Here is a comment I didn’t want you to miss. It’s a nice wrap-up from our newest Flight Crew Member, Bernard Duffy. ~M
Thank you Lynn, Jane and Marie for such a warm welcome! I hope to post on the site from time-to-time.
2015 was such a great year for Il Volo. During 2014, their accomplishments were coming more and more to the attention of the wider Italian population – thanks to certain TV presenters like Massimo Giletti (in his Sunday afternoon “magazine” show called “Domenica In”), Bruno Vespa (who presents the most important daily political and current affairs program, Porta-a-Porta, in the late evening) and of course, the incomparable Antonella Clerici, who was always available to praise the boys on any occasion. Then, there was Carlo Conti, who was given the task of organizing the Sanremo festival 2015 and persuaded the group to take part.
As everyone visiting this site already knows, “Grande Amore” really caught the imagination of a huge proportion of the Italian public – young and old, men and women – and the telephone vote made sure of their victory. It may not be clear to Americans, but Sanremo is a very “big deal” in Italy. The songs are performed in prime time all through the week from Tuesday to Saturday. Some are eliminated and some of those are then brought back under a process known as ripescaggio (which is the Italian translation of the French word “repechage”) and means literally “fished back” out of the elimination pool. It is a system that is also used in sport for giving losing competitors a second chance.
The grand final on Saturday evening is a great event in Italy’s cultural calendar. A number of other countries show it via the European Broadcasting Union, which also organizes the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). On the Sunday, all of the most important programs on RAI Uno are broadcast live from Sanremo and there is endless analysis of the results, live performances of some of the songs, interviews with the prize-winners and speculation about whether the winners will take up their right to represent Italy at Eurovision. As you know, il Volo went to Vienna and were placed third in the ESC under the jury system; but, on the popular voting by telephone, they were a clear first with 100 points more than the second song! And, remember, no one living in Italy was able to vote for them. No telephone voter can vote for their own country’s song!
Their tour of Italy over the summer was sold out everywhere. Huge crowds turned out for personal appearances and promotional events at book and music stores. The tour culminated with the concert at the Arena of Verona. When introducing his aria – e lucevan le stelle – Piero called it, “the temple of opera” because of the summer season of opera performances that attract visitors from all over the world. During the broadcast of the concert on RAI Uno, the audience share broke records for the era of multiple channel and internet broadcasting. At its peak, they came close to 40% audience share for the whole of Italy!
I predict that 2016 will see even greater success for them. How lucky we all are to have them and to know that we were in on the “ground floor” while they were constructing the huge edifice that is their current success! We can all share in it on this site! As Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca put it, “Fasten your seat-belts and enjoy the flight!”
Best wishes to everyone!
~Barnard
***
Just as I was getting ready to post this morning, we received another notable comment from Bernard. So I’ll add it too! ~M
I thought that some of you might like to read an English translation of the newspaper article that can be found at this link. IL VOLO IS AT ROSETO – PLAQUES AND PHOTOS BEFORE THE CONCERT. Gianluca Ginoble and Piero Barone greeted the children of the Le Orme (Footprints or Tracks) Center which had honored them with a plaque, and tomorrow evening, Wednesday 6 January, with Ignazio Boschetto, they will be at PalaMagetti for the concert that will open their Italian tour. ROSETO DEGLI ABRUZZI. The evening before the concert, a round of greetings and little surprises for Roseto. Thus, yesterday evening, Gianluca Ginoble (the “home town” singer) and Piero Barone, two of the three parts of the trio, il Volo, made a visit to the children of the “Le Orme of Roseto” association, where the autistic children, who are patients of the association, are housed and where they (il Volo) were honoured with a plaque. The other element of the threesome, Ignazio Boschetto, probably remained in his room at the Bellavista hotel of Roseto. The trio will appear on the very day of the Epiphany, 6 January, at 9.00 p.m., at PalaMagetti of Roseto, from where they will set off with the initial date of their Italian tour. A homage to the Abruzzo region from where, at the age of 16, Gianluca Ginoble (now aged 20) set out in search of success and fortune. Other concerts will be held in Sicily, the region of Piero and Ignazio. “I am really happy to return to Roseto, where every year I come to bathe in the sea and go to eat spaghetti with clams at Massimo’s (restaurant)” said the charming Piero Barone.
The heading for the video reads as follows: ROSETO, VISIT WITH HONOR CEREMONY FOR IL VOLO.
Roseto degli Abruzzi (province of Teramo), Honor ceremony and visit of Gianluca Ginoble and Piero Barone, singers from the trio Il Volo, at the center of the Le Orme association, where the singers received a plaque from the children. Photos and selfies on view from the opening date of the Italian tour in Gianluca’s home town. Piero: “Always happy to return to Roseto.”
This is the best translation I could get and it can’t be exactly correct. In Dutch according to Bing: “BE GLAD THAT I CAN READ ALL WEATHER GRACIAS” I think I get the gist. Thank you!
Marie! And Louise VanHemert! If that is you? I’ve seen your comments on other Il Volo pages! Welcome!
I think she said ” I’m glad I could read it all again . Thank you”
I recognize some of the words. Hope I ‘ m close!
Bernard! Nice job! Gianluca’s father Ercole said he had never seen his son so excited to do a concert even on the biggest foreign stages and was grateful to the Rosetans and all others who “embraced” his son.” I thought that was so special.
Last summer Piero and Ignazio got to perform on their home turf in Sicily and you could feel their joy and excitement in performing for their families, friends and fellow Sicilians! And now it was Gianluca’s turn! It was a great concert and a fitting start to the 2016 Tour! Thanks Guys! Can’t wait to see you!!
Joaniefl2!!! FIVE concerts?? FIVE concerts?? OMG!! In one year? WOW!
You are correct Lyn, direct translation is “Am happy to read it all again”.
Bernard thank you very much for the translations.
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Thanks Lynn and Ineke. I forgot, Ineke that you are Dutch!
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Thank you for posting this Marie !! Welcome to the Flight Crew Bernard and thank you for your beautifully written wrap up of our amazing guys flight into super stardom !!! They will continue to soar higher and higher and we are the very lucky recipients of their flight !!
They are remarkable young men and I feel very fortunate that I have been able to follow their growing success from the very beginning and I will continue to do so hopefully for many years to come. This year we are in for the treat of our lives !!! From what I’ve seen so far, via videos, their concerts this year are more magnificent and exciting then ever !!! I feel very fortunate to be attending five of them !! I am already jumping out of my skin from anticipation !!!
Five Joanie? Five? You Go Girl! I’ll see you at a couple of them!!
Bernard, thank you once again for your excellent review! I didn’t think you would mind the Sanremo picture. I think the Guys reaction represents their entire amazing year.
Thank you Marie for posting this. Welcome Barnard. Thank you for your wonderful insight on our talented trio. I will be seeing them once again in Las Vegas on 3/25/16 which keep me happy everyday just thinking of it. I believe we can all agree on one thing and that is, these three beautiful, talented, humble, generous and did I already mention HANDSOME, funny, romantic Italians (I said one thing. Oh well) are here to stay for a very long, long time, to our glee. Too bad the American Grammys has not caught on to the most talented entertainers in today’s music world. Thank you again Barnard. Keep us abreast on the happenings regarding our guys.
Very nice article, Bernard. Thank you. So wonderful having another IL VOLO fan here on this site. I so enjoy the camaraderie here not to mention the constant flow of information and photos of our dear guys!
Welcome aboard Barnard. Last night at my house I held the usual Friday happy hour. When I mention Il Volo they all smile broadly since they think this old dame is obsessed. That’s true. Three of them will be attending the concert in Temecular in March. I think I have won new fans. I may be able to stow away with them for that concert. Another one of that bunch and I will be in Las Vegas in March also and look forward to meeting some of you there. I can not wait. Joanie G
A note Bernard gave me permission to share with the Crew:
Hi Marie
I am delighted to receive your personal message! I am also pleased that you have given my post additional prominence. I hoped that other crew members would find it interesting. I know that news does come out of Italy but I thought that my personal reflections of the year would give a good summary of how Il Volo moved to capture the imagination of so many Italians in the past year.
I am semi-retired now, but I have been an italophile for most of my adult life. I studied modern languages – French and Italian – at high school before going on to read law at university. My wife is from Naples and we have an apartment there. Our home in England is in Windsor – about 25 miles from London. Our most famous resident is called Elizabeth Windsor but the rest of the world knows her better as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second! The royal family adopted the surname Windsor at the time of the first World War because its real name was German – Saxe-Coburg-Gotha – but being related to Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany was not likely to improve the English family’s popularity in a time of war! Her Majesty’s favorite castle is in the center of the town (in England we spell it “centre” as in French but pronounce it exactly as you do in the USA !). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_Castle
From time to time, I shall try to translate short reports from Italian into English so that the crew members can gain a clearer impression of what is being said about the young men of Il Volo. Here in Europe we have not seen them as much as you have in the USA and Latin-America. The focus of their early career was the “new world” because there are so many more people there of Italian descent or who are Spanish speakers. I speak basic Spanish but I understand it quite well because it has many similarities with Italian and French. Indeed, all of the Romance languages are really just modern dialects of ancient Latin – another language that I enjoyed at school. This year there is a tour of Europe starting in Madrid and passing through London. While they made a few appearances on British television in 2012, we have never had a concert date. I am already excited by the prospect and bought our tickets the day they went on sale!
I am working on the translation of a short piece that reports on Gianluca’s song that he dedicated to his girlfriend, Martina, at the concert for the Epiphany at Roseto degli Abruzzi. He came down from the stage to hug her as he finished the song. There is a video of it and in case you have not yet seen it, I will send you a link with the translation!
I look forward to reading the many other interesting things that you and the other organizers of the Flight Crew provide to us via the site.
It is, and I hope will it continue to be, my privilege and pleasure to follow you.
Congratulations on joining this fabulous site Bernard. I have just read all about the
Windsor Castle over the years. So much money spent on renovations by each King, in my opinion such a waste of money when a lot of that money could have been to help the poor over the years.
I m looking forward to your translations of interviews & videos that Il Volo are participating in. I get so frustrated by watching an interview & I so want to know what they are saying. I have been trying to follow the Italian lessons that Jana was providing but haven’t grasped the pronunciations. My fault.
I also have been following Il Volo from 2009 & saw them first at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto Canada & fell in love with them immediatey. They are the BEST singers in the world & it is about time the American Awards opened their eyes & ears & realized that they ARE the best singers & give them an award. I know they would extactic.
Have a great week-end yourself
Is it just me, or is anyone else wondering what has happened to Ignazio? He has’nt tweeted anything since Dec.21st, and nothing on Instagram either.
And then he was’nt there to receive the award with Piero and Gianluca.
If it was’nt for the fact that he is showing up for concert’s , I would think that Marie has something to do with it! Maybe she offered him a nice warm place to sleep(lol)
In my dreams!!! I mean yep he’s right here with me.
You know my Prince. Sometimes he just wants a little privacy. (with me, of course). Look at Kelly’s post this evening. He’s everywhere. You are not the first person to wonder though.
Yeah I was wondering where Ignazio was also. Seems strange he isn’t there to receive an award. Wasn’t he not feeling well a while ago?? Something was mentioned about that on a video, Qite hogging him Marie
Welcome to this site Bernard. I enjoyed your article. I try to read
all about Il Volo that I can. I read your article with great interest.
Thank you for your contribution. I will look forward to many more.
BEN BLIJ DAT IK ALLES WEER KAN LEZEN GRACIAS
This is the best translation I could get and it can’t be exactly correct. In Dutch according to Bing: “BE GLAD THAT I CAN READ ALL WEATHER GRACIAS” I think I get the gist. Thank you!
Marie! And Louise VanHemert! If that is you? I’ve seen your comments on other Il Volo pages! Welcome!
I think she said ” I’m glad I could read it all again . Thank you”
I recognize some of the words. Hope I ‘ m close!
Bernard! Nice job! Gianluca’s father Ercole said he had never seen his son so excited to do a concert even on the biggest foreign stages and was grateful to the Rosetans and all others who “embraced” his son.” I thought that was so special.
Last summer Piero and Ignazio got to perform on their home turf in Sicily and you could feel their joy and excitement in performing for their families, friends and fellow Sicilians! And now it was Gianluca’s turn! It was a great concert and a fitting start to the 2016 Tour! Thanks Guys! Can’t wait to see you!!
Joaniefl2!!! FIVE concerts?? FIVE concerts?? OMG!! In one year? WOW!
You are correct Lyn, direct translation is “Am happy to read it all again”.
Bernard thank you very much for the translations.
Thanks Lynn and Ineke. I forgot, Ineke that you are Dutch!
Thank you for posting this Marie !! Welcome to the Flight Crew Bernard and thank you for your beautifully written wrap up of our amazing guys flight into super stardom !!! They will continue to soar higher and higher and we are the very lucky recipients of their flight !!
They are remarkable young men and I feel very fortunate that I have been able to follow their growing success from the very beginning and I will continue to do so hopefully for many years to come. This year we are in for the treat of our lives !!! From what I’ve seen so far, via videos, their concerts this year are more magnificent and exciting then ever !!! I feel very fortunate to be attending five of them !! I am already jumping out of my skin from anticipation !!!
Five Joanie? Five? You Go Girl! I’ll see you at a couple of them!!
Bernard, thank you once again for your excellent review! I didn’t think you would mind the Sanremo picture. I think the Guys reaction represents their entire amazing year.
Thank you Marie for posting this. Welcome Barnard. Thank you for your wonderful insight on our talented trio. I will be seeing them once again in Las Vegas on 3/25/16 which keep me happy everyday just thinking of it. I believe we can all agree on one thing and that is, these three beautiful, talented, humble, generous and did I already mention HANDSOME, funny, romantic Italians (I said one thing. Oh well) are here to stay for a very long, long time, to our glee. Too bad the American Grammys has not caught on to the most talented entertainers in today’s music world. Thank you again Barnard. Keep us abreast on the happenings regarding our guys.
Very nice article, Bernard. Thank you. So wonderful having another IL VOLO fan here on this site. I so enjoy the camaraderie here not to mention the constant flow of information and photos of our dear guys!
Welcome aboard Barnard. Last night at my house I held the usual Friday happy hour. When I mention Il Volo they all smile broadly since they think this old dame is obsessed. That’s true. Three of them will be attending the concert in Temecular in March. I think I have won new fans. I may be able to stow away with them for that concert. Another one of that bunch and I will be in Las Vegas in March also and look forward to meeting some of you there. I can not wait. Joanie G
A note Bernard gave me permission to share with the Crew:
Hi Marie
I am delighted to receive your personal message! I am also pleased that you have given my post additional prominence. I hoped that other crew members would find it interesting. I know that news does come out of Italy but I thought that my personal reflections of the year would give a good summary of how Il Volo moved to capture the imagination of so many Italians in the past year.
I am semi-retired now, but I have been an italophile for most of my adult life. I studied modern languages – French and Italian – at high school before going on to read law at university. My wife is from Naples and we have an apartment there. Our home in England is in Windsor – about 25 miles from London. Our most famous resident is called Elizabeth Windsor but the rest of the world knows her better as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second! The royal family adopted the surname Windsor at the time of the first World War because its real name was German – Saxe-Coburg-Gotha – but being related to Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany was not likely to improve the English family’s popularity in a time of war! Her Majesty’s favorite castle is in the center of the town (in England we spell it “centre” as in French but pronounce it exactly as you do in the USA !). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_Castle
From time to time, I shall try to translate short reports from Italian into English so that the crew members can gain a clearer impression of what is being said about the young men of Il Volo. Here in Europe we have not seen them as much as you have in the USA and Latin-America. The focus of their early career was the “new world” because there are so many more people there of Italian descent or who are Spanish speakers. I speak basic Spanish but I understand it quite well because it has many similarities with Italian and French. Indeed, all of the Romance languages are really just modern dialects of ancient Latin – another language that I enjoyed at school. This year there is a tour of Europe starting in Madrid and passing through London. While they made a few appearances on British television in 2012, we have never had a concert date. I am already excited by the prospect and bought our tickets the day they went on sale!
I am working on the translation of a short piece that reports on Gianluca’s song that he dedicated to his girlfriend, Martina, at the concert for the Epiphany at Roseto degli Abruzzi. He came down from the stage to hug her as he finished the song. There is a video of it and in case you have not yet seen it, I will send you a link with the translation!
I look forward to reading the many other interesting things that you and the other organizers of the Flight Crew provide to us via the site.
It is, and I hope will it continue to be, my privilege and pleasure to follow you.
Have a great week-end!
Bernard
Our Il Volo neighborhood keeps getting larger or is it smaller? Oh, what those Guys can do!
Thank you, Bernard, and welcome to the Flight Crew. I am looking forward to your future postings.
Welcome, Bernard! Thank you so much for the translation!
Congratulations on joining this fabulous site Bernard. I have just read all about the
Windsor Castle over the years. So much money spent on renovations by each King, in my opinion such a waste of money when a lot of that money could have been to help the poor over the years.
I m looking forward to your translations of interviews & videos that Il Volo are participating in. I get so frustrated by watching an interview & I so want to know what they are saying. I have been trying to follow the Italian lessons that Jana was providing but haven’t grasped the pronunciations. My fault.
I also have been following Il Volo from 2009 & saw them first at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto Canada & fell in love with them immediatey. They are the BEST singers in the world & it is about time the American Awards opened their eyes & ears & realized that they ARE the best singers & give them an award. I know they would extactic.
Have a great week-end yourself
Is it just me, or is anyone else wondering what has happened to Ignazio? He has’nt tweeted anything since Dec.21st, and nothing on Instagram either.
And then he was’nt there to receive the award with Piero and Gianluca.
If it was’nt for the fact that he is showing up for concert’s , I would think that Marie has something to do with it! Maybe she offered him a nice warm place to sleep(lol)
In my dreams!!! I mean yep he’s right here with me.
You know my Prince. Sometimes he just wants a little privacy. (with me, of course). Look at Kelly’s post this evening. He’s everywhere. You are not the first person to wonder though.
Yeah I was wondering where Ignazio was also. Seems strange he isn’t there to receive an award. Wasn’t he not feeling well a while ago?? Something was mentioned about that on a video, Qite hogging him Marie
Welcome to our crazy group. Since you reside in London maybe you can do some articles about their European Tour this year.
Welcome to this site Bernard. I enjoyed your article. I try to read
all about Il Volo that I can. I read your article with great interest.
Thank you for your contribution. I will look forward to many more.
Very good to hear from you, Bernard. Welcome to our site .