and Matteo unveiled a reimagined rendition produced by Hans Zimmer, who infused the beloved classic with sweeping orchestral textures and emotional depth while preserving its timeless melodic soul.
The occasion also carried deeper significance — the performance marked Andrea Bocelli’s 30th anniversary in music, a career defined by his ability to bridge the worlds of opera, pop, and film through his unmatched vocal artistry.
Father & Son: A Shared Stage, A Shared Legacy
For Matteo Bocelli, who has been steadily forging his own musical identity, the duet was a moment of deep personal and professional significance. “‘Time to Say Goodbye’ is more than a song to me — it’s my family’s national anthem. Singing it with my father in a new orchestration is a great honor.”
For Andrea, the song carries an equally profound meaning. He shared, “It is the song of my life… reinventing it and singing it together with my son represents an exciting challenge.”
Watching the two share the stage — father and son, mentor and heir — lent the performance a dimension beyond artistry. It became an emotional dialogue between generations, a symbolic passing of the torch framed in music and mutual reverence.
The Oscars Tribute Context
The performance unfolded during the ceremony’s “In Memoriam” segment, a tradition that honors artists, filmmakers, and visionaries lost in the preceding year. Against a backdrop of faces and names — lives remembered and legacies cherished — the Bocellis’ performance became a vessel for collective reflection. Andrea’s resonant tenor and Matteo’s warm, youthful voice carried a message of remembrance that needed no translation: farewell, gratitude, and enduring love.
Why It Resonated
- Emotional Weight: The duet’s sincerity, combined with the universal message of the song, created a moment of collective catharsis and grace.
- Reinvention: Hans Zimmer’s arrangement breathed new cinematic life into a familiar classic, making it resonate anew for global audiences.
- Symbolism: Performing “Time to Say Goodbye” during the In Memoriam segment imbued it with deeper meaning — a tribute to art, legacy, and memory itself.
- Legacy and Continuity: The shared performance embodied a bridge between generations, capturing the essence of love, family, and musical evolution.
In Short
When Andrea and Matteo Bocelli sang “Time to Say Goodbye” on the Oscar stage, it was far more than a performance. It was a communion of sound and soul — a meeting point between past and future, memory and renewal. Their voices, joined in harmony, carried the weight of legacy and the light of love, reminding the world that music’s greatest gift is its ability to heal, honor, and endure.