Andrea Bocelli’s throat must be electromagnetic. Commandingly masculine, his preternatural tenor channels emotions of such raw purity — joy, sadness, romantic yearning — us mortals are scarcely equipped to process them in such an elemental state. In concert, the effect is both awe-inspiring and a little intimidating. Human beings just aren’t supposed to sound like that, but thank God he does.

But there’s also something enigmatic about Bocelli. For all of the 61-year-old Italian’s vocal grandeur, the few words he actually spoke onstage Thursday evening were quite humble. They came just after intermission, by way of introducing a luminous Puccini arrangement called “Angel di Dio.” He needed to sing a prayer, Bocelli explained, because he had been “a terribly naughty boy in life.”